Dubai - a paradise or a paradox?

Any place on Earth that’s close to heart is a home to thyself! Such a place in my heart was the land that prospered before time, maintained its reign of monarchical rule and flourished in the hearts of those who dwelled in this region of peace – Dubai... I was born in India and before I could even wake to see my land of God’s own country, I was snoozing off in a flight off to Dubai. My life began in this paradise, my memories resided here and my experiences rose like a phoenix, over here.

I used to open my world in the sounds of Allah that echoed from behind our apartment. From childhood to adolescence, from teens to being an adult, my life revolved around the costs of this Gulf territory. My adorable school, my favorite hang-outs, my decent friends, my timeline of experiences, my dormant memories, my knowledge, my wisdom, my infatuations, my ache of love, that fun, those moments, that life, those snapshot, all evolved and faded in this land. Even before I realized the fact that what is being is not forever, I shifted my base of residence to India. But Dubai has always been in the core of my heart, my home!

As a kid, my trips from India to Dubai is when I have enjoyed its’ view from the heavens so peacefully. “As the flight yearns to touch its toes on land, what we see is amazing. The hospitality of the stewardess is heartwarming and the little snooze breaks a cry as the flight touches the land of fortune. I carry my cheer and walk out the door sill of the flight in smiles. The air of my always meant to be, hometown caresses me in love and I wait to reach home, strolling through those ever happening paths of light and life.“

Why these reminiscences never leave us apart? Why do these moments prick our lives forever? It was truly a paradise of peace and people. From the lifestyle of dwellers to those who had come here for survival, all knew what luxury is all about and how does it feel about being a land so divine. Now that was paradise!

Times have changed now! The fact of a paradise has in fact turned into being a concrete paradox. Skyscrapers hugging the skies of success, lights crowning the nerves of the city, money playing the game of life and luxury donning the faces of people! Life is no longer the same here. I miss Dubai but the fact that DSF has commercialized its sanity will definitely stain my thoughts of going back there. Recession, unemployment, survival is all that matters here now! It could have always been the place that appeared in my dreams, the peace that I breathed while being back there is now engulfed with uncertainty and terror.

I believe that being prosperous while keeping your people in custody of success and smiles is one key element for being reigned as the best location on planet to survive. But all and everything has its limits and so does this one! I love Dubai but the scene back there now is no close to me wanting to go back, just if not for my pals who still lingered in this once paradise. Guys, all these palm islands will be swallowed in no time, flights may attack the poles that pierce the skies and tremors may hit the happiness if you keep torturing it with commercial manholes. STOP!!!! This is simply irony that now it is more glamor than goodness... I wish it all remained the same as it used to be once…!

Quote for the day:
“The heart is great which shows moderation in the midst of prosperity.”

Looking for some Deluxe Luxury properties in France????

Yeah… one of those days when the clouds overshadow the sun outside and minds dread to be active on the run. So I simply got glued to my computer (.. as always!) and decided that I will check out some good picturesque photographs online today. I randomly entered the world of flickr and owing to my latest stint in photographs, I navigated to the world of intense, natural and still photography and therefore continued checking out some ruins, chateaus, landscapes, real-life portraits and neatly built random villas in Europe (.. they have the most quaint landscapes down there. How peaceful to capture that beauty!)

And as I kept surfing from one portal to another, I came across some rich architecture in the form of town houses and villas, European haunts to get envied of and so I set my hand to move from one spacious hub to another. You guys need to check these out. If you are interested in buying a mansion down town somewhere within the region of France, then please check this portal. It will entice your needs and provide you with the dream house, maybe the one you were wanting to gift your beloved soon! I wish I had that kind of money and needs to own such colossal mansions… ** Sigh!** Just beautiful!!! 

                                       

Anyways, from the bunch of these ecstatic homes, there were too many of my favorites to mention. However, by researching more about these beautiful town houses, I eventually landed up at the origin, the mind, the reason behind these awesome structures - Sothebys Realtors reigning the regions of France and Monaco. If you are a recipient of the French language and culture and always have wanted to reside by the gardens of France within the ethnicity of rich heritage that donned the beauty of European culture, well, please check out this one! It is just amazing folks, especially the one am going elaborate about. 

Have you been planning to gift your beloved a peaceful home? Have you planned a surprise for someone? Do you think it’s time you shifted your realm of life and thought? Well, then this is the place, my friend, it definitely is!

                                                

In spite of having so many favorites from this group of amazing mansions, one of the best home town villas that I would have loved to buy is the Townhouse in Paris which I suppose would range up to 12912 square feet, (approximately 1199 square per meter) with a count of 5 bedrooms minimum. Sounds interesting? Wait for more! This charming town villa in France is silent within the core of flourishing flora, a secret garden dwelling at the very elusive XVIth arrondissement of Paris and it is truly a contemporary masterpiece enriched with historic experiences. This town villa, in other words, a residence palace has been amalgamated using the facets of an actual ocean liner, an out-of the-world experience to be felt! It is an asset for the domain of luxury real estates in Paris.

Every corner of this mansion comprises a suite spreading almost to 1200 sq. mts in size; all assembled using the finest, exotic materials ever. You should definitely check the bathrooms and terraces in this mansion, once again all encompassed with the décor of Carrera marble and terracotta. There are so many additional add-INS to this paradise like the pool, the garden just like Eden, the terrace that overlooks the best sceneries and CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??? a personal elevator available absolutely at your discretion! Like said, the Townhouse is definitely a palace adorned with fountains and ponds reflecting the historic era of Indian heritages. This is the place you wanna own for a life time or to have it addressed as your vacation home!



To know more about this European haven and similar luxury real estate masterpieces (Courtesy: Sothebys France and Monaco), try browsing through this website. I have become so addicted with their properties and am just dreaming about buying one of their best. Don't you think so? Take a look and you would dream too buddy! There are many other luxury properties I would like to detail about but, lemme make my post short! Anyways, if you do plan to step down to Sothebys to find about more properties, don't forget to check out the Mountain cabin, the Chalet located at Megeve. Not speaking much about it, you can check it out at the above mentioned website. Let me make my post short! **winks…)

Don’t forget to check out Antoine Nicholas collection of wonderful French properties at http://www.flickr.com/photos/france-sothebys-international-realty/sets/72157614111721931/ And who knows??? You might just come across many others as exciting as this one…! If you do buy one, lemme know so that I can plan my vacation accordingly! Juz’ kidding… !
                                          

Quote for the day: 
"Good homes are still the best source of good humans."

So, the King has summoned farewell to ALL….

"Heal The World... Make It A Better Place... 
For You and For Me and the Entire Human Race... 
There Are People Dying... If You Care Enough For The Living... 
Make A Better Place... For You and For Me..."

My childhood icon, my favorite pop idol, a legendary singer and a person not worth to be forgotten! Just like how kids all over the world favor the flavor of a single role model, I too followed in tune with M.J. (Let him rest in peace...) He was my loner pal, my music in dreams and my confidante as a kid! I basically grew up on his music, ONLY his music. I used to spend hours gathering his masterpieces and listening back to back, all during my childhood. As a kid, I was an introvert who kept friends at a distance and dreams by her side. I was a kid with no siblings or pals. I could spend hours just writing something, drawing or basically listening to MJ music. There was a time, when my parents were irritated coz’ of my addiction to his music. I would always lock the doors and dance to his rhythm, try to moonwalk like the chap and by heart his lyrics. Today when I turn back, it all seems like a dream, a phase when life was so full of music. Now, it has all faded in sense, his music lives on, his aura shines but a life to own this, has slept forever.



My inclination towards English music has been minimal and to 'POP' rare, but thanks to MJ, he taught me how different can music be heard, how creatively can you blend pop with lyrics and dance and how popular can a small town boy rise to be when he becomes the ‘King of Pop’. I respect his work from my soul, his dedication to music, his determination to learn and experiment various genres of music, (...be it, even the Arabic verses that he has voiced in one of his songs!), his charming smile to win music lovers and his patience to hurdle through difficulties that have mostly been a part of his life. He has etched words of hope, faith and love through his music, in the history of POP and dance.



His personal life has been through dingy tunnels of troubles, he was accused for something, who knows, maybe never happened at all, he still stood through everything, his family, his kids, siblings and mostly he stood for his fans. I respect his life for he has achieved what none other could in a short time, an young age and be still at the top until now. MJ, YOU ARE A LEGEND. No one can replace you!!! Media scrapped his happiness but his music spoke it all. He is a gem, a genius who knew what he lived for, MUSIC. If you have a negative opinion against this bugger, then you seriously can’t identify his expertise of music. MJ, Thanks for the great music. We will all miss you, TODAY but your music will never make us feel that absence.

We have lost you, TODAY before we could yield it all but legacy lives on, your MUSIC takes on fans even now. There will be none other as YOU and your music will help your legacy for music live on. We will remember the cries in ‘Heal the World’ for the children, we will remember the moves, the act in ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘Beat It’, we will remember the theory in ‘Black or White’, we will remember the unity in ‘Bad’, we will remember the love in ‘The Lady in my Life’, we will remember the sorrow in ‘Leave me alone’, we will remember the voice in ‘They don’t really care about us’ …. And so on we will remember your songs, lyrics, music and contribution to POP. Live on MJ!



Don't forget to check out http://www.allmichaeljackson.com/song-lyrics.html to brush through the legends' works... Also Don't forget to check his videos on YOUTUBE!!!

Quote for the day!
"Years, following years, steal something every day; At last they steal us from ourselves away.”

Adoption for a gain or what?

So, this weekend while catching up with an old pal, she spilled the beans that she’s gonna adopt a boy child in the coming days. To my amazement of her already having a girl child, she added to my shock by confessing the fact that she had no troubles genetically conceiving for a boy child but she and her hubby felt that by performing this noble act of love, they may be in for a bundle full of joy and a basket full of blessings for a lifetime. I introspectively analyzed the act to believe why she was doing this - to held out a life for the little boy in the name of adoption or simply gain some sympathy on behalf of the noble act she just dutifully performed or in fact for some advanced blessings on her and her hubby’s part. This whole conversation put me into wonder! So why do we really decide to adopt??

There can be two categories of people who wanna adopt kids, per say (Human kids!) – one category comprise those who do it for style, sympathy or simply fame, or they would have got addicted to adopting kids, to make it a foster home for different genres of kids and then brag about it! (No offence to anyone to whom I may have related this description to.) And the other being the ones who simply do not consider their fates locking a blessing called ‘kids’, those who are least fortunate to conceive souls, those who yearn for the little feet and hands and the little voice that goes ‘Ma’ and ‘Pa’. Let us analyze the case of a birth mom who still yearns for a kid through adoption. During our age of innocence, we girls, even before thinking about weddings, simply gawk at the tiny feet of little souls who come our way and eventually, we would virtually fly into our futures foreseeing us taking care of such angels. I am sure most of us would have gone to the extent of pondering the thought of just adopting babies and not getting married at all. I did once!



That way, we have no commitments, no fear and yet would have the world of joy, innocence and happiness, all to ourselves. Of course, over time and life, these desires vanish, our reality hits us hard and we simply go with the flow of living our purpose in this world; grow up, do what we desired to do, get married, work, and have kids and so on. But isn’t there still that ball of regret that lingers in your mind of not being able to make an abandoned soul yours' own? Well, then what’s stopping you to own that desire once again - Family, friends, society or your conscience? If what’s stopping you is the awareness of not knowing where to begin, then blog about it, write about it in forums, speak out and probably, there are many waiting to assist you in this process.

Just because the procedure or the formality of adoption is tough, don’t decide to back out. Think about those kids who might have a great home and family but were deprived of it because the system of adoption was expensive. Money has always been a problem for everything! But there was a way, right? Even this will have a way.

Probably, these kids can be collectively communed by Churches, NGOs and other such organizations, but every team has a limitation and so does these places. But just think back and see if each well-to-do family adopted one kid, then how many souls would escape the torture of being neglected, having illnesses, death, exploitation and being cleared of sight from all of us. Why is that people think about adoption but don’t eventually get to doing it? Adoption and caring for the abandoned, innocent souls is just like serving God himself. Once again, not for just blessings, but to be at his feet, to do what is best for him and to be simply next to him is a feeling least experienced. To an extent, it is not fair to say why God cannot take care of these souls, but it is right to state that this is God’s plan for us to realize how he looks, through our willingness to help those in need.



At times, there are even spinsters, single moms or birth moms who consider the decision of adoption, because of their frozen circumstances, and looks forward to bringing a little soul to their world of happiness. They might have no reason to not conceive naturally, but by fate may not be able to, and such a feeling of deprivation sometimes makes you take decisions like these too. I personally empathize with such humans as I also belong to their category in one sense. But at the same time, don’t turn to adoption, just because it is an amalgamation of these aspects.

Adoption of an infant should not be the ultimatum for your society status, style symbol, mandatory obligation or public fame. Please think otherwise! These souls do not yearn for your money but care, not cars but a simple touch, not a name but to say they are just yours, not a house but a home of peace. So think and take the right decision folks! I simply had a conversation with my old time pal and so many thoughts have crossed my heart. In case you do read this post, I hope such thoughts and eventually certain decisions also cross your mind triggering you to take some active, noble steps in life. These kids need a life, a home, their own people and a lot of love and care. I know that you might be thinking who am I to speak so much about this?

If I am so interested to do so, then why don’t I adopt? Well, not that this thought hasn’t crossed my mind and am not thinking about it, instead have already started making arrangements for the same. That small ray of happiness soon to be shining in my world stands a little behind, around the corner! P.S. Today I also read an article about adopting, (..and not buying!) pets like dogs. Well, I do not want to discuss or debate on this topic, but if your mind says so, you may also give a life to such animals, if you can physically, mentally, emotionally and practically support them. (Please don’t swear me for my post on adopting kids and pets! I am just trying to bring a small change in the world. Making it a better place for us to live in, for us to know nobleness and kindness still exists. I know it is not going to help, but minds may beg to differ!)



Quote for the day! 
"Adoption is not about finding children for families, it's about finding families for children”.

Orkut vs. Facebook

So the war is on! Days back I just pondered about how social networking sites such as Orkut and Facebook have had their TRPs raising up so high, especially within us, the Indians. Not that Facebook is both, famous in the West as in the East and Orkut isn’t, but Orkut has its own regions of conquer, territories of users and wonderful elements to exhibit.

Orki and Facbi, they are just like two buddies from convent school or probably college, popular in their own way with their unique facets that attract all. Started off as plain, simple average students who were liked by all but then eventually had their own groups, neutral acquaintances and plus points. Times have changed. These students are no longer those plain, average pupils who were same in many ways and different in some. They now have their territories, groups have grown, popular in their own way, regions to conquer along with hearts and all set to capture the world’s attention using strategies from every possible vertical.

These friends are no longer buddies but competitors. Today, if you young, (as we call it, ‘the teens’...), add to that - you are tech-savvy (oh! C’mon, who aren’t these days? If not, maybe you need to move on!), and is an IT professional, student, housewife, grandpa, wife, mother, advertising professional, doctor, actor, teacher, chef or even idle at home, it’s so definite that you do run an account on social networking websites. (Hey, you do have a blog and do read blogs but don’t have a social networking account, buddy c’mon; buckle up and move on… create an account today!) Now, it can be MySpace.com, Twitter, Orkut, Facebook and so on. If a blogger, then definitely, you should be having an account with 20 something bloggers, Blogger.com, Blogadda, Technorati, Indiblogger and so on.

And if you an ethnic, patriotic Indian, a techie especially, you will see him or her bound to have an account with Orkut or Facebook and a blog with Indiblogger kind of blog networks. Let’s now walk back a little. Who are these top horns? Speaking from an Indian perspective, as for us, Orkut and Facebook are considered to be top horns in the world of social networking, here in India, apart from the blogging websites that are available for us to meet and discuss about global affairs. Orkut, handled by Google was triggered into action on January 2004, all thanks to Orkut Büyükkökten, a US based Turkish employee who proved to be a reason for the evolution of social networking by employing fun or game based applications. So what is Orkut for those who don’t know? It is a platform, a website that allows you to meet new pals, keep in touch with old pals, share photos or videos with your friends amidst high secured connections, enabling the creation of community forums of which users can be a part of. Not that popular on an international level, but tries to entice users at every opportunity that they have in hand. Orkut had a problem in the beginning, being that it was not secured to a level where people could share their personal tidbits, but later on owing to many critical and serious reasons (..which I refuse to mention here, coz’ I care for my security too!!!), it got bounded with high-end security features. Hmm… for instance initially you could visit anyone’s profile, view anyone’s photos or even right-click and store/save some strangers’ snaps. All this has been undone now! Good for you, Orki…

Let’s now move over to Facbi, (whom I lovably call…), my personal favorite social networking site (not that, I don’t hold an Orkut account but….), FACEBOOK! Its origin is in fact quite exciting. A few years back the line, somewhere in February 2004, a website strictly dedicated for the students of Harvard University, slowly began expanding its database of users to students from other global universities. Not that Orkut has any specifications on the kind of users joining them, but Facebook has a simpler process to sign up and that’s cool! It’s got all the features that Orkut has and even more. But the best part about Facebook is its feature of photo-sharing with real good tactics of security, (which by the way has been adapted by Orkut as of now…), commenting on snaps, tagging pals on snaps and so on. Orkut, till recent times did not have the kind of security that Facbi exhibited. Of course, change happens over time! I have pals who ask me on Orkut, “Why are you not seen around these days on Orki? Why no snaps?” (I had to take them all off, a couple of months back owing to the insecurity features available on Orkut. I guess things have changed now but perhaps I find it easier to upload my snaps on Facebook, nowadays!) And I have pals on Facebook also asking me “Hey, why so active on Facebook? Why not Orkut? I know why, Facebook is fun right, but it's so confusing to use buddy, Orkut is simpler." 

I guess people are more comfortable or at least, have been most comfortable with Orkut, as the GUI (Graphic User Interface), basically, the look and feel is user-friendly, its' easy to navigate, applications are minimal and it focuses more on simply scrapping friends, making friends and maybe to an extent, sharing photos/videos. But there are groups of people who find Facebook more innovative to use than Orkut coz’ it employs numerous applications, fun quizzes to play with, commenting on statuses and stuff, (which by the way, does not happen in Orkut...) and majorly also keeping track of what other people have got to say for you or your friends. It allows you to keep in touch with friends forever and also keep a track of what your pals are up to each moment. Man, it is awesome and you can juz’ spend hours fiddling with the various elements that exist there. Orkut, on the other hand (at least for me...), can be used just to check what your pals are trying to tell or inform you and probably check some of their snaps. But of course, Facbi does not necessarily have an edge over Orkut, especially because unlike Orkut, it employs a little too many sections, applications, ads, elements, features and so on.

Some people might underline Facbi as not being user-friendly whereas Orkut being really easy to use. This may vary from a user to user perspective. Orkut and Facebook have their own strengths and weaknesses. What makes each one unique, simply is bound by how a user likes the space. So these debates all zero down to what I or you like being frequently on, Orki or Facbi! You addicted to anyone of these. Well, I am! So which one of these is your favorite? You may post your comment and we may always discuss... is there some other network that is as popular as these two? Hmm, like Twitter!

Quote for the day:
"The value of a social network is defined not only by who's on it, but by who's excluded."

House Hunting!!! The marathon begins…

I always enjoyed watching the sitcoms of the 80s and 90s, especially the ones where we have a tenant either being pestered by his or her house lord or where the tenants themselves act as menace to others, either way. These sitcoms, like ‘Three’s Company’ used to interest our conscious, making us regularly watch them in order. Those days, I used to wonder how fun would it be to have your own space, that too if it’s being shared by someone who is…. (Can’t find an adjective for that word!) Watching these sitcoms were fun, especially coz’ I thought being independent was the best of what one could have. Freedom is any day priceless! There was so much of adventure involved, excitement, unexpected events, and yet a lot of love and care from people you live with.

What if it is with your beloved, soul mate, hubby or wife you gonna live with? Amazing! You know what, most of these guys did have their own place, where they stayed with their parents but to be on their own, they employed the thought of renting out a place. Now, back to reality! I put myself in the shoes of these protagonists and venture into the world of renting an apartment. Now that am married, I acknowledge the need to be on our own, away from parents, from relatives, from anything that binds our lives to theirs. Let’s analyze how to go about it! I first give an AD on various mediums that are accessed by millions, wait for a day or two, await calls from whom I should do, and then begins the race and chase of hunting down apartments.

Two ways to see this! Via an agent or an owner; both have their own perceptions and tactics on how to entice us into renting an apartment. It is so ironic that in spite of having our own spaces at times, we venture to look out in the city so wild with a set of impossible criteria check points thereby hauling the process of finding a better home. Never knew finding an apartment to rent, could have been one of the most tedious acts of all times. These guys make us stroll to houses belonging to various regions, with change in numbers and rates that never satisfy us to what we are hoping for. Nevertheless, we see a few houses that complement our satisfactions, but plates turn when it comes to talking about the rates. The marathon is on for days, the calls for houses is on the chase, funds and family we may lose, but being on our own is definitely news! Yeah! The thought of renting the place with your loved one, being independent with your decisions, buying and decorating the place you want it the way to be and finally inviting your pals and folks home to see what and where have you reached after all hard work. Feels great, isn't it? Thanks to the agents/brokers who kept us on the run and owners who were quite helpful with all this fun. The fun part here are the tag-lines people use to allure us into selecting their house or apartment.

Things like, “You will have a spacious hall, it is semi-furnished, covered car parking available, vaastu (feng-shui) compliant, rain water harvesting available, 2 bedrooms with attached bathrooms, a single balcony that opens to a park, and so on….But the rent is xxxx INR/DHS/DOLLARS which is negotiable if you can talk to my wife, my son, my mother and so on…. We are very particular about the maintenance rate and please try to keep the place clean and blah, blah ahhhh blah……” Crazy it all may seem! If you observe closely, most of these guys, be it the agent or the owner, are not an inch sure whether they are pitching for the right person, right price or the right moment. There seems to be so much of uncertainty involved in finding the right tenant for them and the right house for us. I guess these guys need to streamline some sort of a strategy wherein they can handle numerous customers/clients by filtering the choice, criteria and requirements of the customers using innovative techniques.

Possibly, they could act as a mediator between the owner and customer and use technological elements from the latest arena of gadgets and track the availability of houses thereby catering to the customers easily and effectively. Well, this is what brokers/agents could do to simplify our lives of finding homes whereas, owners need to choose the right medium to advertise their house to get the dream tenant. It shouldn’t be the case like mine where I once rented out my old apartment to a smart, eligible, educated bachelor falling for his high command of language and knowledge, his degree of education and his professional domain. It so happened that, he eventually declined our request to vacate the house and paid us cheques that bounced the very day of deposit. Feeling cheated by such a fraud, a conman who was foiling our plans to get the apartment vacated and sold, it became so difficult for me, my family to sleep, breathe and survive in peace.

Definitely, I wouldn't be exhibiting such an act with any owner but I know the torture, my family and many other owners went through coz' of guys like these and it's quite easy for me to judge the psychological instinct of a house owner by now! So guys, if you all out there are planning to rent out an apartment or a house, do a perfect planning, prepare for the unknown outside and get the right person to find you the right home! Bless me that I do find my paradise soon....

Quote for the day: 
"To change one's life: Start immediately, do it flamboyantly, no exceptions, no excuses."

Why late???

To begin with, yeah! I know how late I have been in entering my posts on my favorite blog. That’s right! It’s been long but not late. I have been quite busy off late. I mean there has been too much happening with and around me and that had kind of life routine kept me away from the pleasure of online expressions. But now onwards I promise you will get to see posts on this cute blog almost everyday. Yeah, one of my resolutions, you see! Let’s see how far I get with this one. LOL! :)

So like said, yeah been busy. The New Year start wasn’t so right. Thanks to the buzz word ‘Recession’ and the ‘Satyam fiasco’, lay-offs were in the tunnel (Thank God! Wasn’t one among them then, but who knows what lie ahead??), finances gobbled up and down a while and some departed us while others rejoined. In short, life wasn’t as cool as it seems now, except for the happiness that I got from my family and hubby (which is one of the most important things in life, but not the entire bit...)

So I decided that before it gets too late, I need to buckle up with life, do stuff that I missed or messed out on and get things done the way I want to (than crib over something that can’t be worked out..) so here I am once again… !! Tune into my blog everyday to find something interesting that I have got to talk about. It could just be me or my life, the way I perceive it, or something just out of the box! So wait for the best and prepare for the unknown!

Quote for the day!!
“If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything.”

Prelude to the end of 2008 – All set to begin 2009

Hi folks! A huge ‘Welcome’ to me, a pat on the back and am here with whole load of tidbits! To start with, a prosperous New Year Wish to all who do and do not follow or read my blog. Yeah, was on a long break, a rejuvenating period, though! Had some wonderful, peaceful moments, accomplished some pending tasks that was overdue for so long and met up with some old pals, like I had promised them.

Well , to be frank, year 2008 was a jolly ride for me. It went up and down the life graph budging over parameters like love, finance, career, health and so on. However, there was my chunk of some amazing moments that were captured in a frame by frame setting within my mind. Hmm...! Like my trip to Thailand, felicitation as a recognition for my qualitative work, the ‘Learning Excellence Award’ for the best Instructional Designer, some great times with pals during lunches, get together(s), movies, fights and so on, days when I used to blog regularly, some bitter moments up and down the career and finance graph, festival feasts, ideas, celebrations, citations and so much more which I can cherish for a life time. And with that I leave the old behind and am here once again to embrace the new within.

Welcome 2009! I have missed so much to express on this platform in these two months time. There is so much that I want to share to and for all. I just read somewhere that “Right generosity towards the future consists in giving to what is present.” Exactly! As one my latest resolutions or you could say decision, I am planning to give as much as I can, what I have, to others be it my friends, loved ones, family or even strangers. Lots of love, care, hope, prayers, happiness and even elixirs!

Work takes most of my time during the day and worries and plans take my time during the night. But there is a lot that I see, feel, talk and experience from moment to moment which I want to spill on this arena of expressions, soon enough in this year. To begin with, I will definitely complete my pending travelogue on my ‘Trip to Thailand’ that happened (I know!) at the start of last year, followed by current affairs and my take on the same which will flow in and out of my blog, what I got to say about certain movies, music; musings of any kinds will also slip in now and then, down here.

Not so far from the start of 2009, I celebrated my 27th year on this planet, (WOW! That was a long one...), and am all set for the next one. It has been celebration time for me from then till now, with a little steep and slope at work. What’s even better is some of my pals’ entered wedlock in smiles and style. What wasn’t so colorful was some of my buddies joined the ‘I have been laid-off’ club. There is a lot that is happening around me and I want to pen it intermittently from truth to perspective. From Satyam havoc to the hype for Slumdog Millionaire, the recession to movies, from life to love and from then to now, all about which I plan to write is what you will see and enjoy in this year, from me on ‘Smudged Reflections’.

P.S. My poetry ‘WITHIN MY GRIP’ has entered the Finals for the international online poetry competition on voicesnet.org. Wish me the best, guys! http://www.voicesnet.org/poetrydisplay.aspx?poemid=141461