Of Men & Underwears

Last weekend an extremely random thought came into my head. The more I kept thinking about it the more sense it kept making and I couldn’t wait to share it with all of you. So here goes…

A good husband is like a good bra.     

That’s it! That is the brilliant random idea that flashed in my mind like a neon sign last Sunday.  Don’t think its true?  Think I’ve lost it completely? Don’t know what to think of it?… Read on to learn more about this yet another obscure analogy of mine.

1. Fitting Is Everything: A good bra is meant to accentuate a woman’s assets and hide her flaws (even though we’re flawless, most of the time at least). Similarly, a good husband is one who highlights his wife’s talents and conceals her shortcomings.  A good bra displays a woman’s well rounded curves, just like a good husband who can’t stop praising his wife’s well rounded personality (or bottom for that matter).

2. The Comfort Factor: A good bra is one that doesn’t restrict movement, is comfortable to wear and leaves room for growth. Similarly a good husband is one that supports his wife and encourages her to grow as a person without any restrictions.  Also, ever notice  how a good bra does not require constant adjusting of its straps? Likewise, a good husband too loves his wife for who she is without demanding her to make too many adjustments in her life post marriage.

3. The “Feel Good” Factor:  That elated feeling us ladies get when we finally manage to find the perfect bra, is kind of similar to the euphoric feeling we get when we finally know that he is the one. Also, wearing a pretty bra makes us feel feminine and lifts us up (pun intended of course). Similarly, a good husband also makes his wife feel attractive and uplifts her spirits every time she’s down.

4. Different Strokes For Different Folks: There can never be one “right” bra or husband to cater to all of  woman kind. It is essential to recognize that different women have different needs when it comes to bras and hubbies. For example, a younger girl might want  a cheap bra with diamante studded straps that looks good on a night out  just like how she’d want a dishy looking man as her arm candy for a few fun dates. ‘Long lasting’ might be the last thing on her mind while picking both her bra or man.  However, a more mature woman would want a fuss-free and a comfortable bra that sees her through a busy day just like how she’d want to be with a reliable man who sticks by her side through thick and thin. And even though it may be difficult for us women to put into words just what kind of a bra or a man we’re looking for…in our heart of hearts we know what we’re after and do not settle for anything short of it.

5. Easier Said Than Done: In matters of bras and husbands, it is way too difficult to identify and find ‘the one’. It can take quite a few trials and errors before one finds the perfect bra or the perfect man. Also, whilst most stores allow you to exchange your purchases, they tend to be strict when it comes to exchanging lingerie. Bras like husbands are intimate choices and it isn’t easy to swap either of them for something else once they’ve been chosen.  Therefore,  it is of utmost importance that we take our time, identify our needs, list out our options and choose wisely.

Every time I manage to find the perfect bra, I make sure to stock up on a couple of them just in case the brand discontinues its production. And, while I certainly wouldn’t recommend investing/stocking up on a couple of good husbands, I would definitely advise holding on *tightly* to your man once you’ve found your perfect fit.

– To my darling husband Bhavin, on our 1st Wedding Anniversary today,  I thank you for being my perfect bra! xo.

p.s : I love you.

Mum’s The Word

Today I am a proud mommy of a cute little boy that lives in Pune. Before any of you jump to all sorts of conclusions let me tell you that no- he's not a love child nor is he an illegitimate baby. He's someone I've chosen to adopt and sponsor until he's old enough to take care of himself. The boy's name is Anil and I happened to see his photo whilst I was browsing through World Vision’s website. There was something about his round innocent face that reached out to me and made me wanna sponsor him there and then. So yes, in that sense I guess I could actually say that he is my love child. 

Meet Anil. He’s only 2 years old…and sooo cute don’t you think?

 

A lot of people prefer to engage in their charities and causes in silence. They feel that publicizing their charitable act kind of takes away the real essence of giving. However, I’m all for talking about organizations such as World Vision and the great work that they do.  Whilst I shall never brag about the amount of money I donate or the time and effort that I put into the causes that I support, I do feel that it is my moral duty to  write about that wonderful feeling I get every time I engage in my little act of giving.  My reasons for writing about my cause is not to get acknowledged but to reach out to hundreds of other people, like me and hopefully inspire them to do whatever little or much they can.

Charity doesn’t necessarily consist of donating huge sums of money yourself. In fact my little experience tells me that there are several affluent people who are willing to donate  large sums of money to help others, however these people neither have the time nor the assurance that their donations will be channelized correctly for the needy. In this sense, charity could also mean us putting in our time and effort to bridge the gap between a potential donor and a needy person.

I also know there are a lot of people out there that want to help others but they just don’t know from where to begin. For those of you falling into this category, please take a moment to consider an NGO called World Vision India and the work it does.

World Vision is a humanitarian organization that is working to create  a lasting change in the lives of the under privileged children in India.  By sponsoring a child with a mere sum of Rs.600 (approx USD 12) per month helps improve their living conditions, educates them and shapes a better future for them.  Basically, how it works is that you pick a child and agree to sponsor him on a monthly, quarterly or yearly basis (whatever works best with you) until he/she grows up to be an independent adult. The sponsorship is a long term commitment you make to a single child and it lasts anywhere between 5-10 years until the child is old/educated enough to function independently in the society. Over a period of time you tend to form a bond with the child you’ve chosen to sponsor as World Vision encourages youto write to the child, keep a track of his/her progress and even meet them if you desire. It is amazing how you can buy these children  an education and shape their future with a humble contribution of  a mere 600 rupees and some love.

I can’t wait to write to Anil and get to know all about him and his life. I am also super excited to see what he grows up to be one fine day with a little aid and lots of support from my side.  I find it so incredible that World Vision gives ordinary people like me the opportunity to change the gloomy future of a less fortunate child into a promising one.

I intend to write more about my relationship with Anil and his progress on this blog with the hope to inspire my fellow readers to sponsor a child too. ‘Coz I firmly believe that goodness is the only investment that never fails.

If you are engaged in any of such charitable causes, please share your experiences and inspire others too…

"I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do the something I can do." - Helen Keller

Writing It Right

Some more tips for all of us writers in the making out here. These tips are shocking, hilarious and yet manage to strike a chord as far as good writing is concerned. You can read the entire article on Amy Bayliss, which has a lot of such articles to help bring out the writer in you.

1. Don't write like a teacher - Do not be dry, nobody enjoys a dictation unless they're looking for a sure shot remedy for insomnia. Avoid long monologues and try to engage the reader by adopting a more conversational approach in your writing.

2. Don't write like a preacher: Let's just say that writing religious truths and condemning people for all their actions and or inactions isn't going to win you too many admirers unless they're a part of your congregation. Instead try encouraging people to overcome their shortcomings in a more demonstrative manner.

3. Don't write like a dead person: Do not try to duplicate the writings of people from the bygone era. Charles Dickons and O'Henry are long gone and so are the audience that they catered to. Just be you and write for an audience of this century, addressing the modern man's  thoughts, concerns and lifestyle.

* These tips are extremely generalized and are definitely not applicable for so many genres of writings. However, I'm guess they'll prove to be a good starting point for fresh writers, and if nothing else I hope they'll make for an interesting read in the least.

Note To Self: Write As If It Matters...And Someday It Will.

... She generally gave herself very good advise, (though she very seldom followed it) ~ Lewis Carol.

Of Grand Gestures Like Forgiving and Moving On...

As many of you would know, I maintain two blogs on the Blogger platform - Miles of Style and Curses and Verses. Miles of Style is a reflection of my fondness for everything fashionable, stylish and superficial. Writing articles for this blog is frankly quite easy, I find a lot of inspiration for my write-ups in daily life as well as on the internet. It is here that I write about all the materialistic things that I covet and believe you me the list is long! I also have a lengthy list  topics to cover on this blog which shall see me through February in the least.

However, my other blog, Curses and Verses is extremely difficult to maintain and write for. It is here that I write about things I feel deeply about. My posts on this blog are very spur-of-the-moment and not as frequent.  Two posts in '07, none in '08 and five in '09...statistics suggest that I find it rather difficult to put into words things that I  feel deeply about. Inspiration is an in-frequent visitor!

Having confessed this, today's inspiration came rather all too easily to me. I was on my way to work, and as a rare occasion had the driver driving me there,(most days he chauffeurs  my in-laws whilst hubby and I drive ourselves to work) which left me with some time to channelize my thoughts. Random that I am, I suddenly thought of this absolutely touching William Blake poem that I had read a few years ago. The precise lines that came into my head were: " 'And throughout all Eternity, / I forgive you and you forgive me. / As our dear Redeemer said: / This the Wine and this the Bread. "  I first came across this poem, (aptly titled Broken Love) in a movie called 'The Heart of Mine'.  You can read the entire poem here. And while it is difficult to find a complete analysis of the poem on the net  (in case any of you do find one, please pass it along to me), it isn't difficult to feel the poet's pain, discomfort, anger and frustration. Barring the last four verses, which many believe were not part of this poem but were found in Blake's personal diary not meant for publication until someone came across them and found them to match with Broken Love decided to add them to the poem.

For me; the last verse (that came to my mind today) worked kind of like a release from an otherwise painful poem. You can almost feel the poet's soul finding an escape from its possessed and tortured body upon uttering these lines of forgiveness. I couldn't help but wonder if forgiving someone and being forgiven in return could really set one free? But anywayz, I take this verse randomly popping into my mind today and flashing like a neon advert as a signal to forgive and forget past grievances. It takes a lot of strength to genuinely forgive people that have hurt you but I think we owe it to our souls to set them a-free from these dark dungeons of pain and resentment.  In order to achieve inner peace and good health it is essential for one to forgive - not only others but also one's self for all previous actions and inactions. Yes, I think sometimes life does demand a "grand gesture" from each one of us and Forgiving is just one of them.

Here's hoping that all of you too find courage and reason enough to forgive those who've hurt you, after all life feeds back truth to people in its own way and time. Some things are better best left for God to handle...and as mere mortals we may not be able to change the past but we definitely can enlarge our future!

p.s " You will know that forgiveness has begun when you recall those who hurt you and feel the power to wish them well." ~ Lewis Smedes.

The Angel's Game

I just finished reading Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Angels Game last night and can't resist writing about my first big disappointment in 2010. Towards the end of last year I came across 'The Shadow Of The Wind' almost by chance and picked it up on a lark. Little did I expect to get totally encaptured within the indescribable labyrinths of mystery, romance, suspense, horror, tragedy and quick witted humour expertly created by the author. Never before had I read a book like SOTW and whilst I couldn't wait to get to the heart of its mystery, I also couldn't help but wish that this wonderful book would never end! By the end of the novel, I was completely awestruck by Zafon's story telling and couldn't help talking about him in all my literary discussions with fellow book worms.

Fast forward to The Angel's Game. I greedily went and bought myself this "supposed" prequel to SOTW, in futile hopes of once again being transported back to the ancient Gothic Barcelona as described by Zafon. With hopes to devour every word written by (I think) one of the most gifted story tellers ever, I began to read this book. After reading the first 200 pages of the book rather feverishly I had to (albeit reluctantly) admit to myself that the story was going nowhere!

The main character in the novel, David Martin goes through a series of struggles and tragedies one after the other and yet fails to evoke considerable pity in the mind of the reader. However, there is no relief for Martin and the book does get a little pessimistic to read. The story proceeds at a sluggish pace and lacks the humour of its sequel. It is overly descriptive at times and its setting, characterisation and description of Barcelona are all very similar to SOTW.

As I forced myself to skim through the latter 150 odd pages of the story, the suspense never thickened, instead it grew thinner and vaguer. The book ended on a rather abrupt note, leaving the readers to make their own interpretation as to what actually happened. There were a lot of loose ends which didn't add up at all and I'm still clueless about how much of what transpired in the story was David's figment of imagination, whether Corelli was an angel or demon, what actually happened to Marscala and the book that David wrote. (Any answers ?)

This book might perhaps make for an enjoyable read for those who are yet to read SOTW. Zafon's description of the Barcelona  as the City of the Damned and the Cemetery of Forgotten Books certainly do create vivid images in the mind of the readers. The parallels and the overarching themes from both the novels are also well executed and yet the basic plot makes very little sense somehow. In all fairness, I can say that SOTW really raised my expectations from The Angel's Game and great expectations are almost always difficult to live upto!

New Year And Newer Resolutions

1st Jan 2010. Today is the day I decide what I want to take with me in the next decade and what I wish to leave behind in 2009. Here are my resolutions for this year.


1. Save More and Shop Lesss : This is definitely the first priority on my list and probably the toughest to put into action. But I seriously don't think that I shall be needing one more pair of shoes for a long long time. Plus I am kind of  beginning to like the security and power a big fat account in the bank provides. 

2. Delegate More : Although I am blessed to have a fleet of help at home (a cook, a full time house-maid, a part time one and a driver), I somehow end up doing a lot of their work everyday. This leaves me completely exhausted (and at times a little cranky) by the end of the day. So, this year I plan to ensure that they remain responsible for their share of work and hopefully I shall delegate some of my chores to them as well.

3. Learn The Fine Art Of Saying No : I think it is high time I learn to say no to people in a nice, diplomatic manner instead of taking on more than I can chew on my plate.

4. To Not Please People At The Cost Of Displeasing Myself : This is partly connected to point no. 3. It is funny how many minor adjustments and sacrifices a woman ends up making after her marriage. However, I have come to realize that if I end up making people around me happy at the cost of myself, I shall become a very bitter person and in the long run end up making the same people around me unhappy. Which is why I plant to consciously prioritise my happiness a little more henceforth.

5. Exercise : I used to be such a work out fanatic before. But since the past year I have been unable to hit the gym regularly due to other demands at home and work. However, this year I resolve to exercise at least 3-4 times a week (even if it is a basic work-out at home) instead of vegetating on the bed in the evenings.

6. Learn Something New : Stock market trading, salsa dancing, web designing, yoga...the list is long and distinguished!

7. Acquire Multiple Exit Options : This is by far the most wonderful tip for dealing with stress which I have come across. Charlene in her blog The Balance Beam suggests the importance of having "Exit points". These points are basically things that will help you detach yourself from an unpleasant/stressful situation. As she wonderfully puts it "Think of 5 ways to change the view of your world in situations when you can't change your world." ...and I can't wait to implement this!

8. Read More - Less Internet : I spend infinite amount of time each day on the internet. While most of it is spent productively, a part of it is also spent on frequenting random, not the most helpful sites and pages on the web. This year I resolve to surf less and devote more time to books and go back to being the voracious reader that I once was.

9. Be Thankful : I resolve to be thankful for the little things in my life (not just the big ones) and to see God's blessings in the smallest of daily occurrences rather than wait for a big miracle to knock me off my feet.

10. Get Independent Get Responsible : While I like to think that I am pretty independent in most ways, I still think there's scope for some  improvement in this area and henceforth "I shall be the master of my ship and I shall be the captain of my soul". 

I don't know how many of my resolutions are going to make it past the first week of January. But I figure putting them down here in writing will help me stick to them for a longer time than my yesteryear resolutions. Here's wishing me luck!


p.s. I would love to know your 2010 resolutions as well. 

Denial Ain't Just A River In Egypt

Elizabeth Bishop's One Art has been stuck in my head since last night and I figured the only way it would stop haunting me was if I wrote it down here.

The art of losing isn't hard to master;

so many things seem filled with the intent 

to be lost that their loss is no disaster,

Lose something everyday. Accept the fluster

of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.

The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing further, losing faster:

places, and names, and where it was you meant

to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or

next-to-last, of three beloved houses went.

The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,

some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.

I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

-- Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture

I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident

the art of losing's not too hard to master

though it may look like (Write it!) a disaster.

Its hard to explain why I love Bishop's poem so much. Maybe because losing one's possessions (tangible and otherwise) is a natural phenomenon and each one of us can relate to in some obscure manner. Although, what I love the most about this poem is how the poet is in denial of her suffering over her losses.  She wears a mask of nonchalance and repeatedly tells herself that these losses weren't disastrous in order to move on. The very fact that 'losing' is termed as an 'art' by the poet shows that she's trying hard to mask her grief by pretending to be indifferent about all that she has lost. However, if read carefully you can feel the poet loosing her much worked upon detachment and self control as the poem progresses. The cracks in Bishop's composure are highlighted not just through her words but also through her use of  punctuations. At first the poem flows smoothly but towards the end it has a lot of breaks in it. You can feel Bishop's organized thoughts giving way to fragmented sentences and her non ability of coping with her losses.

There are two lines in this poem that leave a deep impression on me. The first being "so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster" - which just goes to show the non permanency of all material acquisitions as well as relationships. The other line that moves me deeply is Bishop commanding her own self to "Write it!". She tells herself to put her grief down in words. Over here you can almost feel her pain and understand that appearing calm and composed has become a huge burden for her and that she must admit her grief before its too late. And in this way, while pretending to describe her losses casually Bishop leaves behind several clues to the fact that she is silently (and deeply) in  mourning.

A lot of people have analysed and dissected this poem endlessly, debating over the nature of the poet's loss. Whether she's lost a friend or a lover or someone else. Whether her loss occurred due to the said person's death or a break up or an argument. However, I feel that a mark of a good poem is that it ignites a similar sentiment in its readers and makes us re-live/feel the very lines of the poem in a completely different context, a context based on our own life or experience - and One Art does just that for me.

Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde

I just realised that I am a child of two very diverse philosophies. There are days when I am a materialistic girl lusting after designer clothes, shoes, bags... wanting to spend it all, live it up and generally be fabulous and then there are days when I want to change the world and I am naive enough to believe that I seriously can. On days like these I long to break free from labels and find a real meaning to my life and human existence. I want to find God, understand religion, venture into politics, do some meaningful charity...

Dr. Jekyll

Mrs. Hyde

I wouldn't go so far as terming this as a split personality, only 'coz these two very different sides to me coexist rather peacefully most of the times. I try and control my frivolous capitalistic greed by educating myself constantly with healthy doses of history, current news, philosophy, art and culture. As I write this I can't help but hum the more I learn the less I know about before (UB40'S Higher Ground) to myself.

Hopefully as I grow older and wiser (and have a boudoir laden with exotic fashionable goodies to occasionally retreat to :P ), I shall in Chuck Palahniuk's words want out of the lables and not want my entire life to be crammed into a single word. A story. I will want to find something else, unknowable, some place to be that's not on the map. A real adventure that for now remains A spinx, A blank. Unknown. Undefined. 


 And I am certain that now that I have defined this insatiable need and put it down in writing here...I shall get there eventually.

Here are some beautiful lines (written by I don't know who) to help curb our never ending materialistic desires.

In gloomy tones we need not cry

How many things there are to buy

Here is a thought for you and me

The best things in life are for free.

Never Forget

To live in the hearts of millions of Indians, is not to die...

...Dedicated to all the brave officers and soldiers who lost their lives fighting terrorists in Mumbai on 26/11 last year.

A year after battling one of the most serious terror attacks in history, we are yet to take any concrete actions against those accused of this ghastly act. We have the resources, we have the man power, we have the faith to tackle terrorism. All that is needed is a change in our attitude. Let us not forgive and forget, let us stop moving on from every tragedy that befalls our Motherland, let us stop getting back to normal each time we loose so many of our countrymen...Let us for once stand up and reach out to one another in the face of terror, and let the world know that any act of terrorism shall not go unpunished in our country.

Hoping for a swift, just and sever judicial order against all those guilty for last year's massacre in Mumbai.

Stopped To Smell The Roses

Ques: So what have you been doing these days? (With an accusingly evil glint in the eyes)

Ans: I confess to have been sitting on the fence refusing to make up my mind. But in my defense I say I'm taking some time to smell the roses before I succumb to the daily grind.

And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
Rubbing its back upon the window-panes;
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea.

(From T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock)

One of the things that I've learnt in retrospect is that it's okay to not be a part of the rat race and its okay if you don't get there first. It's okay to take your own sweet time before you reach a decision, and that most of these decisions are not life and death ones anyways. There's always room for amending/improvising or just simply not adhering to your previous visions. Some may call it frivolousness but I call it evolution.

So unless you're Hamlet whose acts of delay & indecision eventually lead to his death, I say its okay to take some time off, chuck that job in a windowless office, get out of a rut, not be no.1, procrastinate endlessly, holiday in the bahamas or (in my case) stop and smell the roses... As long as it makes you happy!

Destiny vs Free Will

The past few months of my life have been no less than a roller coaster ride for me. I went through a series of ups and downs, involving a period of generally feeling low about being stuck in a rut before I fell in love and experienced the highest of highs. But all throughout last year, anytime something good happened to me or something didn’t go as per my expectations there was always this neon sign that blinked in my head which read “Free will vs. Destiny”. Was I living the life that I had made for myself through all my actions and inactions or was I just a puppet playing out a part that was chosen for me by a higher power. Since I’ve never been able to conclude on this dilemma I’ve finally decided to put my thoughts in writing and see where they lead me.

Destiny refers to a pre determined course of events which will take place irrespective of any/all circumstances. While free will is a result of our rationalizing and deciding. Whenever I think about Free will versus Destiny I can’t help but wonder… How much of a say do I really have compared to the destiny already mapped out for me before I was even born? Is everything that happens to me predestined or do I actually make a difference from what I think, plan and do?

I must admit that life seems pretty random every time I sit and think of it as destiny. It is like no matter what I do the end result will be the same so why bother trying to do the right thing? Going along with these thoughts I can’t help but equate destiny to some random draw of lottery where some of us get lucky and some of us don’t. My mind continues to debate, if God has really destined everything for each one of us then what were his decisions based on? How did a few of us end up getting the winning number on the lottery and did the rest just run out of luck? Did God randomly pick a few mortals and decide that they were the chosen ones and the others would have to struggle? (An inevitable brief pause occurs as I drift away thinking about destiny and how people say that everything we get in this life is a sum total of our karma from our previous births. Although, I’m a Hindu I really can’t relate to this explanation of my previous lives karma influencing my today and decide to resume my writing).

Free Will. Aha! Two magical words capable of shaping up my life. Free will seems to imply that I actually have a choice and say in determining the course of events in my life. That would mean that I can have anything that I want if I put my mind and efforts to it. Surely life can’t be that simple, all of us can’t have everything we desire. There has to be a catch somewhere. And there surely is. With sheer free will would come sheer coincidence. Imagine the zillions of ‘free wills’ of every living creature on this planet just floating around in space. Opposite free wills clashing with one another, all trying to reign supreme. All of a sudden life seems chaotic and I feel like I’m making my way through a jungle armed with pretty much nothing but my own tiny little free will. If our life is truly a set of coincidences based on the whims and fancies of all living and non living things then the universe would be in deep and utter chaos. So is my free will just a residual of adjusting zillions of free wills of others which were exercised before me? If this is so, I’d feel like I was shortchanged from something better which was in store for me. (Another long pause while a series of rational and irrational thoughts come into my mind. Until now I was always of the opinion that I could make anything happen through my will and determination but I’m not so sure anymore.)

Well, so which one is it Destiny or Free Will? How do I really know what is destined for me until I have survived it? In this sense I would only be able to experience destiny in the past. Wouldn’t I be a happier person thinking I do the things I do because I want to do them and not because I’ve been pre ordained to do them? Or maybe there is some kind of a law of nature where everything in the universe has only but one course to follow, and if this were the case; I wouldn’t be able to change a thing, so should I just give up trying and allow myself to drift with the flow? My indecisive Libran self can go on and on, endlessly debating over the two options but I must draw a conclusion somewhere and put my restless mind at ease (At least for now!)

So this is where I conclude. Choice or Fate… How about my choices leading me to my Fate? Now, that is a thought which not only reassures me of my capabilities but it also reaffirms my faith in the Almighty. Thus, no matter what I do in my life my destiny shall unfold before me. This may be willingly or unwillingly, by accident or by purpose. And, in the case that I don’t like where I am headed in life I will be able to change things. While certain circumstances and events shall remain predetermined and beyond my control, I shall possess the absolute free will to determine where I go, how long I take to get there and whom I bring along the way.

Information Overload

Has any literate soul on this planet been spared the torture of reading about Paul McCartney's divorce? How many oceans must I cross to not have to read about Sanjay Dutt's daily diet in prison?

This is something that has been troubling me since quite sometime now. I seem to be reading ("flipping through" would be more appropriate in retrospect) the newspaper every morning more as a matter of habit rather than in the hope of gaining some valuable information.

I grew up in an era when our teachers drilled the importance of reading the newspaper daily into our heads. An era when newspapers were considered as essential as a dictionary or an encyclopedia in the educational system. Present day scenario: I would seriously think twice about advocating the benefits of reading a paper to a child. Unless of course they're short of cheap novels and would rather read about Paris Hilton's affairs than a (perhaps less graphic) Mills and Boons.

In a country which seems to leave skid marks on the roads of time owing to its phenomenal pace of development, the regression of our media reporting surely does take me by surprise. I mean please spare me the liberal lashings of the words hook-ups and break-ups and kindly tell me what is actually happening in the real world!

Having said this, I am not oblivious to the fact that this unceasing supply of gossip is only catering to the all consuming demand for the same. The common man does seem to derive sadistic pleasures out of seeing a distraught Britney knocking down her ex husband's door. The question I ask is this: How is this a news item? Would this piece of news interest us had it been just any bald mother going ballistic to meet her kids? Are we subconsciously trying to feel good about our mundane lives at the cost of snooping into the less than perfect lives of celebrities?

Our fondness for trashy media is what has brought us down to this day when one really cant tell the difference between the Times of India and a Stardust. While most people seem to be enjoying this roller coaster ride of daily scoops and scandals, I am beginning to get really dizzy on this particular "joyride".

A Reluctant Blogger

A couple of days ago my Orkut buddy Kunal asked me if I Blogged and he was quite surprised when I confessed that I didn't. I was quite relieved that he didn't ask me why since I didn't really have a valid answer. Anyways, it did get me thinking and here are a couple of reasons due to which I always steered clear of Blogging :

I've always harboured this idea that Blogging is writing about one's personal life or thoughts. Things that you wouldn't dare to say to anyone in particular but still are comfortable to put up to be read by everyone in general. Since I've never felt the need to share my inner most feelings with others I thought that Blogging was not for me.

I also felt that the topic of a blog was usually something that one felt extremely deeply about and while I do write about stuff that I feel I cannot contain within myself, it is only for my solace that I do so and would never want anyone else to read it which was another reason why I had refrained from Blogging.

Also I'm someone whose always been attracted by the beauty of words - be it from novels or poems, dialogues from a movie or lyrics of a song. Well written words have always had the power to move me and leave a lasting impact on my mind. I muse over certain writings of my favourite authors endlessly so much so that at times I find their words muddled with my own. Thus, one of the main reasons for not blogging until now was the lame fear of being thought of as a plagiarist or worse, someone with no thinking of her own.

Being a stickler for grammar, the use of correct English and a compulsive need to write in the most appropriate and fluid manner also made me a reluctant Blogger.

However, after giving it some thought this is what I came to realize. Blogging didn't necessarily have to involve talking about my personal life or emotions (or the lack of them). It could involve writing on any topic that I have an opinion about (and I for one have an opinion about everything!) My life didn't depend upon being original in my writings and the chances of me being condemned by fellow Bloggers for an occasional slip-up were remote.This was no essay writing contest and I really didn't need to spend sleepless nights worrying about my quality of writing. Having figured this out; I've decided to give Blogging a shot and I can't wait to get started.

So here I am, ready to take my first baby steps in this big bad world of Blogs - armed with loads of ideas, opinions and ironies, some sense of humour and my usual OCDs. But then again, in good company one can be brave! ;-)