Show Your Love

One of my friends is a keen observer and wonderful at building co-relations. A few days back he narrated an interesting anecdote which caught his keen eye.

The incident went as below.

~~

He brought three cups of hot tea. It was a group of four. She hesitated to have one of the cups. She must have thought, is one me them for me? 

You could see the hesitation in her eyes. You could also sense her expectations. You could feel the apprehension, and the desire. He failed to notice either. 

Either he was ignorant, or didn't feel strongly enough to ask her to drink her cup. After all, one of the cups was for her. 

Time passed. A studied silence followed. 

The shy lady that she was, she went about her chores, hiding her expectations. Finally, after 15 odd minutes, when he asked her to drink, she humbly accepted. Neither did she raise any questions, nor did she show any reluctance. 

Thoughtful about Warmth

She had a couple of sips. The tea was cold. It had lost its warmth. She couldn't gulp a sip more. 

And within the next ten seconds, she threw the cup of once warm tea - almost full - out of the running train. 

~~

The lesson. 

~~

Well, its simple. When you give something to people, tell them that its for them. People are happy when they are told about things which are done specially for them.

And if you are giving love, telling is important. 

Subtle hints work, sometimes. Speaking aloud works, quite a few times. Clear indications work, almost always.

Remember, an expectant heart is always on look for that signal. A green signal. 

Love which is dished out from the bottom of the heart is warm. If it gets lost in time, it becomes cold. 

And if given gracefully, with the right intent, and accepted humbly, in time - it remains warm forever, like the molten kernel of the earth. It is at the core, and it lasts more than a lifetime. 

Show your Love and Care.

~~

Show that You Love

Midnight Poison

She passed by me in a flash. Her eyes caught my attention. Her gait held me in awe. I exclaimed wow, and thought that this would be last I would see me her. 

Destiny had something else in store, as she came and sat right in front of me. Her beauty brought tears in my eyes. Her eyes growled in silence. And fluttered a million feelings as her glance caught me.  

Her smile had already doubled my heart beats. A smile crowned her pretty face as the snow covers the north pole. It was perennial and mystical. 

She was shy yet demure. She was tender yet brash. She was petite, yet classy. 

Eva Green

She seemed lost in the world around her. And I was lost in her thoughts. The book in my hand had lost the race to gain my attention. She had won handsomely. 

She was a polished princess. She was a dearie queen. She was raw and ravishing. She was a soothing siren. She overshadowed everyone around. She cast a spell on me. 

She was glowing. A warm halo surroued her. Her hands held her in warm embrace. How I wished it could be me. In her moments solemn, dreams were her companion. How I wish it could be me. 

Her simplicity and obedience astonished me. She deserved more respect. She deserved supreme respect. She wanted her confidence to be nourished, so that the tender caterpillar that she was could be transformed into a majestic butterfly. 

She had appeared like a flutter of invisible air. And she would disappear into the night, an enamoring angel would become an elusive pimpernel. To be lost forever. 

If I lay awake, her thoughts would occupy me. I thought, It's better to sleep, forgetting her thoughts, rather than defying the laws of nature. 

Fate and fortune have a habit of being quirky. I always wanted to sleep on a beach, under the stars and the moon. 

And tonight, she obliged to be My Star, My Moon. She was my Midnight Poison.

Midnight Poison

Epilogue :- 

I showed her the words of appreciation I had written for her, she narrated the below composition softly in my ears.

~~~~

A carpet of green grass, 

Covers dear earth.

Hidden beneath are treasures many, 

Waiting to be discovered. 

Dig a bit, 

Explore a little.

There is lots on offer, 

Let me show you my mettle. 

You could have won me, 

Made me your very own. 

Wish I could rewind time, 

To make myself your own. 

The moment now has passed, 

Laws of nature binding us mortals.

I an sorry your dreams are dashed,  

In our life next, we could be One. 

~~~~

P.S. This is for a sweet Midnight Poison. And I have already lost her, never ever to meet her again.

Eva Green Midnight Poison

In Celebration of Women

On the occasion of International Women's Day (celebrated on 8th March), I am sharing a small composition, a tribute to women.

Happy Women's Day - In Celebration of Women

~~~~

She is the one who gives you birth,

She ushers you onto this dear earth.

A towering angel, A protective armor,

She is your dear Mother.

At loss of words to describe her,

She deserves the highest honor.

She may be junior, She may be senior,

Dearest to you, She is your Sister.

She helps you take the steps nimble, 

She prepares you for the long battle.

She teaches you lessons galore,

She is the Teacher you adore.

She is a helping voice,

She helps you relax and rejoice.

In her, your faith you repose,

She is your Friend close.

Wearing multiple hats in a single soul,

She completes you, shares your goals.

She is the companion of your life,

She is your dearest Wife.

She protects you, 

She blesses you.

You succeed under her aegis,

She is a divine Goddess.

~~~~

P.S. Who is She? She is a Woman.

Happy Women's Day

All That I Need

She asked me, "What do I need today, tomorrow and forever?"

~~~~

Specks of white, waiting to be colored,

Eager to be erased, dark flecks rife.

All that I have is words,

To solve the crossword of life.

Myriad thoughts, varying themes,

Every night sets them alight.

All that I have is dreams,

To paint a canvas called life.

Miles to go before you sleep,

All that you have is courage deep.

I wish to be your companion forever,

In this life, our endeavor.

Brimming with aspirations much.

Seeking for a finishing touch.

All that you have in me is trust,

I'l gladly oblige, my lady august.

With blessings from God above,

You are my essence.

All that I have is love,

To fulfill our existence.

Lots to do in this journey small,

Keeping me afloat, avoiding my fall.

Someone gives me strength anew,

All that I need is You.

~~~~

All That I Need is You

P.S. Unknown You, Unknown Me.

A Girl's Mind

Overheard :-

"You know, it's very difficult to decipher and understand a girl's mind!!", said someone.

"Why do you say so?", asked the friend 

"Well, decoding a lady's mind is much more complex than solving a Rubik's cube", was the reply.

A Girls Mind is complex than A Rubik Cube

A pregnant pause and raised eyebrows followed.

"Unlike a Rubik's cube, the answer does not lie in arranging the same color on all the faces of the cube. The mysterious solution lies in a jumble of colors on each of the faces. And if you plan to ask about the mix of color on each face, let me tell you that it is a far cry from the fact that the sun always rises on the east."

A stony silence followed for the next 5 seconds. It seemed like hours.

"What do you suggest? Is there a solution?" asked the person who made the initial statement.

"Well, it's quite simple." the friend replied. "When you can't solve her mind, figure out her heart. The rest, as they say, will be history!!"

A Complex Mind

And before the conversation could continue, the elevator had reached the ground floor. And I walked away.

P.S. A Rubik's cube has 43 quintillion (43,252,003,274,489,856,000) combinations.

Tennis WAGs

The first thing that comes to your mind when you say WAGs is Football. Yes, we can credit football for introducing the term WAGs (Wives and Girlfriends in short) to all of us. 

However, there are other sports too where WAGs play an equally important role in the success of the sportsmen. And with the Australian Open 2012 just concluding, it would be worthwhile to have a look at some Tennis WAGs.

Is there a better way to start the post than to start discussing about the most fabled man in Tennis in recent years. Yes,I'm talking about Roger Federer.

All of 30 years, he is considered as the icon of tennis after Pete Sampras. He has won a record 16 Grand Slams (more than any other man). Supporting him in his endeavor to become a champion tennis player is his wife Mirika.

Roger Federer with Mirka and Twin Babies

Mirika herself, like Roger, was a Tennis Pro playing for Switzerland. She retired from professional tennis is 2002, and took on the role of his PR Manager. She married him in 2009 and has since then given birth to twin girls.

She is usually present on court for all of Roger's matches and is an epitome of calmness. Needless to say, she is a reflection of uber cool Roger Federer. 

Next in line is Jelena Ristic. I wouldn't blame you for asking Jelena Who?

Novak Djokovic's Gal Jelena Ristic

Well, Jelena is the girlfriend of the Serbian World Number 1 Novak Djokovic. Little is known about Jelena in the public domain. She is considered to be a student and has been with Djoker for the last 5 years.

She is a vociferous supporter on all his tour matches. And with Djoker being World Number 1 for the last year or so, her contribution to his success cannot be understated.

How many times do you think she would have asked him before a Final match - "Can you win that match for me?". I bet, a many times. Maybe that's the  Djoker played his heart out, winning 3 of the 4 slams last year.

Next is Maria Perello. Her claim to fame? Well, she is Rafael Nadal's lady love.

Nadal's Lady Maria Perello

Nadal has been a top performer for the last many years. He has won 10 Grand Slam titles and is often considered as Federer's nemesis. At the moment, he is the strongest challenger to Djoker and looks to be the only person who can dethrone him from the number 1 spot.

Nadal exhibits tremendous physical fitness on the court. And Maria's contribution in maintaining his mental fitness would be stupendous. 

Then you have Kim Sears. Kim is the girlfriend of the British Star Andy Murray. Andy is considered as Britain's best bet to win the Wimbledon. 

Kim Sears

And come this summer, Andy and Kim would be drawing out plans to help him take giant steps to win the championship. Andy has often thanked Kim for his on court success. 

At one time when his lady was travelling with, while his coach was not, Andy commented - "Hopefully she'll come to a few more tournaments. He (his coach) was a bit worried I was going to sack him and hire my girlfriend. It is the first time she has come to a tournament with me, and maybe I have been a little more relaxed on court."

Next one is Brooklyn Decker. For all practical purposes, she is more famous than her beau - Andy Roddick.

Style Icon Brooklyn Decker

Andy Roddick has had modest success on the ATP tour. Brooklyn has been tremendously famous, as a super model and SI model. She has also featured in TV serials, and has made her movie debut recently. 

She reassures you that WAGs are not only about gloss. They can be stars in their own domains. 

Bridgette Wilson is another lady who is Tennis WAG and an actress. All of 38 years, she is the wife of ex super star Pete Sampras.

Bridgette Wilson

And with Pete having retired now, Wilson is enjoying her time under the sun as an actress.

Finally, if there is any WAG who is a right mix of style and substance, it is Steffi Graf.

Steffi is all of 42 years, and has won a total of 22 Grand Slam single titles during her Tennis career. She has also won a Gold Medal in the 1988 Olympics. 

Steffi Graf

Needless to say, she is superbly attractive. When she was not playing tennis, she was upping the style quotient and setting the hearts racing. To add, she has been wife to another tennis star Andre Agassi for the last 10 years, making her a Tennis WAG.

Andre Agassi Steffi Graf

All in all, these Tennis WAGs have contributed to the success of their men during their hey days. They have been successful in varying proportions in their own lives. 

Boris Becker, winner of 9 Grand Slams, once said - "Girls had never been important. I'd had a girlfriend or two and had liked them a lot but it wasn't love, because my first love was tennis." 

The men featured in this post have been equally successful as Boris and would disagree with him. After all, their wives and girlfriends have been equal contributors (if not more) in their success.

Waiting

Human beings (you and me) experience a mixed bag of emotions in our life. There are different circumstances which provoke these emotions. There are varying experiences which elicit these emotions. 

And if there is one situation or context which educe a plethora of emotions, it is Waiting. 

Yes, Waiting in Anticipation.

I am Waiting

Think about the time when God Almighty would have created Adam and Eve, and waited for a moment, before releasing his creations on this very earth. He would have been supremely Delighted. 

Think about the time when you are creating something. As you see your creation take shape, and await its completion, you experience intense Joy. 

Think about the time when the baby is growing, and the parents are waiting for him or her to take the first baby steps. This wait would be characterized by Affection and Love for the baby.

Hope

Such emotions are indeed precious, and would be definitely better that the way I have projected. Let me delve into my own mind and look at some emotions I would have experienced.

Let me go back to school time. Back in school, waiting for the examination results would sometimes evoke Fear. What if I scored poorly in a subject? What if I didn't pass? And so on.

In those days, no one had heard about the internet. Snail mail was the in thing. E-Mail was an unknown commodity. People used to learn DOS.

The students had to give a self addressed envelope to the school folks. They would dispatch the results on 30th of April. And from the time the exams ended, till the results actually arrived by post, days and nights would be filled with Anxiety. And even Hope. And fervent prayers to God.

Anxiety

And after the results having actually arrived, and the burden being put off the heart, the care free bird (that I was) would play his heart out in the summer.

To add, such feelings of Anxiety, sometimes on the higher side, were cyclic and were repeated every year.

During the Engineering days, the exams were held every 6 months. The silly thing was that the results for a particular semester didn't turn up until the last month of the next semester. Such a long wait was often characterized by Frustration, and a deep sense of Anger for the evaluation mechanism.

And if I have to flashback to my placement exam, the wait of 8 hours -  between the exam and the selection announcement - caused intense Stress and Tension. 

Stress

I completely understand that a wait of 8 hours is very short as compared to the days and months which some people go though before landing up with a job. But the fact that it was a short wait itself added to the anxiety. It was like a T20 match, where before you know, the result is out.

There have been moments, where waiting for an acquaintance to turn up, resulted in Annoyance. Friends, however, are exempted from this feeling. There have been times, where the wait for a lonely weekend to pass away quickly, caused extreme Despair.

The wait before MSD cracked the last sixer in the World Cup finals had been filled with Excitement. The wait, before God Himself did the rescue act in the difficult times, were characterized by intense Fear and Helplessness.

Agony

The wait to ask a question, while the mind still being made up, caused relentless Agony. And if the question itself was not to be asked, or the point itself was not to be stated, the wait was followed by deep Regret and Remorse.

The wait for a dear friend to return a call was sometimes heart wrenching, causing Anguish. It was filled with moments of self doubt, and utterly low self confidence.

Envy

Lonely moments of waiting, in a public place, have often invited Envy and Jealousy in the mind. These are usually followed by pangs of guilt for having such disturbing thoughts. And sometimes, with feelings of Hope for a brighter future.

The wait for a friend evokes a mixed bag of emotions. I am yet to give a name to it.

The wait before sleep takes me over is sometimes characterized by Pride on the good work done though the day, or with Happiness resulting from help being extended to someone. Sometimes it is filled with Worry, and many a times with Gratitude and Contentment.

Contentment

A friend recently told me that she gets nervous while she gets ready to do her  work. She added that she gets excited too. Isn't it surprising that these two emotions coexist? Yes, they do and they manage to get the best out of her.

Nervous but Excited

I wonder why does a mind experience these myriad emotions while waiting. 

Is it because the future is unknown? Is it that we expect a particular picture of the future, and use these emotions as tools to realize the future as we want it? 

Well, questions are many, answers are few. I'm waiting for the answers. I don't think they would come out of some copybook. It would have to be a realization, provoked by Time and God Almighty.

Ultimately, waiting is a pause in our busy life, a pause to gather our thoughts, to appreciate life, to be thankful for the past and to shape up our mind and put the best foot forward in the future.

Focus

Focus is transitional.

You can lose focus from the best of the peaches because you find beauty in simplicity.

Losing focus from something would mean giving focus on something else.

Focus

Others may say that you have lost focus. Maybe yes, you have lost focus from something they deem significant. 

However, losing focus would not necessarily mean losing attention. It means we are paying attention for something which we consider more beautiful and important. 

Never Say Never Again

The mind heaved a sigh of relief. It was, as if, feeling relieved at the completion of "something". What was that "something"? The mind is clueless. And yes, it doesn't want to decipher that "something" and let it be as it is. 

The heart looked back and tried to measure the loss. The loss was permanent and immeasurable. 

The soul said just one thing - Never Say Never Again.

Never Say Never Again

I wonder why, we humans, are so complex.

Why does a single situation prompt three states of a self to elicit these three different reactions? The situation itself will be buried deep inside the heart, never to see the light of the day again.

Yet, hope does linger around. The hope of new shores and new avenues. And we can pray to God Almighty that the new shores be equally bright and vivacious.

P.S. Christopher Columbus started his exploration from Spain on 3rd August 1942, to sail to India and the Far East. Instead, he reached America. And the rest, as they say, is history!!

Future Perfect

The owner of this blog - V - has been requesting me to write a guest post on his blog. I have been trying to put it away for some time, but he has been pursuing me relentlessly. Finally, I had to oblige.

Let me take this blog post to answer a question which V always asks me. What makes people winners? Be it late night, or early morning, he never lets go of a chance to ask this question.

Let me delve directly into the answer. You may or may not agree with me. However, let me share my two cents on this question.

Although there are several reasons which would make someone a winner, there is one quality which unify such people. These people dream about the future, and make every possible effort to make that future a reality.

These are the men and women who cherish their present. They are happy about the current situation. Yet, they aim to make their future brighter. They utilize the strengths of the present to build a strong future.

They may procrastinate. But they don't procrastinate permanently. They try their best to get out of the deadlock situations created by procrastination. And for all practical purposes, they succeed.

They believe in one fundamental ideology - their vision of the future is beautiful, and every single effort should be made to paint that future. And don't they succeed!!

They may face roadblocks on the course to achieve their dreams. They may face a lot of challenges. Yet, they work towards overcoming those roadblocks. Or sometimes, they walk around them. They keep it simple and just believe in the Johnny Walker quote - Keep Walking!!

These men and women may not be the best. But everyone can't be the best. They know what is The Best for them. And they achieve it.

These guys believe in one cardinal idea - the past is behind us, the present with us. The future is the key, and all energies must be directed towards making the future perfect.

~~ An Anonymous Guest Blogger.

Keep Walking - Make The Future Perfect

P.S. It was not without reason that Les Brown said "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."

Information Is Power

This thought has been reflecting in my mind for the last 8-9 months. Ultimately, it was one such incident where Information was used as a tool of power (and it was my lack of information and someone's possession of information) which prompted me to write this note.

Information Is Power

Let me start with a humorous anecdote. This is joke which I must have heard a decade back. It's a bit saucy, but gives an important lesson - Information Is Power.

~~

A woman is just getting out of the shower when the doorbell rings. Her husband, heading to the shower himself, asks her to see who's at the door, so she wraps herself up in a towel and runs downstairs. 

When she opens the door, there stands her next-door neighbor, Rob. Before she can say a word, Rob says, "I'll give you $500 dollars to drop that towel you have on." 

After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of him. He looks for a few seconds, hands her $500 dollars, and leaves. 

Excited about her earnings, the woman puts the towel back on and runs upstairs. Her husband yells out from the shower, "Who was that?" "It was Rob from next door," she replies. 

"Great," the husband says. "Did he say anything about the $500 dollars he owes me?"

~~

The woman was not Jennifer Aniston.

Jennifer Aniston - Lolavie

The moral of the story was summarized as below.

~~

If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

~~

In simple terms, if you posses some useful and critical information, share it with your partners and stakeholders. It will be beneficial for you and for them. If you do not share, you and your stakeholder are at a risk of being exploited.

Well, if this was a joke, I faced a real life situation akin to the above. Me and my friend desperately sought some information from someone. We had a very strong opinion that possession of this information was crucial for the functioning of some subsequent important events.

As luck would turn out, some of the subsequent events failed. And the cause of the failure turned out to be revolving around the very information which we were desperately seeking. 

If we had access to that information, we could have possibly avoided the failure.

Things had happened, and it was not the time for any blame game. We had to put up an united front, manage the situation and resolve it.

And we reflected on a few thoughts - what if we were in possession of that piece of information which we were seeking? Could we have had avoided the present situation?

Well, that situation was recoverable to a fair extent. But that might not be the case in other situation. We learnt the same lesson again - Information Is Power.

In the corporate world, you might have heard about Insider Trading. Recently, Mr. Rajat Gupta, a former director of Goldman Sachs and a respected Indian in the USA, was accused of divulging and sharing important information, to which he was privy, with his close friend. 

Rajat Gupta Insider Trading 

His friend - Raj Rajaratnam - used the information to get some substantial monetary benefit. In this case, Information was a powerful element. It might have been shared accidentally. However, it was utilized for incorrect purposes.

This brings us to another very important lesson - Think with whom you are sharing the information. Share information on a need to know basis.

Lastly, let me share the lesson which I learnt recently. Many a times, you find yourself in a situation where someone is holding back information purposefully. Or conveying a twisted form of that information. 

This is usually done because if the information is shared correctly, completely and in the right spirit, it will be detrimental to that persons interest. And beneficial to your interest. 

Insider Trading Cartoon

In this world of intense competition, such things happen. Sadly, I learnt this lesson the hard way.

And lastly, there are fools like me, who do not utilize the information they have at hand. In the situation mentioned above, I reasoned with my mind - "I should not possess this information. Even if I possess, I should not use this information."

I convinced my mind not to use this information. And when someone projected the wrong information to me, when the correct information was known to me, I accepted it at face value. And I fell on my face. 

Well, maybe I need to learn a bit more on this topic. Until then, I think I should hold on to my belief - use the information that I have at my hand appropriately. And share the information I possess appropriately.

Soul Therapist

I came across this beautiful quote while having lunch today.

~~~~

Eight Doctors. Soul Doctors. 

Soul Healers. Soul Therapists.

• Sunlight

• Water

• Air

• Exercise

• Rest

• Diet

• Self-Confidence

• Friends

Maintain them in life to live life!!

~~~~

Ain't it clean and simple?

Cinderella

~~~~
A little caterpillar that I was,

Wriggling out of my tiny cocoon.

In those moments of generous applause,

I thanked God for His divine boon.

Transformed into an color butterfly,

Majestic, with wings tender.

If there is something for which I would vie,

It would be myself, my thoughts inner.

I wish to be an elegant lady,

Charming and priceless.

Modest to the hilt, like dear sweet Betty,

What stands out is my simplistic chicness.

Painting a picture of my hopes and wishes,

I love to weave a dream.

Close to my heart are my beautiful sketches.

Aren't they gems in life's endless stream?

My feet are firmly on the ground,

Yet all I want to is fly.

I am a princess uncrowned,

I have my eyes on the sky.

If there is something lovely,

They are my thoughts.

I'm searching for my prince deary,

For dancing the gavotte.

I'm a girl at heart,

A lady in my mind.

Where are you my dear sweetheart,

In your love I will be blind.

The road ahead is long,

Twisted and turned with challenges many.

I want to be with you lifelong,

As we conquer those milestones glitzy.

I promise to have a heart kind,

Just wish to be enormously generous.

Hope to do some good for mankind,

Would strive my best to drive away the darkness.

In a garden, dazzling with grass green,

Sitting under the rustic old tree.

My thoughts race to be your queen,

I desire to lose in your love, sweet and mushy.

To solve the puzzle of this life glorious,

I would do many a Sadhana.

Your companionship will drive away my loneness,

All I want to be is your Cinderella.
~~~~

I want to be a Cinderella