Wodehouse Roadhouse

They say never judge a book by its cover. I always say never judge a book by its DVD. Let's just say that if first impressions were the best, I would have lost out on a wonderful author. I came across P.G.Wodehouse first, in my English school book. A story named "The Prize Poem" , which was frankly unappealing to previously non-Wodehouse-enlightened teenagers. 


A couple of years later, I read a book of his. Don't ask me what made me pick it, I come across my favourite series in weird ways like this. But there it is. I borrowed one. And I am sorry to say I don't remember which one. Though I have only read a handful of his books so far, I can't remember which one it was. But he is now one of my favourite authors.


What I adored about his style, was the effortless unraveling of seemingly complex plots, and a type of writing that has come to be associated with Wodehouse himself - 'a comedy of errors'. Oh how I loved the way you start off with everybody as they are, and learning about their character. And then, a few chapters later, you look back, and are astonished at how much has happened, and how many subplots have sneakily come up, and how many things you now have to keep track of as the plot progresses.


Big Money was one of my favourites- how money makes men do things they rather wouldn't, and then they end up - as they call it - in quite a pickle. Piccadilly Jim was also a great read, with romance and hilarity. Two people fall for each other, but cannot recall how they had previously met and clashed wills in a singularly horrible incidence. When the young man remembers, but decides not to bring it up, and then when he goes into the girl's household disguised as 'himself' , and in a week ends up in a jam such that half of the household knows his 'double-bluff', while a quarter thinks he is 'single-bluffing' (if there's such a term...but you know what I mean), and the remaining quarter is hopelessly ignorant of the rampant confusion in the remainder of the house concerning this young man's identity.


 A Damsel In Distress, and The Luck of the Bodkins were other stitch-in-the-side-inducing novels. I do not wish to go into their stories, because I might destroy the experience for you. If you haven't read PG Wodehouse before, trust me when I say it is hard to repeat his stories with the exact amount of humour that he so effortlessly succeeds in bringing out, and for those who have already read him- you know what I mean. :)


Oh, I only wish Wodehouse would have written series of detective stories also. Him being a stickler for details and plot development would have been an awesome help. But, of course, detective stories are not known for making you laugh out loud, so there's nothing in that.


It takes me a longer time to read his books than it does other novels of the same length. I haven't figured out why yet - is it his style, which is quite different from those I read usually, or is it the language, or is it just too soon to tell, because I have read so few of his books? I wish I could get more, and wish I could read more of that. Am planning to catch up on all the 'wishing' this year after school gets over.


Tasting the 'jam' and the 'pickle',
--Sunny ☼☼

Growing Old Is Optional

Only to children, children sing...

Only to youth will spring be spring...

Children. Those small bubbly things that are the height of your knee and when you walk through a bunch of them, you're afraid you'll trample one(coming from someone the size of me, you gotta accept it) . Yes, that's who the country is celebrating tomorrow. 
Whether its candy-sucking, whining-for-toys kids whose world revolves around love and attention, or whether its teenagers who are stuck between being too pompous to be a kid, and yet not accepted into adulthood, and thus misunderstood and generally left with a feeling of being unloved, or be it those in blooming youth with their future laying itself out ahead of them...that's who India's first Prime Minister was talking about when he said, "Let my birthday be celebrated as Children's day." 
He wanted us to remember the liveliness with which children live the world, and the simplicity with which they look at it, and adore it. He said that adults build walls around themselves in the name of laws and religion and caste and creed, and thus, they are forever contained and limited by the walls. But children, like the roses he used to wear in his buttonholes, are the symbol of youth with apple-red cheeks, full of energy and hope for the future to come, and the future to be hand-made by themselves.

Growing up is mandatory.

Growing old is optional.

Never forget the child in you.

Adulthood is hard to ignore, and sometimes it swoops down on you when you're not looking. Okay, okay, I sound like a depressed teenager, yeah.. but don't you think life was much more fun when the most worried you were was whether you'll miss "Dragon Tales" on TV, or if you won't have a new best friend that week?

But just because you're no 11-year old anymore, doesn't mean your life is over. I don't remember where I heard this, but it's said that if you're 30 years old, you're not just 30...you're also 16 when a girl/guy of your dreams rejects you, you're also 9 when you cried when it didn't snow for Christmas the way you cry for the loss of a loved one , you're also a kindergartner who doesn't want to share his sandbox or crayons whenever you're too stubborn to accept you're wrong, and you're also a 2-year old taking his first steps when you talk to your parents you haven't talked to in 10years.

So it's not about how old you are, it's about how young you are.

So if this fits you, you're the one the country shall be celebrating tomorrow.

Look at a butterfly, and ask yourself, "Where does it get its colours?"

Look at your parents and remind yourself to make them smile more.

Look at your friends and remember to keep in touch.

And most importantly, look at yourself in the mirror, and smile genuinely and no matter how old you are, just for a day, let the child in you live free. Then everyday, never forget how it felt.

There are no seven wonders in the eyes of a child. 

There are seven million.

Happy Children's Day!

--☼Sunny☼

If I Die Young

Sometimes, the things you come across by mistake, add value to your days. Today I came across a song that moved me, and its become famous recently. The Band Perry's 'If I Die Young'.
The song is about a girl who is wondering how it must be to die young. She looks back on her life and realises that she has lived a full life. She goes on to sing about how she wants to be respected after her death.. heartrending lyrics asking them to 'bury me in satin, lay me down on a bed of roses, sink me in the river at dawn..' , to send her away with the words of a love song.
At the end, she asks her family to save their tears, and not to cry too hard, because she lived a good life, and she is ready to let go, in case she dies young.
Sometimes, I love it that songs have parallel stories. The song tells you a story, and the video tells you another. And only rarely are both equally good, and add equally unique and wonderful meaning to the song. Often I am really disappointed that the video doesn't keep true to the story in the song, and usually spoils the way you remember the song. But some songs, have that thing that makes you click 'replay' again and again, and each time you notice something different- the lyrics, the video, the clothes, the background, the people's smiles, the lilting of the voice at particular words, and that's why, people, we love music. One of my English teachers once said, that poetry, can mean anything you want. The poet may have had something in mind when he wrote it, but we shall never know. To each one, the poem is what he sees it to be, and that is why it is called poetry. Every time I listen to a song, I remember it inevitably. And today, I found a song that shall always remind me of one of the poems that I love, and one of the songs that I hope I don't forget.

If I Die Young - The Band Perry.

If I die young, bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh, Uh oh

Lord make a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother

She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colours, oh and

Life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no

Ain't even grey, but she buries her baby

The sharp knife, of a short life, well

I've had, just enough time.

If I die young, bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song.

And I'll be wearing white when I come into your kingdom

I'm as green as the ring on my cold little finger,

I've never known the loving of a man

But it sure felt nice when he was holdin' my hand

There's a boy in town says that he'll love me forever

Whoever thought forever could be severed by

The sharp knife of a short life, oh well

I've had just enough time

So put on your best boys and I'll wear my pearls.

What I never did is done.

A penny for my thoughts, oh no, I'll sell 'em for a dollar

They're worth so much after I'm a goner

And maybe then you'll hear the words I've been singing

Funny when you're dead how people start listening

If I die young, bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh (Uh oh)

The ballad of a dove (Uh oh)

Go with peace and love

Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket

Save them for a time when you're really gonna need 'em, oh

The sharp knife, of a short life, oh well

I've had just enough time

So put on your best, boys, and I'll wear my pearls.

If you've seen the video, read on.

When we were taught this poem, I loved it. It had all the stuff I like, fantasy, a lady, and a love, and a curse. As only talented poets can, Tennyson made the sad ending so sweet and just as much a melody as the song the lady sang. 'The Lady Of Shalott'. How can I not mention it, after this video? Oh, let me tell you, it did strike me a little when she floated down the river. At first, I was all, who'd do that? Then she floated down, and she was wearing a white dress. Near the end of the song, she comes back and hugs her mom and her friends. I didn't like that. The song is about dying. What kind of a video was it if they saved the girl who was dying, and being 'buried at dawn'. If they weren't gonna let her sink into the river with the rising sun, why did they choose to visualize that particular lyric? I admit, I was disappointed.

And then the page of the book she was holding lay open. I leaned forward to see what the title was, afraid the video would stop before I could find out(like that annoying Inception ending "Does it topple, or doesn't it?" Tell me what you think.) And then, it said 'The Lady of Shalott' , and I went "Oh my God, it can't be" . And that is my defining moment in the song. And though I never imagined the Lady to be blonde, let's say I was pleasantly surprised by the song-poem tie-up. The video was about a video of The Lady Of Shalott, and what better way to portray a song about life and death and what goes on, than by bringing in an immortal piece of enchanting literature by Tennyson?

-- If I die young, ♪♪

☼ Sunny ☼

After All This Time?

When I am 80 years old, I'll be in the library in my rocking chair reading Harry Potter. 
And my grandchildren will ask me "After all this time?"

And I will say, "Always"

I was one of those people... those who claim to not like a book before they ever read it... I can't believe how I managed to keep curiosity at bay. I think I was just disgusted that anybody could be that crazy. I was unbelieving that anything could be that awesome. But now I know. I didn't know then, because of course, there is nothing like the Harry Potter books. I am a bookworm, and boy, was the Hogwarts world cozy. I started reading the books, and I can't even say when I changed my mind. A page into the book, two pages... but before I knew it, I was lugging home the OOTP from my school library(I was in seventh grade). My dad saw the size of it and made me return it, saying it was too advanced. I was miffed, and I did as he said. I don't know how, but I think I read it anyway, on the bus, in breaks, and with breakfast and dinner. 

And the DH book. Oh, where do I begin. Most of you out there must know what I'm talking about- I began counting down the day the release date came out. I dived into the books, nosing page after page for clues. I was so interested in jotting down theories and marking page numbers, and dreaming of the book, I never wondered how big the book would be. The eve of the release I saw a news show on bookstores arranging the books on shelves, and -you gotta believe me- I was shell-shocked to see the size. Only at that moment did it strike me, that within a day or two, I would be holding in my hand 800-odd pages. And 800 pages of pure bliss!

I shall never forget how I felt, when I woke up the next morning. Such a bittersweet emotion I've never felt. The next few days, I tell you, I seriously was depressed because now I had nothing to look forward to... my months of counting down were over, and apart from my book, my life ahead looked boring.

What I'm coming to say is, Harry Potter is not just a series that made the world read again.. it's that kind of series where you don't mind being part of millions who feel the same crazed way about the books as you.. There's place in the wizarding world for all of us. And to all those who say, "Oh, you're one of them too?".. let them keep saying it. We don't care, 'cause we know what we love- Potterworld. This is a story of love, life, loyalty, friendship, trust - everything we live for, and everything that is anything.

Pottermore. (Aah, finally! I beat around the bush to this point)

ARGH! Why don't they send the darned letters already! Why can't we sign in...

For those of you who are potter fans but haven't heard of Pottermore.. go look it up! It's JKR's sweet gift to  us- a chance to relive the series chapter by chapter, scene by scene.

And now the site's free sign up release had been postponed!

I wish my letter would arrive, and I wish it'd be a freaking howler!

I am hungry for information, as I am sure others are. Feed the famine-struck, JKR. <whimpers> We're begging you.

This week I was planning on posting on something else, but the need of the hour was HP.

Dreaming of a four-poster bed,

-- ☼ Sunny ☼

Let This Diwali Be Filled With The Right Light

Happy Diwali!!!!

Deepavali is the time to light 'deepams' in your life. All day long we celebrate our vibrant lives, and seek to connect with friends, relatives, whom we haven't met in a while. In a way, it is a magical time of the year when the whole city is lit up, we thank each other for what we have given to each other, and look forward to giving more. But by a sad twist of fate, Deepavali has come to signify to a a large fraction of the population, nothing more than bursting crackers. Yes, when I was small(er) ( :) ) I looked forward to buying crackers, and bursting them, though like any girl I was not fond of loud noises(leave that to the guys).

Plus, our world is a fragile place. I chose to burst no crackers today, and I was saddened to see birds taking shelter in the thick undergrowth near my house, hiding from the noise and the smoke that surrounded our neighbourhood today. All day long yesterday, I felt a little left out( as I have been feeling for the past three years) that crackers do not thrill me the same way they used to do before. But I have come to realise, that it is a change for the better. I might feel this way, but for the next one week, I shall step out of my house onto the clean road(as opposed to other houses with paper strewn in front of them, with charred withered bits of long-gone atom bombs) and be happy I did not contribute a shred of my time, and a penny of my parent's money, to this destruction.

BANG FIRECRACKERS

Oh, I may seem melodramatic, but listen to your conscience. Are we overshadowing a culture that is meant to share sweets, rejoice in 'oneness' and come together to live better, and see the whole world in a 'new light' or are we supposed to cloud our thoughts(literally) in smoke and choke down our morals for a few minutes pleasure, a few pretty snapshots, and for a few seconds of the beauty of the lit up skies?

Think and decide. And for those of you who are not familiar with Deepavali, this is just one side to the festival and the saddest. The festival is close to the heart of many, and will always remain so, for all the right reasons.

Lighting up my life,

-- ☼ Sunny ☼

Heads Up!

Hey!!
Yesterday I figured out how to add my Shelfari bookshelf to my blog...  
It's right here...                                          →         →         →         →
It's so cool..

I, ofcourse, love to read, and I love to keep track of my reads on Shelfari. Looking through them and reading the summary after months gives you that cozy feeling that you got when you read the book last. I love remembering plots and rethinking my way to the best and most memorable parts of the story. Some books, like Malory Towers, St.Clares, Famous Five... you'll never feel the same way again as you did when you first read them...but you'll never forget how it felt either. We all read to escape into worlds that are different from ours, but we can't escape growing up. You grow out of books too, but you don't forget. Every now and then, I get nostalgic even now, and read Malory Towers, or Pippa Longstocking, and revel in how I used to devour these books, and how much fun I used to have reading them.
I'm ranting off again, ain't I?
So now it'll be easier and more fun for me to review books, and do browse through my shelf and see if you like my taste.
Keep reading my blog,
-- ☼ Sunny ☼

On turning 18

September 30th, Friday, 2011.
I had a great day. It was my birthday, and it was one of those days I missed my friends (whom I haven't seen in long) terribly. And also I got closer to friends who did spend the day with me. If you remember, I'm in school, so that means, when your friends change schools, or leave school, chances are u'll see them very rarely.
It was nice to celebrate my birthday, especially when one of my childhood friends(who's in the same class as me) also celebrates the same birthday as me. It's great to walk into your class and see another person also looking forward to day as much as you. I'm a sucker for hugs...both giving and getting.
Only the other day one of my friends and I were teasingly mimicking the line "Relax, we're just thirty" from the Ponds Age Miracle ad. I love the tone with which the girl says that. Though the ad wasn't very tasteful, I'm hooked on that line. Whenever my friends worry about how it must be to leave school, and go to college( though we're looking forward to it) we just chant "Relaaax.. we're just eighteen"
I was looking for a picture to post along with my post, and I hit this, and it seemed perfect. Isn't it so true? We worry about turning 30 leaving behind the twenties, or that turning 45 means being closer to 50s than to 40s... But we fail to realise how many people leave their families and lives behind, hoping for just one more day to live, one more day to add to their diaries, one more day to make memories with the ones they love.
This week, I'm going to be listening to "Seasons in the sun". It's a song by Westlife, and this song was written by Terry Jacks, as he was dying of cancer. There is so much insightful and so much bitter-sweetness in this song, and I just love to sing it over and over again. My favourite parts here are where he says, "it's hard to die when all the birds are singing in the sky" . Every time i hear that line, I feel a chill at how he must have felt when he first wrote those lines, he was dying, of cancer, and he knew that he had to leave all he ever knew while the sun was shining and the birds were singing. I also love the way at the end of every other stanza, he says something to his friend, father, and daughter, something for them to remember him by- whenever the friend sees pretty girls, or the father sees little children, or the daughter sees flowers in spring, they will remember the man who wrote this song. My friends and I love this song too well to describe it. It's not a passing fancy, like songs that go in and out of fashion when they're released. This is an eternal, evergreen song, from 1974, sung, and sung again over decades, my millions of fans like me. Hope you like it too..

Goodbye to you, my trusted friend.
We've known each other since we were nine or ten.
Together we've climbed hills and trees, 
learned of love and ABC's, 
skinned our hearts and skinned our knees.


Goodbye, my friend, it's hard to die
when all the birds are singing in the sky.
Now that the spring is in the air,
pretty girls are everywhere,
think of me and I'll be there.


We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the hills that we climbed were just seasons out of time.


Goodbye, Papa, please pray for me.
I was the black sheep of the family.
You tried to teach me right from wrong,
too much wine, and too much song,
wonder how I got along.


Goodbye, Papa, it's hard to die,
when all the birds are singing in the sky.
Now that the spring is in the air,
little children everywhere-
When you see them I'll be there.


We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the wine and the song, like the seasons have all gone.


Goodbye, Michelle, my little one.
You gave me love and helped me find the sun.
And every time that I was down,
you would always come around
and get my feet back on the ground.


Goodbye, Michelle, it's hard to die,
when all the birds are singing in the sky.
Now that the spring is in the air,
with the flowers everywhere,
I wish that we could both be there.


We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the hills that we climbed, were just seasons out of time.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the wine and the song, like the seasons have all gone.


I once read about this nurse who watched a young woman die of cancer in a hospital. The nurse asked her sadly, "How does it feel to wake up every morning, and know that you are dying?"
The girl replied, "How does it feel to you to wake up every morning, and pretend that you aren't?"
We are each dying everyday. But don't worry about that. Live each day also. They say we live only once. But when they live like us, once is enough.


climbing hills and trees,
--Sunny

A Bad Week

Hey there!
Just thought I'll share some of my thoughts. I had a really bad week... was tiring, hard, brought lots of bad news and disappointments, and on top of that, I was sick. I know I say that little thins make my day, but this week, believe me, was extra bad. Two days this week, I woke and could find no reason to go to school. One day I was just really horribly sick, but I was too proud to tell my parents that, because I'd been fighting with that over the weekend. I pulled myself out of bed, and was torn between having a free day at home, and having to catch up with my work if I was absent from school. But not making a decision meant I had to go to school, and in the end I was glad I had decided(against my better judgement) to go to school. I didn't have a great day, but I was happy that I had stuck it out and gone through the day, however bleak it looked. Sometimes the person who needs the most convincing about your strengths, tolerance and capabilities, is yourself.

Nowadays I find it really hard to find a reason to smile. My life seems to be going just nowhere. I know I sound ungrateful, and whiny, and like a grumbly seven-year-old bored on a rainy evening, but I can't help it.
So if you're feeling like me, let's cheer each other up: This is a poem from the Chicken Soup books. My favourite of all the Chicken Soup books is Chicken Soup For The Soul: Tough Stuff. That book was.. okay, I'm drifting, and thankfully I realized it before I type so much I don't have the heart to delete it.
The poem is about a smile, and though I know that this poem most likely is not a true story.. it's really wonderful. let's face it..why do we all love fairy tales? Because they start with 'Once upon a time' and have princesses and castles and plots that seem unlikely, but always end well. Just read the poem, and feel the 'awesomeness'.
She smiled at a sorrowful stranger.
The smile seemed to make him feel better.
He remembered past kindnesses of a friend
and wrote him a thank-you letter.
The friend was so pleased with the thank-you
that he left a large tip for lunch.
The waitress, surprised by the size of the tip,
bet the whole thing on a hunch.
The next day she picked up her winnings,
and gave part to a man on the street.
The man on the street was grateful;
for two days, he'd had nothing to eat.
After he finished his dinner,
he left for his small dingy room.
(He didn't know at the moment
that he might be facing his doom.)
On the way home he picked up a shivering puppy
and took him home to get warm.
The puppy was very grateful
to be in out of the storm.
That night the house caught on fire.
The puppy barked the alarm.
He barked 'til he woke the whole household
and saved everybody from harm.
One of the boys he rescued
grew up to be President.
All because of a simple smile
that hadn't cost a cent!


Never frown, 'cause you never know who's falling in love with your smile.


Hoping for a better week,
--Sunny

Quixotes

Hi.
Sorry I post rarely. I'm in my final year at school, so you know the gig - loads of pressure and so less time. Four weeks a month is never quite enough.
This one's for Anwesha. Hey there, and thanks for your comments, they keep me going.
I'm posting a collection of my favourite sayings and catch-lines, along with my thoughts. Hope they brighten your day. And if they're too cheesy to repeat - well, please forgive me. :) 
And if you have some new ones, and I'll add them to my next collection.
Are you one of those fanatics who loves to change your desktop every other day to something interesting, something inspirational, yet not cliche-ic? Are you like me, who loves scribbling 'quotes' everywhere among my school books so that I stumble across them at the unlikeliest of times and bring a smile to my face? You should try it sometime. Its interesting the comments you get when you unknowingly lend your books to friends too. Luckily, I have landed among friends who are also 'quote-fanatics' like me, so not a day passes when we don't discuss stuff like this. Okay, I'm drifting again, ain't I? Getting back to business...

When the odds are a million to one...

Be That One.

Today, a person told me - Your life, is what you make it. There might be others who care, others who love, others who chide, scold, cry for you. But the one who lives your life, is you. 

It is the first of the sun rays that transform the raindrops into the shades of a rainbow.

Sometimes the smallest act of kindness can leave you changed forever. It's not about the magnitude of the act that you were 'generous' enough to commit, but that tiny satisfaction inside that says, "Yes, I did something today that made me happy, and the other person happy." We forget the moments in days or hours, and when we look back, we get just the feeling of contentment. There is something just outside the reach of your mind, lending you support, joy, hope- that deed u did. You may forget, but it won't.

You know, it's okay to feel down. But what matters is that you understand that the day doesn't end there. Try not to concentrate on 'continuing' to feel miserable. Sometimes I find myself doing that and then I feel bad that I'm trying to feel sad. Why would you want to waste even a minute of your life like that? Sadness is not worth the sympathy, or self-pity it brings. Said Mother Teresa "When you feel sad, smile, and God shall give you a reason to smile" If you don't believe in God, aren't you the kind of person that believes in happiness. It does not matter what you believe in. It matters that you believe. 

Live more.

Love more.

Smile more.

Have a nice week!!

till next time,

--Sunny

My Heart Beats For India

Today is the 64th Independence Day of India. As everywhere, the country is proudly raising flags and sharing sweets and revelling in the freedom, I thought I'd share a poem that I wrote two weeks ago. There is so much more to India than crowded streets and grimy pavements. That is just one of India's numerous sides. The hospitality, the musty air that smells of 'chaat', the obsessive discussion of cricket, the bus-travels to the countryside, the goats on top of buses and trains that shamble past villages... Each adds one more picture to the colorful collage that is India. Here is the poem:

“Attention!” barks a voice. Our heads snap up,

arms stiffen, chins lift and eyes brighten.

A hundred eyes, a hundred hearts

follow the rise of a tricoloured flag.

‘Jana Gana Mana’ starts the song, and already my mind drifts…

A flash of the past, a nameless man, saying

“We sacrifice our todays, for better tomorrows”.

The pull of the present, for at this moment,

thousands of children sing, and sing loud and clear -

dreams of a bright future, a glorious tomorrow.

The weight of responsibility, for in our hands lies

the upliftment of the country,

And in our hearts beat, the hope of living millions,

and unborn thousands.

Soon to become athletes, politicians, lawyers and doctors;

Soon to become fathers and mothers and leaders…

All so different, and yet, all the same -

bound by the golden thread entwining our destinies,

our identities - India.

And even as my mind lingers on all this,

The 52 seconds draw to a close.

My friend catches sight of my dreamy eyes,

her nudge shakes me out of my reverie…

just in time…

As flowers burst and shower the ground below,

somewhere along the border, our soldiers stand rapt -

A majestic salute at the burst of colour atop the pole.

As I word a hearty burst of “Jaya He”

my heart - it beats faster!
My heart - It beats for India.

celebrating,
--Sunny

More Than Meets The Eye

One day I saw a boy hiding behind a wall next to the staircase at school. Thinking he was one of those boys playing hide-and-seek, I watched him. But he was not playing. He was hanging onto the wall, and peering down the staircase, taking a step forward, then stepping back. He looked positively funny doing that three times in a row.. and my friends and I couldn't help but laugh.
As we passed by him, my friend asked the boys friend, "Who's he hiding from?', expecting the name of some teacher in return. What the boy's friend said next humbled us all.."He's not hiding. He's afraid of staircases"
We watched from a respectable distance as the boy finally took the courage to let go of the wall and creep down the staircase, hanging on to the railing for dear life. He reached a landing, and sighed in relief.
I can only imagine the pain and trauma he goes through everyday as he needs to navigate staircases from morning till evening. And I can only appreciate the magnitude of his courage to keep coming back to school everyday, and battling his fear out moment by moment.
We all go through life everyday. For some, it is harder than others. Take time to look around and know what is happening to whom around you. You might actually be the lucky one, just blind. There is always more to anything that meets the eye.
Counting my steps,
--Brindha

Life Through The Eyes Of A Little Girl

This is a story I heard once, and it left me wide-eyed at the pure innocence and yet the impossible insight that only children can possess. Like I already said in "Sunshine Happy"(http://sunny-horizon.blogspot.com/2011/01/sunshine-happy.html) , in the eyes of a child, the world is a much much simpler place.. In "A Wrinkle of Time" the author puts forward an interesting idea about how the younger children are, the better they'll be able to comprehend the idea of multiple dimensions, because their minds are less 'polluted' by 'normality' than say, teenagers or adults. I'm drifting from what I came to say, which is basically a story.. I'm saying it in my own words.

A little girl went up to her father one evening, and climbed onto his lap. "Daddy?", she asked."Hmm? Yes, sweetie?" said the father, who was a church parson.
 "What's a sin?"
"It's a mistake, honey. Humans make mistakes, and when they repent for it, they ask forgiveness of God and try to set the damage right.", said the parson.
Thoughtfully, she asked, "Is it possible to go an entire lifetime without committing a sin?"
"No. Everybody makes mistakes. It is unavoidable"
"Is it possible to go a year without committing a sin?"
"Sorry, sweetie, but it's not possible. That's why New Years are born, to give us a second chance."
"A day? Can't even a single day pass without us being sinners?"
"No, we make mistakes every single day.", he replied patiently.
"Is it possible to live one moment without committing a sin?"
The parson thought for some time, then said "Yes, it is possible to live one moment without committing a sin"
She jumped off his lap, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Now I know what I'm going to do, Daddy. I'm going to live my life moment by moment"
Then she skipped away.

***

I loved this story. Life is a collection of moments. What happens next is defined by no one but you. When you set your mind to live life, it will definitely turn out into something worth living, and worth remembering.

So, when you next think of your life, don't look at what tomorrow might bring. Don't even think of what today might bring.

Instead look into your heart, and learn that life is what is beating inside of you. As the saying goes, "You can't do anything about the length of your life. But you can do something about the width and the depth."

Living life moment by moment, 

--Brindha

Lucid Dream Come True

Ever have that feeling when you wake up in the morning, and you replay the dream you had last night?
And you get a feeling, "Man, I wish I'd known it was a dream. I freaked out too much." Well, now it's possible- to train your brain to recognise that it's a dream, even while you are dreaming.
I, for one, have had crazy dreams, like trying to save a friend and myself from a Tsunami by climbing to top floor of my school, or like opening a basement door in a hotel, and falling into a portal to outer space, spinning into a nothingness of infinite stars.And of course, who hasn't had those nightmares that used to plague us as children, or followed us around like the monster in Paranormal Activity.
I just found out that there is a phenomenon called 'Lucid Dreaming' and wow, is it phenomenal or is it phenomenal!! Apparently, many people have attempted and succeeded in the past to realize that they are dreaming, and thus manipulate them. You only realize that you're dreaming, when you feel that something doesn't click with reality... that there's something fishy about something you passed, or are experiencing.

Stuff to do to heighten chances of lucid dreaming:

1. Train yourself to check the time often. Look at the watch, look away, then look back. If reality, duh, the time is not supposed to change. But in dream-state, usually the second time, the numbers get shuffled, or appear in an impossible order, or show strange characters. However, this tactic doesn't work for dream-clocks, only dream-watches.

(I, even when awake, misread the time on a regular basis, doing stuff like mixing up the clock hands unconsciously, thus leading to absurd times. Have they taken into consideration this type of people when recommending this method? I didn't think so. What if I ended up thinking I'm dreaming when I'm actually not? That'd be hilarious.)
2. Check your reflection. If in dream-state, it's bound to be blurred, distorted, or some nightmarish image.
(I strongly recommend that people wearing spectacles or contacts not accustom yourselves to this. Always check if you're wearing them first. For all you know, it may be real)
3. Try marking an 'A'(stands for 'awake') on your palm. Everytime you notice the 'A' during your waking hours, challenge whether you're awake or asleep. Eventually, you'll see the 'A' in your dreams and you'll realize it's a dream.
4. Try switching the lights on or off. It's another one of the interesting ways in which the human mind works. The lighting doesn't change dream-wise.

5. Things don't work the same way. In dreams (most likely) , you fall through walls you lean on, or see more fingers on your hands, or start to fly when you just jump, can breathe when pinching your nose.
6. To prevent waking, try spinning round and round(in the dream). It distracts your brain, and you continue dreaming.
So, what are you waiting for? Go dream those dreams!
daydreaming,
--Brindha