Peace comes from within, Do not seek it without ~ Buddha

The world we live in today is in the throes of tremendous upheaval - civil wars, acts of terrorism and political unrest has left millions of people displaced and having to pick up the pieces to start afresh. Since I am still in the Easter hangover mode ... I am left thinking .. As solemn and somber both Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are, it is a time of reflection of actions past. Holy Saturday and Easter brings with it liberation, brought forth by forgiveness and bringing peace, joy and freedom from fetters that our own sins bind us in. How do you stand firm in faith against all adversity? How far and how long can this Easter bliss last. I wish and pray, forever ....

As I wake up each morning I love the view that greets me

“We are not going to change the whole world, but we can change ourselves and feel free as birds. We can be serene even in the midst of calamities and, by our serenity, make others more tranquil. Serenity is contagious. If we smile at someone, he or she will smile back. And a smile costs nothing. We should plague everyone with joy. If we are to die in a minute, why not die happily, laughing? (136-137)”  

― Swami Satchidananda, The Yoga Sutras  

Buddhist monastery, Dharamsala

“Only the development of compassion and understanding for others can bring us the tranquility and happiness we all seek.”
― Dalai Lama XIV

Golden Temple, Amritsar

“For each and every person, our Lord and Master provides sustenance. Why are you so afraid, O mind? The flamingos fly hundreds of miles, leaving their young ones behind. Who feeds them, and who teaches them to feed themselves? Have you ever thought of this in your mind?”  
 -  Guru Nanak,    
Sri Guru Granth Sahib   

 

Bom Jesu, Old Goa

"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” - 1 Peter 3:15, The Holy Bible

Fire Temple

"Turn yourself not away from three best things: Good thought, Good word and Good deed." - A Zorastrian quote

Sands of Time

The setting was beautiful! The ocean waves were lapping a cool froth, leaving an imprint of my feet on the sand with the sun shedding its setting rays over the horizon. I stood there feeling nostalgic of a time and the years gone by …..

I remember running along those very sands, my little hand nestled in my dad’s, strong and firm, and my little feet trying to keep up with his big strides. I was running into the waves; they seemed so big to me then and yet, I never feared … I knew I was safe and could face them fearlessly with my dad by my side. I remember looking up into his eyes that were so full of love for me, with laughter written all over his handsome face. I knew I would always look up to him for everything and he would always be my “Hero”. I had this image captured in my mind’s eye… Never to be forgotten.

Today …… here I am again … years later, with the love of my life and as I stand here I miss my dad. I remembered the massive waves of trials and tribulations that had washed up my shore over the years and the sound advice that my dad would give me. When they had passed … they were just little whitecaps again … small and insignificant … Pretty and cool … Like life, itself! Beautiful!

Pic self clicked while on vacation in Goa

Now as I start a new chapter in my life, I will always remember that moment gone by on the sands … of time….!  My dad will always be my Hero, but I have another who I will be sharing the roller-coaster of my life with….The highs and lows… the thrills and excitement … To leave a part of me and those memories as a legacy …..

Eat Pray Love (2010)

The 3 basics that distinguishes human life from the other forms of life - is the ability to appreciate food (Eat), spirituality (Pray) and Love. This is a story of Elizabeth Gilbert (Julia Roberts), an accomplished woman who seems to have it all - a seemingly happy marriage, a beautiful home and a career as a successful writer. Then why is she plagued with unhappiness? After much deliberation and frustratingly unsuccessful attempts at prayer, she asks for a divorce hoping to escape the invisible snares that seem to enslave her. In the hopes of living a life she feels she is meant to live she gets into a relationship, on the rebound, but when that tanks she decides to leave behind all that she owns in search of answers.
Her love for food (Eat) takes her to Rome and four months and an expanding waistline later, a happier Liz leaves for India in her search for spirituality (Pray). Her charming self, so simpatico, helps her make lifelong friends, who urge her on her way. However, will her sojourn in Bali, her final destination, help her cross off the missing link on the list of self discovery - (Love)?

And good ole Gloria Jean's

A brave tale of finding oneself and of healing.

And while in Bali! 😘

A spectacular sunset from Uluwatu Temple

Word for the day :-

Halitosis - technical term for bad breath

The Underdog!

It was early one Saturday morning and it was temperate with only a hint of breeze when we took off on our motorcycle. The highway was dotted on both sides with nurseries. We took a stroll through a few of them not looking for anything particular. However, I succumbed to temptation and couldn't resist this adorable hibiscus plant in the prettiest shade of yellow while my husband picked a gorgeous double colored peach beauty. I couldn't wait to get home and begin planting. My little butter-cup (as I named him) was perfectly fine for a week or two, till calamity struck. Butter-cup was invaded by little bugs that sapped the life out of it. The pesticide (believe me I had to buy it, even though I didn't want to) I bought promised to get rid of the little pests. At first, it didn't seem to work. In fact Butter- Cup was soon bald of leaves, and I thought it was the end - no thanks to hubby convincing me that it was (and I miss emojis, right now)! But I simply wouldn't give up. Butter-cup received all my attention - lots of water, sun, music and a healthy diet of kind words (I know what you're thinking right now, 'I'm nuts'). But soon all my hard work paid off and there were new leaves and I could finally heave a huge sigh of relief when I spotted buds. So all was not lost after all!

                                                              Hats off to the underdog!



After eight months, one leaf at a time ~ ta da ..

Madhumati (1958) - a movie shrouded in mystery and intrigue

Devendra (Dilip Kumar) is on his way to the railway station to pick up his wife and child. But enroute there is a heavy thunderstorm and the road he is on is blocked in a landslide, compelling him to seek shelter in a neighboring mansion. Here Devendra instantly feels a connection and he has a vague sense of having been there before. And he slowly begins to remember a previous life...

Anand is an employee for Raja Ugra Narayan (Pran) and he has been hired to manage a vast estate. Beautiful rolling hills, cloaked in mists and mystery enchants Anand and he is haunted by a melodic voice. Madhumati (Vyjayanthimala),  the beautiful owner - a local tribal girl, and Anand fall in love. However, when Anand and Madhumati's father have to be away for a few days, disaster strikes. On their return, Madhu has vanished without a trace. What is the mystery shrouding her disappearance? Will a love like the one that Anand and Madhu shared die a slow death or will it live to eternity. .

A beautiful Bimal Roy film that can hold its own to this day. Music by Salil Choudhury is absolutely mesmerizing. it's a story of undying and eternal love.

On of the beautiful haunting numbers

Word for the day :-
Wodge - a large piece or amount of something

The Revenant (2015)

When I began writing this piece, the Oscars were around the corner. I wanted to watch a few Oscar nominated films, and my picks "Joy" and "The Revenant" were no disappointments.
Ever since the Titanic, when I was crazy in love with Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio), I have waited for his Oscar win. Will 'The Revenant' cinch the deal for Leo?

Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), the father of a half-native son, Hawk (Forrest Goodluck) and a frontiersman in the early 1800's is part of a crew of fur trappers. And like in any group there are friends and foes. John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), a sadistic and greedy crew member, isn't too fussed with Glass. Out scouting alone one day, Glass is brutally mauled by a bear and a devoted crew refuses to abandon a fatally injured Glass. They decide to take him along on a makeshift stretcher but the unfavorable conditions gets the crew to realize that Hugh is only slowing them down. They reach a unanimous decision to pay John Fitzgerald and Jim Bridger (Will Poulter), a volunteer, to look after Glass to his last breath and thereupon in the event of his death to give him a respectable burial. John is determined to collect the sum promised to him on all account but has two obstacles to overcome - Jim and Hawk. In the harsh and bitter cold, Glass is left to die in a shallow grave. But the memories of his dead wife is his saving grace and gives him the strength to face brutal blizzards, outwit the Arikara, fight hunger and infection and seek the ultimate redemption.
The amazing cinematography will make you live, breathe and experience every moment of the film.
'The Revenant' was nominated  for and won numerous awards like the BAFTA, the Golden Globe and the Academy as well.
But the one sentence all acclaimed actors want to hear is ~ and the Oscar for 'Best Actor' goes to .... Need I say more. 👏

Word for the day :-
revenant - a person who has returned, especially supposedly from the dead

The Hateful Eight (2015)

A Quentin Tarantino fan are you? Rest assured - you won't be disappointed. You wouldn't find me at the movies too often and if I am, then you would not catch me anywhere near a Tarantino Film. This was to cut the better half some slack who is always accompanying me to watch some "inane, sappy" nonsense.

There I was, munching on some popcorn and hunkered down in my seat preparing myself for the blood and gore to come. Sigh ...

It is years after the Civil war and there is a blizzard bearing down on rural Wyoming and Major Marquis Warren (Samuel Jackson) is looking to hitch hike to Red Rock. Accompanying him are three dead  wanted criminals, with huge bounties. Warren hails down a stagecoach that is occupied by John Ruth (Kurt Russel) who has handcuffed himself to his bounty, Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Daisy who is alive and kicking, has a substantial bounty on her head and that makes John not too trusting of anyone. However, he agrees to give the Major a ride with a promise that they would lookout for each other.
The blizzard soon catches up to them and it's brutal, forcing them to wait it out at Minnie's Haberdashery. And there await the other members of the 'Hateful Eight'.

The movie is divided into six chapters (Tarantino Style) and keeps up the suspense. The effects were great and I was shivering, my husband insisting it was the air turned on low and not the biting cold blizzard.
Word for the day :-
axiomatic -  self-evident or unquestionable