"Staircase to Heaven"- My first Haiku!

This is my first Haiku . So please be kind :) Thanks to Ruchira Shukla  for  guiding me and for helping me with  the syllable count and better words. Half credit goes to her. Thanks again to her for explaining Haiku in detail at Write Tribe.

The prompt this week is "Kigo" - which is  a seasonal word. The season in India now is rainy and as I stay in Bangalore it's just impossible to not attempt this Haiku. The beautiful foggy mornings and  rainy evenings of Bangalore made me write the below Haiku.

The below pic is taken in Nandi Hills!

Early morning fog

Rain washed steps showing the path

Staircase to heaven

This one I dedicate to you Ruchira :)
With love
Me!

Learning from the "Chaos"

There is chaos every where. Where ever you go , what ever you do, you can't stay shielded from chaos. It will attack you in one way or the other. What surprises me most is not the chaos finding its way, it is how thick and mum people stay when it attacks! The basic identity of Indians , well most of them is to "get used to" anything and every thing . In an "old" post I mentioned the heavy rents and advance payments in Bangalore. It is the standard here . Every one follows the norm. No one questions or objects . If you object you will be outcasted with the statement "You are the only one who has problem with this !"  This is a very common statement which is bombarded at me every day. The below are few scenarios !

I live in an apartment in the 4th floor . It is  new and pretty comfortable one with a good view early in the morning and full moon view in the nights which is dreamy. We moved only with the hope that lift/elevator will be ready in 10 days as per the owner's promise. It has been 2 and 1/2 months now and only the machine is installed. MEN are STILL AT WORK and God knows when it will be ready. I objected and questioned the broker who apologized and said it is the supplier's mistake. Owner is not to be blamed. I took the supplier's number and called him. He said he is not the one to be blamed. He did not get the full payment and hence the supply is delayed . I was sandwiched between the supplier and the owner! I was not sure whom to trust. My mom had to visit me and she cannot easily climb stairs. Hulk entered in me and I called up the owner all-set revising the conversation I was about to have. The man who stands tall at 6' 3 almost shouted at me saying I am reacting a lot and if I have so much problem I should vacate the house. God knows how loud I sounded in phone after that. The maid became a statue and her daughter almost ran out of the house looking at my Hulk aka Kaali(Goddess Kaali) avtar. If only I was a real hulk I would have smashed the owner's office !! *sigh*

"Hulk"

I gave him left right and center and we didn't pay rent for the last month and obviously we are not paying maintenance since we moved in. He understood the severity of reaction and apologized . Why does every one wait for the situation to become fierce? I fail to understand. Why should I always have to shout in a booming voice to make people understand the intensity of situation!? My friend suggested filing RTI (Right to Information Act) . I am still thinking on it !

Every thing is heavily priced these days . The movies in multiplexes , clothes and other products in  malls ,furniture , groceries,  petrol, rate card of autowalas, every damn expenditure seems expensive. Even the salary of the maid makes me shudder every month. There are too many reasons for this economy imbalance. Not digging in to them but in a nut shell "Rich get richer. Poor get poorer" and the middle class folks like us always try surviving in the flood of richness by saving our asses from getting burnt by Richie Richs' and the demands of the poor folks. I really am not sure whose condition is more pitiable. The laborers and servants who demand heavy salaries due to day to day rising economy or "we" who have to bend to their demands and needs! There are even maids who purchased houses in Bangalore- I mean just imagine it is in Bangalore!!

From "Post-Card" to a "Wall-Post!"

Gone are the days when we used to write to each other.

We used to jot lines on a postcard for our mother, sister or a brother.

That coin spent on an envelope or a postcard was precious.

It always was fun to use a pen and write which lead to unlimited happiness!

The postcard always fell short for what all we wanted to say.

We laid emphasis on few words by underlining or overwriting was also a way.

We filled the margins and edges with words and rarely abbreviations.

Words reflected our feelings, thoughts and emotions!

Image source:"here"

Our handwriting used to be tidy when we put the pen on the paper sprawled on the floor

After hello, how are you we used to reduce the size of letters to accommodate more.

The words made us smile and think of the other person’s reactions on reading it.

We never forgot to use emoticons at the end of sentences, which ever fit! 

We used to anxiously check the calendar estimating the day we would be getting the letter.

When post-man used to ring the bell we were in smiles and always felt better.

A birthday card from a best friend with “open with a sweet smile” note always lifted our spirits.

We used to create our music and sang happy songs with our own lyrics!

Today as telegram is getting extinct everyone wants to reminisce the olden days.

They want to send one to their near and dear as a memorial before it parts ways.

We no longer write to each other or even make a courtesy call once in a while.

It is always a facebook ping or we chat or whats app message on the smartest mobile!

From wild to dirty to lame jokes we can share everything on our blog or a face book wall.

From a 10 year old to an eighty year old every one adds you to their list to be your pal.

Universe condensed and fell in your wrist and along with it our feelings have also condensed.

We seek help from unknowns and the friends we know are near but our hearts have distanced!

Image source : "here"

We share a status of mishap or a calamity seeking support from every corner of the globe.

The actual responsibility of thinking and cleaning up the mess is in someone else’s scope.

We crib, cry share and make a mess of the messy happenings yet again.

We strangely feel we have done a good deal and have lessened the sufferer’s pain!

The little postcard or an envelope meant something to someone on some day.

Wall posts, blog posts mean something to many on any day.

Our lives were more private and personal few decades back.

We now announce everything with utmost priority and knack!

This post is not to discuss past V/s present or to guess if future will be a curse.

It is to express the fact that we always love the old times and feel present is worse.

Times change, things change and people always do.

The person who doesn't change is the conscious one in you.

This post is in response to a contest hosted by Corinne, at WriteTribe. In this week's prompt we need to write a piece/a story/ a poem incorporating the following 7 words in random order : 

•   postcard
•   coin
•   tidy
•  wild
•  help
•  calendar
•  responsibility

The debonair "Milka" - For Jabong.com's Bhaag Milka Bhaag contest :)

Today as and when I got the mail for " Bhaag Milka Bhaag contest"  I started writing down the post as I am a Farhan Akhtar fan and as there are movie tickets only for the first ten posts. So as not to miss the FCFS I am here posting the fashion tips for fitness freaks. Look and feel definitely matters a lot. When you are sweating out in gym or jogging in a ground or doing sprints , crunches or push ups it is very important to look good and feel good. Hygiene plays an important role in work out and wearing outdated and misfit clothes and accessories will not only make you look in bad shape but may not play a good role in rising your spirits. You need to feel good about your self specially when you work out! The below are my choices from Bhaag Milka Bhaag collection.

I loved the below Black Panther Fitness Tights - Grey . If you have a fit body it will enhance your shape and boost your confidence. Find them "here" . It will cost you just 359/-  Luckily you have 20 % off ! The same black panther fitness tights in black also look good. They will be warm too in rainy season and black always makes people look slim and stylish:)

If you are slightly conscious and don't want to show your arms you can go for "Puma Running Polo T-Shirt - Grey " the image of which is on the right in the above images shared. It sure looks elegant!

For women the below Puma V Neck Graphic Black and red T Shirts look the best to me. They will for sure make one look cool and confident. My personal experience with Puma is good. I can vouch the durability of Puma products! 

Coming to shoes I feel the below Fila Arthur White Running Shoes which are "here" on the site look stylish and comfortable! As Adidas is a favorite brand I felt I can even go  for the   "Adidas Impulse M Navy Blue Running Shoes" . They will look good on girls too.



Coming to accessories and training equipment Adidas T ADIGIRL 3PP COTTON SOCKS look good on girls. They are at http://www.jabong.com/Adidas-T-ADIGIRL-3PP-COTTON-SOCKS-55700.html .

Its very important to protect your fists and knee joints when you are working out. The below Nivia Splendoer Gym Fitness Gloves and Nivia Knee Support Slip-In Style look just efficient for the same purpose .

 

You can find them at http://www.jabong.com/Nivia-Knee-Support-Slip-In-Style-275220.html and http://www.jabong.com/Nivia-Splendoer-Gym-Fitness-Gloves-275205.html . The Hiking Bottle is just cute for girls. Find it below :)

Find this at http://www.jabong.com/quechua-Hiking-Bottle-06L-Jr-26239.html

You can check out many more amazing equipment and stylish sippers , socks , push up bars and many more at this link. The collection is huge and I am sure you won't be disappointed.

Coming to other sport essentials I chose the below ones which will complement the over all work out look . Fast track is my favorite brand. Hence I am choosy here and selecting Fasttrack watch(Fastrack 3091Sl01-Db832 Brown / Silver Analog Watch) and Fastrack Eyesport P205Bk2 Black Sunglasses. You can find the pics below. I am just too tempted to ignore them ! They are at below links- http://www.jabong.com/fastrack-3091Sl01-Db832-Brown-Silver-Analog-Watch-144646.html and http://www.jabong.com/fastrack-Eyesport-P205Bk2-Black-Sunglasses-92827.html

Having a duffle bag always helps in keeping your things safe and intact so its better to have one. The below "Reebok I10681 Blue/Black Duffle Bag" is a good choice for that!



Aren't you feeling charged up? Fitness should be the utmost priority of every one's life. What are you waiting for ? Get up and get going. Shopping sure is therapeutic . It will help you get motivated for your next step. Never stop working out and always look good when you do the same!
Good day:)
The ensemble of products I chose looks like below!

This post is written for blog contest by online shopping website, Jabong.com on the occasion of launching the exclusive Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Sports Collection.

"The Lost World :-) "

Binding the books with brand new brown sheets was an important task.

All emotions were crystal clear as we never wore a mask.

It was fun to preserve the peacock feather in note books.

It was a eureka moment when we scored marks for all our flukes!

Image source :"here"

We never got tired counting the stars and we always wished when we saw a shooting star.

Those were the days when we thought world is full of love and no war.

Those were the days when we believed the power of joy over worries.

Today those bygone days are just treasured memories!



This post is in response to a writing prompt on Write Tribe. 

"Silence speaks volumes!"

"The silence is unusual. I last spoke to Mayank leisurely only when I left Hyderabad. Mayank , the macho man of the floor, the hottest manager a team can ever get is either too busy or too lazy. Why is he not responding to my calls or emails? I never felt that living a 500kms apart and working in different locations means maintaining a long distance relation ship," thought Richa when she opened her message inbox in phone for the 100th time hoping to get a message from Mayank.

She furiously threw the phone on to the desk.

Ravi : "Ohoooo ! Whats wrong with you ? You seem to be really pissed off ?"

Me : "No. I am ok."

Six months back

Mayank joined the new team as manager. All girls had their eyes transfixed on him. He is a hunk who hits gym every day so as not to get a pot belly or a bumpy buttock in the sedentary IT life. Richa was also attracted to him like every body else. He too gave green signal to Richa by flirting with her and he never missed a chance to talk to her or have coffee and lunch with her.

Slowly they became a hit pair of the office. The love birds always were seen together.

Mayank even went to smoking zone with Richa. She had tea and he smoked away to glory which is his stress buster. That was the only habit in him which Richa dislikes in him but she felt it some how added to his sex appeal. In short she cannot hate anything linked to Mayank.

They dated for four months and Richa was head over heels on Mayank. Mayank had a Casanova life style. When you are in Rome be a Roman was his life's motto but as they say love is blind. It is not only blind but deaf and dumb too many a times. Richa got a temporary transfer to Bangalore from Hyderabad. Mayank got bored of Richa in four months  and was trying hard to find an easy way to come out of the relation ship. Richa's transfer came like a blessing in disguise. He bid farewell to her and got busy with new muses and a new woman in no time.

Richa was emotional about Mayank from day 1. She wanted their relation to bloom. She left no stone unturned to make it work. She sent gifts to Mayank just to tell him that she remembered him every minute. She tried to call , sms, whats app and even mail. She started feeling that she is getting clingy. Even her forward mails are not acknowledged like before.

Present day

Richa was lost in her never ending thoughts. "What does it take for a man to like a woman ? How do we sustain a relation? Why did Mayank ditch me all of a sudden? Am I that bad?"

A meeting request popped on her laptop halting her thoughts. She had no interest to open it but job is the only deviation she has now and she cannot ignore it. She opened to read and her eyes twinkled. A meeting was planned by their delivery manager where teams from all the delivery units are supposed to meet in Bangalore. Right now their project is distributed in Hyderabad , Bangalore , Pune and Chennai. The initial excitement died in seconds when she realized that she last spoke to Mayank for just five minutes one month back when he abruptly disconnected saying he had a meeting!

On the day of the meeting every one gathered in the conference room. Mayank smiled warmly at Richa as if nothing happened between them. Richa managed to fake a smile. She felt her head may burst due to thousand questions it is holding. Mayank sat facing Richa. She couldn't resist and looked at Mayank with eyes filled with angst , confusion and agony. Mayank got a bit conscious and bent his head. The silence of the conference room made no difference to them as the silence between them over powered every thing else! The presentation started and lasted for an hour or more .After the boring statistics and mile stones  were discussed they all dispersed for a short tea break.

Richa went to get her daily cuppa of lemon tea. Even if she was sobbing from inside she kept a brave face and exchanged pleasantries with every one. Mayank came to the vending machine just when Richa was about to leave.

Mayank : " Err. Richa. how are you?"

Richa : "More than good!"

Mayank : "Actually I wanted to say sorry for not lifting your calls. I was busy and..."

Richa raised her hand to end his narration.

Richa : "Thats O.K.  When you say nothing at all I understand what you are trying to say more than those times when you said so many things!"

Mayank was speechless.

Richa : "Its alright Mayank Shah. It was nice meeting you and all the best."

Richa boldly shook his hands and left the place leaving a flabbergasted Mayank behind.

That evening Richa cried to her hearts content when she narrated it all to her best friend Pallavi. Pallavi listened patiently with out jumping to conclusions or giving any free advise. She is the best agony aunt Richa has. A person with whom she can be herself. After four rounds of coffee she gained some sanity back. They just sat in silence on the steps near the porch and watched the beautiful Bangalore rain. After half an hour Pallavi spoke first.

"I have two tickets for Shankar Mahadevan's concert. Interested?"

Richa nodded and smiled broad as she sensed she cannot waste her days in gloom!

Silence is haunting and it feels like you are groping in the dark some times and some times silence is the best conversation two friends can have. LISTEN and SILENT are made of same alphabets. You can listen to your friend the best only when you stay silent :)

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

Music - "The language of God"

I heard the first rain drops splashing the Neem tree.

A new song rose in my heart in a mood joyous and free.

Music is in the running river and in the waves of the sea.

The rhythmic horns make the music and even the buzz of the bee!

There's music in the sounds of a dense jungle and in the chirping birds.

The cooing of a pigeon and the song of a cuckoo is melodious.

Music flows across the boundaries uniting us in one religion.

Music is a part of the soul giving us a new vision!

 

Image source :"here"

Music along with poems and beautiful rhymes.

Flows in to the heart and is double faced at times.

It either gives you pain or it takes your pain away.

Music has the power to play with your emotions and just stray!

A sudden silly smile or a thought with a frown on face.

Music often brings back the good old days.

Music is god as it is immortal and rules the minds.

Music can play the tricks on us of all kinds!

The moon lit sky is music to our eyes.

With music world seems so beautiful and nice.

The voice of our loved ones' is music to our ears.

A single word can dump all our fears!

No one rules anyone in the kingdom of music.

All are under the charm of this magic.

Music brings all strings together.

It rocks our life with a bang forever!

Music needs no words to touch your heart.

With music jubilant is any one’s day’s start.

Music makes you travel to places across the globe.

Music puts on you a thinking cap and makes you probe!

Music knows no boundaries or a language.
Music releases the feelings trapped in a cage.
Music speaks the unspoken words.
Music is the universal language of all folks!

This post is written for Indiblogeswari's #ThatTuesdayThingy  - an attempt to challenge ourselves and to go that extra mile and tell our tale :) !

The above post is written in response to the below "Time Traveller"  video by Rahul Sharma. Listen to this soothing music and have fun !