So, what’s going on?

So… It’s Been a While (Like, a Decade-While)

Hey friends, strangers, and ghosts of the internet past —

So I’ve been slightly inactive on WordPress.
And by slightly, I mean… almost 10 years of radio silence; some minor changes like having a baby, work, publishing a book etc etc. minor roadblocks, nothing earth shattering!

Once upon a time, we had a sweet little community going.
There were posts-a-day, pictures-a-day, and even a few features on Discover — back when that was like the WordPress version of winning the poetry Olympics.

Now I’m back, blinking into the sunlight, brushing off the blog dust, and wondering…

What’s the local scene like around these parts now?
Who’s still blogging? Who’s lurking? Who’s writing poems in the margins of their life and snapping cool photos.

If you’re reading this and still alive on WordPress — drop a comment, say hello, or link me to your recent work. I’d genuinely love to reconnect, resubscribe, and rebuild.

Let’s find out what a decade-later comeback looks like?
I come bearing poems and existential ramblings. You in?

Neha Jain

An incredible woman

My mother is one of the most incredible women I’ve ever known. Even when I was a child, she was always there—not just for me, but for everyone in her life, no matter the cost. I’ve watched her give so much without expecting anything in return, often going unthanked by the very people she helped. Kindness isn’t always easy, and it doesn’t always come back to you—but watching her has taught me it’s still the better choice. Sometimes, being incredible means having the courage to stand alone, to do what’s right even when it’s hard, and to keep going—no matter what the world says.

Who’s that amazing person in your life? I’d love to hear your story.

Naked as a Maple Tree

I recently launched my debut poetry collection, Naked as a Maple Tree, which honors the quiet beauty of everyday life. More importantly, these poems invite you to pause and reflect on simplicity amid the everyday banality we all experience. They gently peel back the layers we unknowingly wear in our bids to please everyone but ourselves.

I’ve chosen my favorite 20 tender and true poems for this anthology, each accompanied by hand-drawn illustrations that capture the emotional heart of the collection. This book is a keepsake — intimate, honest, and deeply human.

Perfect for anyone who has ever felt too much or laughed through tears, Naked as a Maple Tree is a book to sit with, return to, and gently pour yourself into.

Right now, I’m running a promotion, and the book is available for free for a limited time on Amazon. So grab your free copy here.

Please do leave your honest reviews if you do get a chance to read.

Barbie: More than a body?

Barbie new look

It seems Barbie has always made the headlines with her controversial body. She is a tall blonde with a body chiseled to perfection. As a child I found Barbie to be unparalleled in her beauty. It is little wonder that according to me being beautiful meant to have “fair” skin and beautiful kink free blonde hair. My best friend’s idea of beauty in contrast was simply being “skinny”.

Although Barbie alone can not solely be blamed for our misplaced adulation, she along with her look-likes and the lack of diversity in the beauty industry had a fair share to play.

Over the years Barbie changed her dresses, professions and even skin tones but it is not until recently that she went through a complete eye opening transformation.

At the tender age of 56 Barbie has finally reincarnated into a more “realistic” body. Or 3 new bodies to be precise: curvy, tall & petite. They are still all gorgeous and very trendy. Finally a look little girls can see themselves reflected!

In a world where plus size women are finally taking center stage as supermodels (consider Robyn Lawley, Tara Lynn, Candice Huffine) this was a much appreciated and needed change. So then why the big hue and cry about Mattel updating the look of their cash cow product: Barbie?

The critics are playing down Mattel’s effort to make Barbie more realistic as a “ploy” to increase sales. So what’s the problem with that? Even if Mattel is diversifying to save a dying brand, albeit late in the game the intent is not unkind, the time is ripe and the new look is outstanding. So thumbs up to the new Fashionista Barbie’s.

Now what about Ken? Will he be sporting a 6 pack beer belly and a receding hairline soon? Or maybe just a slightly more rounded personality?

Ken

Coffee Date

It seems November is the month for coffee dates with friends! Well not really but it may as well be, since Cheri Lucas Rowlands created a prompt to write about a coffee date with a friend. The rules are simple: basically pretend you are having a coffee date with a friend and “share any details you’d like and include as many as you want, as long as you begin each with If we were having coffee right now... “

I loved the prompt and immediately drafted the post below. If you too like the prompt then feel free to get your creative juices flowing by drafting a post and publishing on your blog. Feel free to pingback if you like.

Dear Friend,

It’s been such a long time since we met for a coffee and talked. I have so much to tell you and catch up with you.

If we were having coffee right now, I could tell you that last month I completed an amazing trek to the bottom of Grand Canyon all the way to Phantom Ranch and back. And what lovely sceneries I caught on camera. Some of these pictures will soon be published on National Geographic! I will be posting links on my blog shortly.

If we were having coffee right now, I would tell you that two weeks ago, I ran a triathlon and helped raise $6000/= for Cancer Relief. I would tell you that that’s not all. I am planning to raise twice as much for the Homeless by the end of this year.

If we were having coffee right now, I would tell you that I have decided to take a yearlong break from work to go backpacking around the world. I have decided to leave my humble yet comfortable life to live out of a backpack, eat peanuts and rice, and wear recycled clothes as long as I can get to soak the world like a sponge. I would promise to write a post every day documenting everything I see and discover!

If we were having coffee right now, I would tell you, I have finally decided to climb the Mount Everest. Yes the Mount Everest! I have already started to train intensively for it.

If we were having coffee right now I could tell you all this and more but I will not. I will not, because I would be lying. I have lived my entire life in the safe lane. I am not brave or daring enough to trek to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Besides it is so forbiddingly hot that it is way out of my comfort zone. Snakes, lizards and mice creep me out. Yes I know I suck, but I am sorry that’s who I am. I am scared of heights, hot temperatures, reptiles and rodents.

I have frequently donated to several charities but never made an effort to raise notable sums for any. And oh how I wish I had the guts to leave my job and go and travel for a whole year! Discovering the world with a child’s eyes and catching it on a camera! But there again I am to disappoint you and above all myself. I like to play it safe, so safe that I may be missing out on life and I know it.

I am scared of heights so I would never be climbing the Mount Everest even though the very thought of scaling the heights of the forbidding peak excites every cell in my body.

Instead, if you were to take time out to meet me for coffee, I would tell you that just now I am trying to figure out the meaning of life sitting on my couch in the comfort of my home. And it refuses to make sense. I read the news and feel for the millions of homeless refugees as well as the families of the innocent people who lost their lives in the Paris attacks. I am trying so hard to make sense out of the chaos and sorrow but cannot. What could I say to justify the senselessness of it? What dire lessons are we to learn out of such madness that would justify all the human suffering?

If you were to take time out to meet me for coffee. I would tell you I am sorry. I am sorry I am not more exciting and spunky. I can’t just get up and leave and do what I really want to. Instead I do what I should. I pay my bills, go to work, eat healthy and basically walk the line. That’s how I have always been and that’s who I will be. I am a thinker yet I have not solved any major puzzles of life.

If you were to take time out to meet me for coffee, I would instead tell you my life is simple and monotonous where one day easily bleeds into another. But for that I am truly grateful. I cannot thank my stars enough for its comforting predictability. What’s worse is I know there are millions who would give anything to have half of what I or you take for granted every day.

If you were to take time out to meet me for coffee, I would instead tell you that even though climbing the Everest sounds mind bogglingly exciting to me I would never ever do it. I would never do it not because I am scared, but because I am not convinced it matters. Life offers enough challenges every day. I don’t need to climb 30,000 feet above sea level to discover them. You might say it’s an excuse but I am not here to prove you wrong.

If you were to truly take time out to meet me for coffee, I would tell you I am boring and ordinary in every way. If you can distinguish me from any other Jane Doe you met today on the bus stop, subway, coffee shop, grocery line, then I would be truly impressed with you.

If you still care to meet me for a coffee I will be sitting right here without any pretense, waiting with an open heart. And maybe I will just listen!

What do you envy?

Day 1: What was the one toy that a friend had that you wished you had when you were little?

When I was about six years old my father was transferred to Germany, Frankfurt for a period of three years. The flight to Germany was my first experience being in a Boeing 747. My mother told me that planes were the fastest way to cover long distances and I absolutely would not believe her. “Look” I pointed out at the plane’s wings, “This plane is just standing still, it’s not going anywhere. We will never get to Germany at this rate.”

Getting acclimatized in Germany could not have been easy even for a young child as it was so different from India. The clothes we brought with us soon felt completely useless in Germany’s subzero degree winters. And the first thing we did was buy winter gear. School was very foreign. Being painfully shy, I never made too many friends. Most of my friends were imaginary; most not all. Andreas was one of my few flesh and blood friends.

Andreas was a dimple faced, rosy cheeked, blonde haired boy. Have you ever read Archie comics? Imagine Archie as a 6 year old boy and that’s how Andreas looked except he was blond. We got along instantly. I loved visiting his home. His room was filled with so many toys and pets, he barely had room to store them.

His room was an overflowing mess of stuffed toys, musical instruments, games, robots, books, legos and so many other random toys. But what I truly envied him for were his pets. Andreas had two dogs: Tiffy (a tiny German Spitz) and Odell (medium sized Pomeranian). Tiffy was the feistiest and tiniest dog I had ever seen. She belonged to Andreas’s mom and did not appreciate anybody touching her. She was cute as a button and feisty as a monster. Odell on the other hand was the friendliest, kindest dog I ever met. He was an old zen soul in a dog’s body. Odell would follow Andreas and me everywhere. Andreas also had a temperature controlled aquarium with gold fish. And a tiny white hamster that enjoyed abode in a luxurious cage with tubes, tunnels and a wheel for running. Andreas had a small garden outside with a medium sized Turtle. Although the turtle was allowed to roam freely in the garden during the daytime, it was never hard to catch him. He would always find him pretty much in the same area we left him in the morning.

Andreas’ pets were all so much fun to watch and play with. I loved all his animals so much I would have given my right hand for them. As soon as I would come back from school, I would finish my homework so mom would let me go and play with Andreas.

Unfortunately soon after we left Germany I lost touch with him. Several decades later I still wonder how he is and where he is. And most importantly how great it would be to reconnect with him and learn of all his experiences since! So here is to Andreas, my blue eyed, blonde friend, “Thanks for being such a great sport and letting me play with all your toys and animals. Thanks for sharing your world and never asking anything back. But above all thanks for being a bud!”

So tell me your story. Did you have a friend who had a toy that you envied?

Thanksgiving 2014; The 10 things I am most grateful for

Yes I know, Thanksgiving was day before on 28^th November, 2014. We just moved into a new location so we spent all of Thanksgiving and the long weekend packing, unpacking and settling into the new place. Until today I did not even have Internet set up at my new place. Moves are always hard; both physically and mentally. But change in itself is always positive or so we hope.

While it is hard to live out of cardboard boxes for a week or so, it is nice to get a chance to dig into the mountains of baggage one has accumulated over the years and do a thorough spring cleaning (literally and metaphorically speaking). After a long time I took a look at my closet and saw all the clothes, beauty products, hair products, vitamins, household goods, handicrafts and decorations that I never really used, and so I decided to box them up for Salvation Army. So this thanksgiving I took a resolve to be more vigilant while buying. Here is my resolve for future, “Buy little at a time, and buy only what you absolutely need.”

But Thanksgiving is all about giving thanks, rather than lessons learned, correct? Well, here are the 10 things I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving. God bless them all!

I am grateful for wonderful parents: No matter whether I am doing well or badly in life, whether I am healthy or under the weather, the one thing I am always and forever grateful to God for is having the best set of parents I could ever ask for!!!!

I truly must have done something great in my past life to deserve wonderful parents like I have. When I was young someone told me that a child needs parents physiologically but a grown-up needs parents emotionally. I could not agree more with that person. While as a child, I may have needed my parents to care and provide for me, growing up I have realized how fortunate I am to have two beautiful people in my life as my parents. These are the kind of people that I would have fallen in love with for their kindness and seasoned intellect even if there weren’t my parents. While I am on the subject I want to clarify that my parents are not the adulating parents who fawn over their children and talk endlessly about them, condoning all their faults. Infact my parents are my toughest critics. They always tell me when I was in the wrong and are tough on me when I fail to do my best. They did not care whether I was the best in my class or not, they just wanted me to be the best I could be. But most importantly, they showed me that there are two sides to a coin and it is important to look at everything from the other person’s perspective. This has helped me see the good in everyone and accept the weakness in myself. It teaches one to be humble and accept life more openly.

I am grateful for my family: There is truly nothing more saddening than having to spend the holidays alone by yourself. I am so grateful to God for having a loving husband and such a happy dog. My dog Ziggy is one of the purest souls. He teaches me that the happiest souls are the simplest souls and that if you wish to find love you need to give love. From my husband I have learned the art of being organized and living in the “present”. Although admittedly it is not an art I have fully yet grasped. Because when I look at myself critically, I am most guilty of either living in the past or always dreaming about the future. I rarely ever live in the moment. From my husband, I have also learned to enjoy the best in life. When it comes to shopping for myself, I always cut corners. That doesn’t mean I don’t buy enough for myself, it just mean I just don’t buy the “best” my money can afford. This mentality costs me more in the long run. Also subconsciously you train your mind to accept less than the best. I enjoy my husband’s mentality to buy the best his money can afford and enjoy it thoroughly.
I am grateful for my sister: I am also very grateful for my wonderful sister and all the conversations I share with her. From my childhood she played a key role in shaping my personality and influenced me to be more outgoing. She helped me work hard on my people skills by promoting me to take part in elocutions, debates, school plays and even writing competitions. Her never dying faith in me has helped me have more faith in myself even when the going got tough.
I am grateful for my job: I am grateful for having a good job with great colleagues that I can learn so much from. And yes, we may not be family and there is a healthy competition at workplace, it helps me to always keep my skills up to date. I am grateful to have a job that not only brings bread and butter to my table but I get to do what I enjoy and am good at.
I am grateful for having a roof on my head: There is nothing better than coming home after a long day at work. And if you have to drive the 405 you will definitely understand the concept of stress! I am also thankful for the Californian weather, the beach and the lush greenery around me. I love to take my dog for a walk in the morning and see humming birds sucking the nectar out of the chrysanthemum’s in the park outside. That alone is enough to brighten any day!
I am grateful for good health: When I was in pre-school my English teacher would make us write endless pages of cursive writing in the hopes that it would improve our penmanship. It never did anything to salvage mine. I sometimes have a hard time reading my own hand. But one thing it did do for me is that I learned a lot of nice sayings. See the thing is she would give us a saying and ask us to write it repeatedly for pages. It was sheer drudgery. The reason I am sharing the story is because one of the sayings I learned by heart was, “A cow hath its tail until lost”. I never really understood what it meant until I was much older. To me health is exactly like a cow’s tail. You take it for granted until you have lost it. All the joys of the world become meaningless the moment you don’t have health. Even something as simple as a house cold can bring a strong man to his knees. I am grateful for my health and will persevere to keep it by exercising, eating healthy and keeping stress at bay.
I am grateful for good experiences: I am truly fortunate to have had so many great opportunities to visit the world since my childhood. Visiting new places and learning bits and pieces of foreign languages really opens the vistas of the mind. When I look back at my life, I know I have travelled a long way and had a sleuth of experiences.
I am grateful for getting the best of two worlds: When I look at the news and see so much injustice and inequality around us, I cannot help thanking God for being fortunate enough to be born in a country like India which teaches you the importance of culture while training you to strive hard to maintain your independence and right to speech. I then moved to US (about fifteen years ago) and found USA to be one of the safest places for a woman to grow and flourish. I respect America for giving everyone an opportunity to succeed as long as they work hard. So today I cannot but thank God for the country of my birth and the country of my choice. Forever, I shall be indebted to the two countries.
I am grateful for providence: When I look back at my life, I feel convinced that there is a higher power in play. Every time I have been in a fix and did not know how to get out of it, someone or something practically turned at my door step to help me in the form of a friendly advice, an offer of help, or even just inner strength that I did not know I had. As a young student in America, I was happily surprised by the kindness of absolute strangers, who treated me with so much love and kindness. I am grateful to my school that took care to provide an excellent community to its International students. I am grateful to all those wonderful people and send them bouquets of love.
Lastly I am grateful for this blog: Yes, I am grateful to Ubecute as blogging helps me get out of the daily grind, even if just for a while. When I post an article and get comments from other bloggers or people on the web, it is like opening doors and windows in space and having happy loving faces peering back at me. I am grateful to my colleague who suggested I write a blog and my sister who pushed me to maintain it.

*Deep breath*. I practically wrote the 10 things above, in one breath. Now, that I have given my thanks, feel free to drop me a line and tell me what you are most thankful for? And don’t forget to pingback to Ubecute with your own Thanksgiving post.

A very Happy Thanksgiving all year round!

Photo challenge: Endurance

Some of these pictures are from Hampi a village in Northern Karnataka – India, said to have been built around AD 1336-1570. As you can see the craftsmanship on these artifacts is intricate and unique and has stood the wrath of time warranting to be called signature specimens of the timelessness of art.

Hampi Ruins – India

Delhi – India

Lamposts

Courtesy: http://jeffreyhing.deviantart.com/art/LACMA-lamp-posts-298380841

My mind swims with thoughts of sweet escape;
as days fuse into seasons and seasons glow like
lampposts of life. Each year these lampposts get closer,
glowing with an eerie halo of winter mist. Spring and summer
have waltzed out and fall creeps behind the curtain with tired feet.

I have stopped reading the world in rolled up newspapers,
or counting time with a cuckoo’s tick-tock, tick-tock. Even this bitter
coffee can’t do enough to wake me out my reveries. My heart is like
bees that would forever hang on to the morning, sucking the nectar of youth.
Aah youth that has escaped, like a cloud of hot steam hovering over the whining kettle.

Point Dume

You would have to know the hills
well enough to spot this dirt path
that meanders for miles across the
hills, like a dog aimlessly chasing sea
gulls in mid flight.

Even the cool breeze is drunk on sea
salt, and wears the guise of a flower
girl today who runs with her arms
stretched wide trying to catch life
with both her hands.

These hills that stand tall and erudite, these
too have known to heel obediently like the
tired, thirsty dog that heels and then leaps into
the water for a swim; they too bow down and
taper into this rocky path that meets the deep
blue.

Here everything is forever Zen. The golden
shore studded with piles of rocks like a
crowned queen languishing in her reprieve
while the waves adorn her feet with green
anklets of sea weed.

Overhead fly a poem of birds in practiced
symphony, offering a silent praise to this
prairie of priceless perfection.

Praise

Inside the sitting room of my memory

play the retired ghosts of past years.

School’s out. The summer heat shimmers

so bright, even coolers and fans cannot

bring down the day’s fever. In the garden

a chameleon changes colors faster than a

thirteen year old changes her mind.

The trees weary of the heat droop

over; dropping gold coins that curl up

when dry, flocking into heaps of fallen pride

waiting to be swept away the next morning.

In the sitting room my father irons a week’s

worth of his white collar job into perfectly

creased shirts and pants. I lean over into the

floor painting carnivals of landscapes, rich pastels

bleeding into the white marble floor.

Inside the kitchen my mother tosses red chilies

into pots of simmering curry hot as day. And my sister

straightens her curls with dreamy fingers, musing up her

life in teenage novels.

How sad that we should never offer praise to the simpler moments

of life, at least not until decades later when the sitting room with its

resident memories has gone up in gold and silver smoke

billowing into the cool, black night…

Inspired by DailyPost

How to create a Master piece

I wanted to paint life in its rich palette of pastels;
corn yellow, caterpillar green, pomegranate red,
a blessed hue of honeycomb gold, aster blue and
random dabs of rainbow.

Determined to create a masterpiece of sorts. I drew up
a country hut with a chimney blowing smoke, a cockatoo cooing
good morning, cattle grazing and birds chirping; hello, hello.
The scenery was idyllic but the passers-by gave it one look and
said it was “too contrived“.

So I drew up farmers and carts, children skittering in the yard,
a garden and a well used windy path. But the Farmers and the children
in the painting looked at me quixotically and said, “Where are we all to live?
In this tiny, little hut?“

So I turned the hut into a mansion, and drew up courtyard fountains,
Rose gardens, stately lounging chairs and a path of white marble.
But they thought it was “too flamboyant, peasants don’t live in mansions!“

So I drew up Skyscrapers, Westminster bridge, Trafalgar square,
Charing Cross station, hawkers selling hot dogs, bus stands buzzing traffic,
and lots of people rushing in and out like blood flowing through an artery. But the busy city people gave it a dull look and said it was “too unromantic, too common place“.

So I drew my final painting; an endless expanse of arched blue skies
and flowing green fields punctuated only with wild flowers. Soon birds and butterflies flew in, followed by rabbits and deer’s for company.

I then stepped inside my own painting and with a sigh of resolve decided to seal my peace. At the threshold of the painting I drew a thick red brick wall and sealed the world out.

Later I heard from the birds and the bees they hung my red brick wall next to Cezanne and Pissarro. Staring at it for hours, they say, “So Impressionistic …So Monet!”

Weekly Photo Challenge: In Between

‘In Between’ …
Is the difference between the ‘living’ and the truly ‘alive’,
It’s the boundless expanse of human emotions stretching between the two ears,
It’s the time spent sowing a seed to the reaping of corn coyly veiled in silken hair,
It’s the seconds passed between a glance to the sudden recollection of days gone by like an old love song,
It’s the fortitude in waiting for the downpour of rain nuzzling the sharp bark of an angry summer,
It’s the victorious heartbeats hoisting a white flag after a long battle in purple skies,
It’s the black & white words on a love letter and the long sigh that escapes a pair of Fuchsia lips,
It’s children screaming and dancing wildly celebrating the end of school after a grueling semester,
It’s the distant view of the marines on the flickering TV screen aiming their guns ready for battle,
to the newspapers celebrating their safe return home.
It’s the loud argument two people have punctuated by their silent agreement to part,
It’s the orange ball of sun leaking its color on the Red Rock country in Sedona,
to half a dozen American Haiku’s penned in memory,
It’s the lessons learned from a thousand mistakes highlighted and circled in mind,
It’s the angle of the arc drawn by a pendulum as it ticks from left to right and the tiny world it orbits within that arc. ‘In Between’ is the space above an open palm that holds everything and nothing.

Inspired by Weekly Photo Challenge: Containers

Picture of woman holding the sun courtesy of

Blind Trust

It was a humid, sultry night. Smell of spices and burning charcoal filled the streets. The hawkers gathered their wares closing in on their busy days as the sun set on the old, pious town in Karauli, Rajasthan, twenty years ago.

A little girl holding her mama’s hand, gets off the train and boards a bus full of strangers. The long day sits heavy on her eyelids but she is trying to stay awake as she knows she must. The smell of incense wafts the air like a prayer. A thin old man is singing a country folklore. His milky eyes glazed over, rolled up as if in prayer and his voice is like the soft murmur of water flowing downhill on a shallow pebbled, river bed. In his hands he carries a wooden box of incense. A small black cloth pouch hangs off his right hand to collect money. He stops briefly at every seat, giving the passengers a chance to buy his incense. Lightly touching the seats as he passes for sense of direction and balance.
Mama does not need incense but she buys some anyways and dutifully drops something in his pouch, making a tiny jingle. The old man nods and moves on.

When he is done he goes to the front of the bus and stands next to the driver to finish his song. Some of the passengers have joined him in his chant, others clap in tune. The bus draws to a halt at the next stop and the old man intuitively gets down and leaves.

The little girl tugs her mama’s hand and asks if the blind man will find his way. Her mother nods, “Yes,he will. I have seen him selling incense, since I was as old as you. He always find his way”. The girl smiles back wanly, wide awake now. The bus drives to a rest house and the two of them get out.

“But what if someone cheats him mama?” she continues clearly concerned. “What if someone steals his incense and does not pay him? He can’t see, won’t it be easy to cheat him?” Mama shakes her head and says, “No, they won’t my darling. Trust is blind…”

It’s been twenty years since that day, I never had a chance to visit that town again. Yet, I remember the day as if it happened yesterday. Memory is like a strange box, that can preserve random incidents forever, while the most lucid, current experiences escape it like air. I don’t know what happened to that old incense seller. I trust he lived a long and peaceful life.

A lot changes in twenty years. Today, trust and faith are commodities hard to come by. Yet I do believe that sometimes it is better to trust and be cheated than lead a life with the doors and windows of your heart closed. When I find myself helpless and in doubt, I remind myself of my mama’s words; trust is blind and faith fills our hearts like incense.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Room

Here are some pictures of some of the opulent rooms at Hearst Castle, decorated with tapestries and painted ceilings and impressive paintings. I love these pictures because they are both elegant and gothic at the same time. I am a big fan of “goth” may I add?

Weekly Photo Challenge: (Split-second story)

Alcatraz

Split Second Story

The Power of Empathy

Embed from Getty Images

Empathy is not just another obscure human virtue. Empathy is one of the most powerful yet underrated qualities that can truly change the face of the world. It promises world peace, brotherhood and true happiness. In truth, empathic people not only build a better life, but also build a more stable future and more enduring relationships for themselves. It is one of those qualities that mean win-win for everyone.

History proves that while humans are capable of great acts of kindness, love and sacrifice they are also capable of unfathomable acts of cruelty and barbarism. Heinous crimes have been committed over the centuries against the downtrodden, poor and weak. These crimes may well have been set off by a few select demagogues around the world, yet the reason these crimes took the shape of wars and genocides is because thousands of people were brainwashed into joining the war against humanity. Sometimes, the only thing standing in between a human and a human capable of committing monstrous acts is Empathy.

Empathy is the power to place oneself in another man’s shoes, and to view the world from his perspective. Empathy is the realization of the presence of good in oneself as in another. It puts the “me” on an equal plane level with “you” so that now we are on the same ground level to breed love, respect and friendship.
In this respect, Empathy is markedly different from pity. Pity is a negative emotion; it immediately puts “me” on a higher pedestal than “you” being the object of pity. Pity can only breed hatred and contempt in the long run. Any help given out of pity may help the recipient in the short run, but in the longer run will impede his growth as it will be a blow to his self-confidence. Furthermore, it will cause derision in the heart of the recipient and erode your relationship. Never do an act of kindness out of Pity. For Pity does not equate to kindness.

But we live in a materialistic world and have become accustomed see everything from the point of view of “What’s in it for me?” A fair question.

There is more to be gained for the individual practicing empathy than the altruistic ideal of becoming a beacon of light to the world. Empathy and Emotional Quotient have a deeply symbiotic relationship; one breeds on the other. And while a person’s intellect and success in academia may get you your dream job, believe it or not, it is Empathy that will win your alliances with influential people, and increase your chances of success at work.

No matter how intelligent and capable you are, the truth is your capacities alone will amount to little. To do big things, you need a strong support from your colleagues. Empathizing with your associates improves your relationships and builds mutual trust and alliance. Any workplace where people do not trust or respect one another cannot be conducive to growing mentally or nurture ideas. The more respect you give the more you will see it coming back, something that can only be attested by those who practice it.
So how do you become more empathic? Nothing describes Empathy better than, this line from the Bible:

“Do to others, as you would have them do to you.”

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+6:31
When faced with making difficult situations or passing judgment on others, take a moment to step back and place yourself in the other person’s shoes. If we have the capacity to place ourselves in the shoes of the very people we ridicule or deride, we will slowly lose our hatred towards them. If you like to be appreciated for a job well done, then appreciate others. Take a moment to appreciate the friend who opens the door for you at your office, or the person at Starbucks who hands you the coffee. If someone honks at you rudely on your drive to work, force yourself to give them a mental hug. Even if it does not change your relationship with that person, it will give your mind a shot of feel-good hormones.

But here is another important aspect of empathy. While it is important to respect the good in others, never underestimate the good in yourself. For you can only project outside what you feel inside!

Also remember that being empathetic does not mean putting your own needs of self-respect secondary to others. Again, empathy puts two people on the same ground level, not one higher than the higher. Committing or accepting any act of injustice towards anybody including yourself is wrong. While it is wrong to hurt others, it is equally wrong to accept any abomination, indignity and unjust behavior, no matter who the source of the injustice is. Stand up for yourself, irrespective of the consequences, and if that does not work, remove yourself from the source of injustice. There is plenty of good and kindness in this world, position yourself in places and midst people you can channel it.

Empathizing is an invisible ladder into someone’s heart. If we are truly all made in the form of God, then empathy allows us to see Godliness in ourselves and others.

This picture was taken from http://www.biographyonline.net/people/diana/charity_work.html an article that showcases the philanthropic works done by Princess Diana.

Inspired by Daily Post

City of Angels

City of Angels

Here lies my city built on dreams and hopes,
Look at these massive highways and roads,
Muscle of men against nature juxtaposed,
Studded along the aquamarine coast; rich abodes.

This is the city of angels, the city of stars,
Glitz and glamour, high rise and malls,
Connected by arteries of sweat and blood,
Birthed by humans not demigods or Avatars.

Some say it is not what it used to be,
Traffic jams, crimes and rising debt,
Opulent, mercurial and bourgeoisie,
Who cares? Bigger cities fade against its silhouette.

Here stretches our city, built with love and flair,
Heavenly abode to its millions,
Where nature and industry combine; a wondrous affair,
Here dreams come true for this is the City of Angels.

Inspired by Daily Prompt

Ritual

Embed from Getty Images

Ritual

7 o’ clock, Good Morning!

Get ready for the crazy day ahead but first,

Coffee with extra sugar, “let’s start blogging”,

Dash out to work, “hello”, some warm, some curt.

12o’ clock, good afternoon,

Run to the gym for lunch, get much needed exercise

My imagination runs dry, I need monsoon,

By 2Pm I have had a review, my accomplishments trivialized

Its 6o’ clock, I am still at work

Emails to answer, Reports to churn,

Outside smog is thickening dusk,

Humdrum day gathers dust.

‘Tis 8’ o clock, aah my feet hurt

Switch on the tube to drown the day, scour the fridge for victuals

Submerge in couch, no more energy to exert,

Another day, year, life; same ole same: a Trivial Ritual.

Embed from Getty Images

Home

Home

It’s been twenty long years
since I last was here,
Today I return to warm embraces and tears,
And this humble abode that I so revere.

Draped across these four walls
my childhood joys and fears,
our innocent games, countless brawls,
those plays, the music bands; oh we were such racketeers!

Everything here reminds me of days passed
bedtime stories, midnight feasts, picnics and parties,
Hopes, dreams, drive, enthusiasm unsurpassed,
playful fights, feisty reprieves, teddies and barbies.

Twenty long years have I traveled & strayed, life’s such a masquerade,
Stranger have I been, to the zillion memories that still live inside this effusive dome,
But Providence and good sense in the end did prevail,
As I found my way back to unveil, the cobwebbed gates to what was once; my childhood home.

Daily Post: Home

Memories

Memories whether sad or happy, always cherish the past. They offer an invaluable landscapic view to our own life and teach us the meaning of our joys and suffering passed. Here is a poem celebrating these memories. Inspired by Daily Post.

Memories

Resplendent moments frozen in time,
happy, sweet, or sour, always fleeting; these memories so sublime,
Green poppy fields, endless waterfalls, ringing chimes,
yes you lived a great life, now you mull, these reveries so divine.

Caressing, cajoling, coddling your heart like a mother’s hand,
soft footed, bushels of musings creep into your heart, playing magic like a sorcerer’s wand,
allusive thoughts remind you of a marching procession in a king’s meadowland,
one follows the other in perfect harmony, yet unchecked, unhindered and unobstructed like grains of sand.

These tidal waves of thoughts, drench your psyche and soul,
life lived, moments savored, these memories now your keep and paramour,
Sowing the tears of your heart, or tearing it apart, teaching you a lesson? What purpose, what goal?
Memories offer a panoramic view to life, a celebration of past, a toast to your life; a profound Skoal.

Please note: © All original work on this blog including this poem (unless explicitly stated) is Copyrighted by UbeCute 2014.

Not working out…

Not working out!

Another day, another month, a new year; its all the same,
Washing away wasted years, nothing but daily humdrum to blame,
Empty promises, false hypothesis, umpteen losses,
I have seen it all. In war and love, nobody wins; what a shame!

Wedding rings, breakfast at Tiffany’s, ended with a sticky note,
No calls nor apologies, a human voice no matter how remote,
Just a sticky note; “Not working out” that’s all you wrote?
Shaking hands, teary eyes, painful lump in my throat.

Wasted time, lost possibilities; all washed away with dirt and slime,
Between these gnarled socks and jeans, washed away are my dreams,
Your beautiful face and your long tresses; memories that hurt like a crime,
And above it all, you ended with a note, no apologies no matter how sublime;

Just a sticky note,”Not working out”!

Inspired by Daily Prompt: Tainted Love

A Picture says a thousand words

Do you have a vice?

“He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.”

By Winston Churchill

(http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/vice)

Truth is we all have vices. Can you name one person who has no vice, no matter how big or small?

We all know of human vices such as: drinking, smoking, gambling, overeating, hurting oneself or others etc. But overlook vices that are never physically expressed but only experienced within the constraints of one’s mind. Feelings of anger, hatred, jealousy, self pity, neglect can be equally malignant as any of the vices listed above. Over a period of time such negative emotions can and often do become toxic. They not only weaken our own moral character but also break down our physical and mental well being.

Yet as humans we have all experienced these negative emotions and or behaviors from time to time. The key is to first realize and accept our vice or weakness and then resolve to improve it. I would not be concerned if a person told me they had a vice. I would however be concerned if a person told me he had no vice. According to me such a person is either an angel or completely lacks an insight into his own soul. Such a person is probably so self-righteous that he has lost the ability to see any fault in himself.

If you know you have made a mistake, you can resolve to fix it, but if you truly believe you never ever made a mistake you have nothing to resolve.

You then continue existing in the throes of your vice, repeating the same mistakes over and over again, eventually hurting yourself and those around you. Unfortunately vices only give momentary pleasure, but in the longer run lead to feelings of guilt, lack of control, self pity, self loathing and so forth.

The idea is not to be devoid of all vices completely. Some smaller vices such as an infrequent indulgence in chocolate once in a while may be perfectly acceptable for example. The idea is to simply keep our vices controlled. For instance, if you smoke a packet of cigarette a day, then reduce it to half. If you smoke half a packet then endeavor to reduce it to two or three cigarettes, eventually eliminating the dependency.

If you are frequently caught in the web of negative emotions, then persevere to at least become acutely aware of it. Controlling negative emotions takes time and practice but becoming aware of them is the first step to change.

According to Joel Osteen,

“When the negative thoughts come – and they will; they come to all of us – it’s not enough to just not dwell on it… You’ve got to replace it with a positive thought.”

(quoted from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/joelosteen)

Negative energies in the long run lead to harmful negative behaviors which in turn cause us to harm ourselves and our loved ones. There is no easy way out. But realization of one’s faults, weaknesses, vices is the beginning to the end.

Having a vice is human, having the ability to forgive somebody’s vice is divine, but the inability to accept ones vice or overlook it completely is simply moronic.

Inspired by Daily Post:

Never Gonna Give You Up

Legacy

Daily Prompt: Don’t you forget about me!

Imagine yourself at the end of your life. What sort of legacy will you leave? Describe the lasting effect you want to have on the world, after you’re gone.

Photographers, artists, poets: show us LEGACY.

——

Instead of falling in love, let me rise

Instead of craving riches, let me share mine,

If I lose my way and stray, take me back to whence I started,

For to trace back one’s way, is not time lost, as long as it is a lesson learned in time.

If I fall far and deep, then let me have the courage to believe,

Climbing back up may be hard, but it’s a journey worthwhile,

Every fall that hurts, hurts more only because you survive,

May I never leave sight of those and that which is dear,

May I have the fortitude for truth and reality to endure,

And when a countless stars are breaking in the summer skies,

Let me bask in their divine glory, coy but demure.

Above all I pray to be carefree and happy;

To give more than I receive, to love more than be loved,

So when my time is up, let upon my tombstone be writ,

Here lies the girl who once truly lived.

Of Art and Wine

Since times immemorial, humans have treasured the joys of Art and Wine. Here is a poem commemorating this sublime relationship between Art and Wine:

——————

Of Art & Wine

A swirl, a sniff, a sip. Lipstick stains on the wine glass,

Knees weakening, cheeks reddening, blood stained lips of the young lass,

Crimson sparkles exploding in the carafe, pouring into my glass; an exhilarating dance,

Greek gods, wine lords, Dionysus and Bacchus, like us, trapped in this hypnotic trance.

Sipping flirtatious innuendos, drowning inebriated crescendos,

Golden sun trapped inside this wine glass where luminescence and splendor conspire,

Literature and wine make great bed side companions one sets the other on fire,

Drunken stupor? Far from it, its creative moksha; brilliant and grandiose.

Classical or contemporary; art is art,

Writ by hands of time, evoking emotions cut out of bleeding heart,

Art is the aphrodisiac of life; resplendent, sacred and sublime,

Just as this dazzling drink of the Gods enthralls; the soul, imagination and mind.

Hearst Castle

Hearst Castle

Hearst Castle

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/02/14/photo-challenge-treasure/

Karmic wine glass

Shattered glass and blood was splattered all over the kitchen floor. A body was lying face down with a knife still stuck in the back, dripping a thick pool of red.

Zoey was shaking convulsively, as she tried supporting herself against the wall. Rivulets of sweat mixed with tears and streamed down her cheeks as she let herself drop to the floor in a heave.

Could she really have done it? True, she had imagined it for years. She had wanted it, dreamed it and rehearsed it in her head over and over. But could she have actually gone through with it tonight? “Oh My God, Oh My God, what have I done?” she said looking at her hands. She had taken the kitchen knife and stabbed him repeatedly at the back until his legs could not hold the weight of his body. He thumped down on his knees first, and then fell on his face, bloodying the white kitchen floor.

Her heart beat so loud it would burst out of her chest, her head hurt and she could barely see. He had mixed something in her drink. Yes, he had to have. Surely he had dropped something in the wine before he handed it to her. She recoiled as she remembered his hand touching hers as he passed her the wine glass. How she hated him.

Now he was lying face down, dead and harmless. She had finally put the years of abuse behind her. It was going to be ok. He was far away from her now and could never hurt her again.

But she had to find her keys, she had to run, follow through with her plans. She remembered the plan clearly in her head, even though it pounded uncontrollably. Why could she not pull herself up? Someone or something was pulling her down. Her legs had become gummy, and her stomach seethed with pain. She instinctively put her hand on her stomach, to press the pain away. Her body felt sticky. In an instant she put her hands to her eyes, and looked at them disbelievingly, they were blood red.

Zoey had stabbed Charles several times in the back, but not before he had stabbed her in the gut with the broken wine glass.

“Cut” Shouted the Director. “Excellent shot. Pack Up”.

Inspired by Daily Post : Flash Fiction

The very Inspiring Blogger Award

I was very pleasently surprised to be nominated for the “Very Inpiring Blogger” Award from an even more inspiring blog: “Words We Women Write“. Thank you! Please check out their many interesting articles and thought provoking photographs here: site

The rules of this award are:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and add a link to their blog.

2. Display the award on your post.

3. List the award rules so your nominees know what to do.

4. State 7 things about yourself.

5. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award.

6. Contact your nominees to let them know you have nominated them. Provide a link to your post.

7. Proudly display the award logo (or buttons) on your blog, whether on your side bar, ABOUT page, or a special page for awards.

–—————————–

7 things about me:

1) I believe most words are animate life-like beings that have a face and a tongue. Consider words such as epiphany, torrential, drizzle, cacophony, saucy, putrid, and colorful. The mere mention of these words brings to mind a vision of their meaning. It’s like they magically conjure up and speak their meaning out.

2) I have too many hobbies and have ignored them for too long. All that is going to change this year.

3) I enjoy reading and learning and truly mourn the closing of so many wonderful bookstores around me. I have nothing against digital eBooks but nothing compares to the joy of being able to curl up to a book with a nice cup of tea.

4) I am a novice writer, and am hoping to learn from other more serious bloggers. So please share your constructive criticism.

5) I love all things beautiful; photography, works of literature, art and food!

6) While I have always loved my parents, the older I have gotten, the more I have grown to appreciate them. Thanks Mom and Dad for being so perfectly you!

7) I believe in conspiracy theories and stories of all kinds. If you have a good story to tell, you have an audience in me for life.

Cheers!

———————

These are the Bloggers I admire, and am delighted to nominate:

1) Greg Urbano

2) Processing the life

3) ABozdar

4) Evelyn Holingue

5) Oh Danny Boy

6) Twenty Thirteen

7) Shannon A. Thompson

8) Feet From Shore

9) Why Evolution is True

10) Chronicles of an Anglo-Swiss

11) Florian Deutsch Fotografie

12) Without an H

13) Adventures in Home Improvements

14) ARCH diary

15) All thoughts work

Secret Ingredient

Being a vegetarian, I am all about sauces, curries and chutneys. I think they can “up” the taste of any salad, and add a dash of color and flavor to any meal.

Here is a recipe I used for the salad dressing you see on my shredded cucumber and beet salad above:

1 small garlic clove

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 small carrot

1 small yellow pepper

1/2 cup of sesame seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

Dash of Love

Daily Prompt: Ingredients

Love Thy Neighbor

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Luke 10:27

Sometimes you don’t realize how much time has passed, until you turn back and look at the serpentine tunnel of time behind you. I cannot believe twenty long years have passed since I met her last. It might well have been yesterday.

She was well into her seventies when I first met her. I remember her vividly, since I never met a more sophisticated or classier woman. Something about her memory reminds me of a beautiful Hindu temple, with large brass bells ringing outside, as they often do in temples.

I had just finished my Board exams and was off for the summer. We had recently moved into a new neighborhood. “Nani-Maa” (grandma in Hindi) as we would grow to call her was our next door neighbor. When I first met her, she was wearing a beautiful white sari (a garment consisting of a length of cotton or silk elaborately draped around the body) with a dark temple border neatly draped and pinned around her petite figure. Her hair pulled back into a high bun so tightly that not a tendril of hair would ever fall out of place. Her skin was thin and translucent and her face reflected the wisdom that comes only with age.

She talked very softly, so you had to listen intently, and I instinctively wondered what stories this lovely creature had to share of her life. As it would turn out she had many.

Nani-Maa was the oldest in a family of four children and came from a wealthy family of Nawabs. The year was 1947 and Nani-Maa was a young woman of 27 already a mother of three kids, when India was caught in a wave of celebration and turmoil. While the country celebrated its Independence on one side, riots were breaking out along the western and eastern borders causing massive population exchanges and sectarian clashes that the young administration of the countries could not support. Nani-Maa and her family, like millions of others in the day, found themselves caught in this political tornado. The riots that broke out had forced them to leave their palatial quarters in Lahore (Pakistan) and leave for India overnight. Much of what their fathers and forefathers had built was lost overnight. And yet she had many heart wrenching tales to share about the victory of love and humanity in the midst of these darkest of hours.

Nani-maa and her husband were young doctors and soon their practice flourished in India. They became well known and came to lead a comfortable if not a princely life raising their beautiful kids the best way that parents can; with love and fortitude.

Disaster struck again, when Nani-Ma’s husband died leaving her a single mother with three children to raise. The kids were now well into their teens. She practiced medicine for another 20 years before she renounced Allopathy completely in favor of Homeopathy.

She believed that while modern medicine had the same prescription for all people based on their ailment, homeopathy offered a much more tailored approach; suited to the patient not only by the ailment but by the patient’s age, gender, weight and other biological factors.

I still remember how many people visited her at all hours of the day to get Homeopathic treatment. She would sit and talk patiently with all, offering free consultation and drugs. I would often warn her against offering people free medicine as the huge influx of patients was causing a toll on her own fragile health.

2 Years later, I left for my studies to the US. I would call my parents on a regular basis and frequently enquire about “Nani – Maa”. One day I got a call early in the morning. Nani-Maa had passed away peacefully in her sleep. She had left behind a wealth of family consisting of her children and many of theirs.

It is very unfortunate that I never could meet Nani-Maa again. I console myself with the belief that being sad for the passing of awakened souls diminishes their greatness. I remember her till this day as a classic beauty who served more that her fair share as a mother, wife, doctor, philanthropist and a great neighbor that I only wish I could ever measure up to.

Inspired by Daily Prompt: Good Fences

World’s Best Teleportation Device

Plane travel is overrated. In today’s world where time is the only exhaustible, non-renewable resource, plane travel offers an archaic sub-standard mode of transportation.

For one thing, you are subjected to a long and painful journey sitting in a cramped up space, eating unwholesome food and breathing the same recycled air for hours on a stretch. Not to mention, the absolute drudgery one has to endure before you even embark the plane; beating crowds at the airport, standing at the check-in line, going through a tooth cavity security check. I prefer getting my teeth drilled over traveling in a plane. It really takes something away from the joy of your vacation, won’t you agree?

Given magical Engineering skills, I would invest my time in building a teleportation device that allows one to teleport anywhere in the world within a matter seconds.

J.K. Rowling offers a second-rate “apparition” and “disapparation” method in the Harry Potter book series, allowing wizards to appear and disappear as needed. But why should wizards have all the fun? Yes I know, she clearly favors the Wizards.

Douglas Adam’s solution to teleportation in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” may be a bit less partial, but it is below average as well. The idea of having to rip one’s atoms in one place, only to put them back together somewhere else, does not excite me.

Christopher Priest in his Novel, “The Prestige”, is getting closer to my idea, with the teleportation machine Tesla builds. But it is too darn dramatic for my style.

Remember that Aladdin’s lamp that allowed Aladdin to transport himself from China to Morocco and back, with the entire Royal Palace? Now that’s what I am talking about! Traveling in style!

My solution in comparison would be cutting edge without requiring you to splinch, deatomize or suck your breath inside a weird teleportation machine. You program this widget identifying the exact location of your choice (like you would on a GPS) and it takes you there, complete with your family and your home, if you so choose. Eureka.

Clearly, the modern day airlines will be out of business as soon as my device is out. But it will allow millions of people around the world to be able to reunite with their loved ones within a fraction of seconds. Giving millions of busy professionals a chance to rekindle their love life. Imagine if you could travel from LA to Australia within a fraction of a second, spend a dreamy weekend with your partner and be back in time to go to work on Monday. Would you not want to do it?

No more jet lag, no more cramped seats or eating bad plane food. Come to think of it, who would need cars? Just teleport yourself to work and back. This device would resolve modern day issues such as lack of time, bad traffic and pollution by the click of a button.

Maybe the next sequel would include a teleportation device that can teleport you to a different space in time, or a different galaxy? Meanwhile don’t forget to sign up in the comments section below, for a free ride. Remember it’s a limited time offer.

Happy Teleporting!

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/02/07/daily-prompt-machines/

Group Think

“Don’t you feel like you live in a fish bowl sometimes”? said Sabeena skimming over the news on her laptop. The phone was on speaker mode.

“What do you mean?” responded Andy with the phone stuck between his shoulder and ear, while cooking gits over the stove.

“Thanks to social analytics and what have you, your whole personal data can be pulled from all over the web and used to scrape out detailed information about you. Companies and the Government can & do use this information all the time” explained Sabeena.

“Well sure maybe they have some basic information about us, but nothing of consequence” said Andy munching his cereal.

“Nothing of consequence? They know what you eat, what you drink, what you like to wear, movies you watch, what you read, your age, gender, the color of your hair! They have enough information to map out a complete personality Andy, without once needing to see you. They can even record your personal conversations over the phone or any emails over the web. Like this one for instance. They can track you anywhere using your phone”

“C’mon Sabeena, aren’t you being a bit paranoid? What can companies do with it, except maybe send you more promotional emails for the handbags you are obsessed with?” argued Andy. “And certainly the Government will never misuse such information. It is really meant to protect us.”

“I agree. It is meant to protect us. Protect us today. And sure, this regime or the one after will not misuse it” agreed Sabeena. “But who is to say what will happen decades from now? This technology will only grow. They could start mining your thought patters. Who is to say a more autocratic regime could not come to power and completely misuse it? Or what if it gets into the hands of the very people it is meant to save us from; terrorists”.

“So fine, information is power, and power may be misused. But what of it? We have the right to overthrow an autocratic regime or thwart any terrorist group” said Andy stirring the pot.

“Aah right. Yes you have the right but will you be able to execute it? Before you can even get to move the masses to organize a social uprising, they would know who you are and what you are upto. You would stand no chance. There are so many means at the hands of a corrupt regime to quieten a person or even a group of people. Think only of what happened in Nazi Germany Andy” she sighed.

Outside a truck screeched a sharp halt. Someone honked and yelled. Andy pulled the glass window shut.

“Fine you win. But why worry over something you can’t do anything about? Anyhoo…do you know of any good movies playing?” asked Andy changing gears.

“No I don’t” answered Sabeena. “Google it”.

Inspired by Daily post: Groupthink

Daily Prompt: BFFs

Photographers, artists, poets: show us FRIENDS.

———-

About 3 years ago a tiny, little person joined my family. Unfortunately, we started off on a wrong foot, or shall we say four wrong feet? To start with, he had a bad attitude. He came into my home behaving like he owned it! He was running about my house, knocking things down, chewing furniture and worst of all leaving behind tiny, little brown packages that stink! You get the drift?

What’s more, our personalities could not be more mismatched. I am cautious, responsible and down to earth (yes, some call that insipid, but I think “I have my bright moments”). He on the other hand is; wild, crazy, reckless and completely insolent and one strongly suspects devious? Yes devious, why else would he chew off my favorite Jeans, or drop his stinky packages and then cleverly conceal them with pillows, or attack the living daylights out of my poor sandals? Note: The sandals are since in rehabilitation, while the Jeans never made it! May their soul rest in peace!

Buddy? Naaaaw this little guy is a pest and a mooch. His insolence only exaggerated by his indolence, and were it not for the fact that he is absolutely adorable, he would have been completely intolerable.

Yet slowly but surely things changed between us. Not sure if it was his soft furry coat, wagging tail, or big saucer eyes, but before I knew it, Ziggy had sneaked his way into my heart. He became my shadow; following me everywhere (psst Ziggy has no concept of “personal space” or “too much”). I mean he is practically a nose length away from me, at all time (and not by my choice).

I will say though, Ziggy has trained me to be a better person more than I may have trained him to be a better dog. For instance he taught me the concept of sacrifice. Since he has come into my life I have sacrificed both tranquility and privacy. While at home, he barks incessantly. While outside, he attracts way too much attention. For instance, when Ziggy pulls me out for one of our walks, I notice random cars slowing down as they drive past (ladies literally hanging out of their cars swooning over him), strangers stopping by to pet him… Pre-Ziggy era I could have dropped dead without a kind soul bothering to pass a glance. But at least I had my privacy! Now I can barely walk a 100 feet without getting ambushed by one his fans. I now understand how the entourage of a celebrity feels. Attention whore!

Ziggy has also taught me to be patient. I patiently wait for him to sniff half a football field before he finds himself the perfect little spot to do his business. Once finished, he gallantly chooses to stride off, while I am left, patiently picking his droppings.

Ziggy has also taught me to more selfless. This little guy has mastered many tricks. He will “sit down”, “roll over”, “heel”, “beg” all for a treat. Yet the one trick he shall not learn, is to “fetch”. No Sir, he shall not fetch. I so envy other humans who will throw a stick in the air, for their obedient dogs to fetch while they smugly watch. My dog however shall not let me have this satisfaction. My dog will fly in the air fetch the stick, get his treat, but will not let go off of the stick. You see he can eat my food, live for free in my house but he will not share a lousy stick with me. Indeed he has taught me a thing or two about selfless love, it’s called “I have no choice, my dog won’t fetch the goddam stick!”

Ziggy may not be a perfect dog much as I am not a perfect human, but what would I do without the constant pitter patter of his feet on my cement floors, or his unconcealed excitement to see me after work, his constant curiosity and his many little mischief’s? Truth is my world is a much brighter place because of this little fur ball I call Ziggy.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/prompt-something-so-strong/

Daily Prompt: Obstacle Course

The world is full and free. It abounds with oceans and seas, limitless skies, and a rich bounty of natural resources. Yet we divvy it up like slices of a pie and create fences and put up “Do Not Enter” signs. But perhaps the most insurmountable obstacles are the ones we create in our mind. They limit our perspective like the filters on a camera; they color our vision and set boundaries on our limitless possibilities.

Daily Prompt: BYOB(ookworm)

Write the blurb for the book jacket of the book you’d write, if only you had the time and inclination.

Photographers, artists, poets: show us BOOKS.

——————–

Mayuri is a small town girl who travels a long and arduous road making huge sacrifices along the way, in order to achieve her dreams. It is not until her dreams have been fulfilled that she realizes all she won is a life of smoke and mirrors. Too late does she realize that what she has been looking for all along is exactly what she willingly let go long ago…

A gripping tale about life and the choices it forces us to make. This is a novel that will make you laugh and cry and above all keep you spellbound until the end. This debut novel by UbeCute will dazzle and delight all that are willing to open their mind to things that are “out of sight”.

The Faces of beauty

The Faces of beauty

What words in literature inspire greater visions of beauty than Christopher Marlowe’s description of Helen of Troy, “the face that launched a thousand ships”? These words embrace a concept of beauty that is both irrefutably desirable yet undeniably destructive. History abounds with the stories of beautiful women many of whom have been cautiously portrayed as dubious and guileful.

Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Nefertiti and Aphrodite (to name a few) all occupy a controversial if nebulous place in history. To this date legends of their beauty abound and enthrall human mind. If these women represent the concept of ancient beauty what does the archetypal face of beauty look like?

The most telling archeological evidence of ancient beauty would have to be the bust of Nefertiti the wife of Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti is depicted as a woman with a long face, chiseled features and most notably; a swan like long neck. The subtle wrinkles under her eyes may be indicative of her vision and maturity. So famous was Nefertiti during the reign of her husband Akhenaten that she appears twice as much as the Pharaoh himself in works of art. In fact her status over the years of Akhenaten’s rule becomes parallel to that of the king himself.

In sharp contrast to the depiction of Nefertiti is that of Cleopatra (who by the way was a Macedonian Greek not Egyptian). Although she is depicted in literature as woman of unsurpassable beauty, images of Cleopatra in ancient coins present a different picture altogether. Some coins depict her as a woman of average beauty while others show her with a hooked nose and almost man like features all complete with an Adam’s apple.

How then does she attract two of the greatest men, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony? Although the depiction of Cleopatra in coins may have been politically inspired to present the picture of a powerful queen, Plutarch the Greek historian credits Cleopatra’s secret to be her vivacious personality and wit rather than physical beauty. Cleopatra is one of the most celebrated figures of history yet so much of her story is subject to speculation; from her seduction of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony to her death.

In complete departure from Cleopatra and Nefertiti are the legendary characters; Helen of Troy and Aphrodite the Greek goddess of beauty. While the former two are flesh and blood women of power and ambition the latter two are a figment of human imagination and one wonders; if an active male one at that?

Helen of Troy was said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world, whose adulterous affair with Paris, caused the 10 year long Trojan War. According to some accounts she willingly leaves with Paris for Troy leaving behind her faithful husband, daughter and parents. Sadly, Homer talks little of her and merely describes her as the “white armed, long robed and richly tressed” woman. She is cloaked in a shroud of mystery and never really vindicated as she never repents or repays for her sin of causing a war and countless deaths. She survives the wrath of Menelaus her estranged husband solely on account of her beauty and guile. I wonder if her character is a realistic portrayal of a woman or deliberately left dubious and incredible?

Aphrodite the Goddess of love also renowned for her long, golden hair and voluptuous body, plays the unyielding role of a seductress in the Greek mythology having many affairs outside her marriage. She uses her godly powers to cause the love affair between Helen and Paris. Aphrodite is depicted as the archetype of beauty, love and fertility and above all a temptress.

One thing that stands out in common between these women beside their beauty and wit is that somehow time and history has favored their character to be sewn in the very fabric of mystery and intrigue. These are the beautiful yet imperfect faces of women that above all shall not be ignored.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nefertiti

http://flavias.blogspot.com/2011/09/ugly-cleopatra.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_of_Troy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodite

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/01/22/daily-prompt-mirrored/

Weekly Photo Challenge: (theme of the week): Family

Yes, the 5 fingers of a hand represent in essence a family to me. Farfetched? Not really…

Each finger, so unique and independent from the other, and yet joined to each other by a bond so indestructible. To me this is what a family is all about…

“Weekly Photo Challenge: (theme of the week)”

A window breathes life into a house; providing a peephole into the world that awaits you.

Yet, what would a window be, if it were never to open? Never letting the air of the heavens, the light of the sun or the songs of birds drift in? And worse still, what would happen to such a house where the windows were always to stay shut?

Keep your faith alive and the windows of your heart forever open.