A Little Prayer

I said a little prayer today
To our God who loves us all...
I knelt before His alter today
And begged Him to answer my call...

I went to Him since I was lost
In a maze that never seems to end...
His light was what I needed to find
There, at His feet, I needed a friend...

He didn't say a word to me
In His wisdom, He first let me cry...
He didn't say Do this or Do that
In His love, He first just held me tight...

I still don't have my answers
I still can't see the end...
My journey through the maze continues
But this time, I have by my side a friend...

And so my daily bread of comfort
Today I have received...
Tomorrow I will be back at His feet again
And His comfort, again, I will seek...

-- Margaret Desouza

Eyes

The Writer in Me

Ab Tak Untees!!!

The Imaginative Sense

I was chatting with a friend trying to understand her approach to the various arts that she has tried out. Was interested in knowing the art in which she felt she could create something out of nothingness versus when she had to use something as a reference. Just thought that she brought out the crux very well; the subconscious process behind it all, so decided to put her thoughts up here. Cut pasted her thoughts from gtalk below.

"I suppose that in any activity that requires sensual stimulation, imagination will probably be the artist, without needing to copy something else. But those that need rationality in some sense may curb imagination.

To experience a superb sunset you don't need to compare it with how it looked yesterday and whether today is less perfect. You're sense has passed its judgement without external comparison (senses being their own artist). But if you wanted to see if that big beautiful sun's color is depicting a rainy or sunny day (rationality required) then comparison with a sunset on a rainy day would be required. So when senses rule, imagination is manifest to its fullest as opposed to when you want to SEE the perfect and not necessarily FEEL it." - Margaret Desouza.

Desiderata

A friend sent me this poem by Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be
greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career
however humble;
it is a real possession in the
changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you
to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit
to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham,
drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.


by Max Ehrmann

Wanted !

.

Thank you for the poetry

Joined a new startup called Amagi. Its founded by the founders of Impulsesoft. The previous startup that I worked in and that got acquired by SiRF. Was wondering what to tell my everyone that I've worked with for the past 5 years at Impulsesoft then SiRF. I tried to summarize it in the email below without trying to be too corny :-)

[snip]
Its been 5 years since I met most of you guys. But more than the duration there have been so many opportunities to look at people’s approaches to various things; the quiet, the humorous, the mechanical, the poetic, the romantic, the restless, the passionate, the fearless, the brave, the courageous, the lucid.

Different approaches which have helped me to approach various things, not just work.

Poetry begets (inspires) poetry. Thank you for the poetry.
The Hand
Paper Monster

Thanks,
Alistair
[snip]

The GodFather Part 2

June the 15th, a day which he would be made to remember, as he lay there, floating in equilibrium, enveloped by the covering that protected him from the elements. Crouched, asleep, unaware of what was happening around him, he gave into teleportation, from his never never land into reality, as he lay there in his most angelic dimension.

He slowly opened his eyes, fighting the resistance that light endured on his being. The warmth of the wavelengths on his eyelids slowly started to form vague lines that seemed to coalesce and then disseminate and then coalesce again to form the outline of abstractness; the aura of objects. Color began to illuminate the surface of the objects and then fade a bit only to finally refurbish a different hue.

He exhaled, releasing the sensations that crept through his nerves; the air unwinding its way into the open only to be sucked back in. And in doing so igniting a million sensory buds as they came alive, deciphering the crisp smell of the cold air; a pungent subtleness intermingled with it, finally exposing itself; a brush with ambience; the flavor of freshness.

And then he exhaled again as a faint sound reverberated through his chest cavity, waxing its way through his larynx, entering the hollow of his mouth for sometime only to find its way back down that tube to its source; waning, waning as it went down, dying out in silent staccato attempts and then the cavity lay barren.

His tongue traced its way through his lips as they broke free from each other, revealing the pinkish tip that licked their rims, quickly sneaking back in to examine the taste as it mixed with saliva.

His hand brushed the fabric that lay beneath his self and as he moved, his fingertips unconsciously traced the patterns that embedded the sheet. The smooth friction between touch and being touched, transferred a tingling sensation through his palms and wrists and his fingers twitched.

Slowly drowsiness and resistance gave in as the objects began to darken, the smell slowly fading, the sound unwinding, taste stagnating and touch losing its sensation. And like a newborn, unconsciously experiencing its first sensations, he slowly drifted back into never never land.

And then the phone rang, awaking him from his reverie and he heard a voice at the other end, "Water broke. Going to the hospital".

I Believe

To believe in God do you need to believe in People.

Should you're religion become you're beliefs or should you're beliefs become you're religion.

The Idea

Without Limits

Running Without Limits - Marathon Legs

Bingo

iPhone iGoogle iCare

Running for NGOpost

We have the world richest 10K run coming up in bangalore this weekend...
http://sunfeastworld10k.indiatimes.com/
needless to say i will NOT win any of that money!!!

Anyways.. about 30+ of us have decided to run for NGOpost this coming sunday. Many have never run 10K before...

Someone was doing a practice run and I'm not sure where he was looking but he tripped on stones and fell down... bruising his knee and injuring his thumb.... however he will run... this time a bit more focused... There are two who ran 11 kms to office on wednesday, just as a practice run!! One of them took a lift inbetween.
And then there is another who tells ppl that its NOT a marathon. Its just 10Kms. So its quite a motley bunch. But what we have in common is that we all will be running for an NGO called NGOpost (www.ngopost.org)

*What is NGOpost?
*NGOpost is a place where people share news, stories related to NGOs. The thought is to make it a one stop platform for getting all news, updates and information about social welfare initiatives. You could also post a problem and ask for suggestions or help to solve it. This initiative was started about 8 months back, and as on date it has over 400 users, with an average of 5-8 stories daily, and most of them real good inspiring stories like this

During the run you will be able to spot us amongst the many runners by the t-shirts we will be wearing. The basic idea is "I phone, I google, I care" and "iPhone iGoogle iCare". Since ngopost.org is an online NGO the idea behind the words are to cover ppl that use the latest technology for communication. Also I sometimes like to keep things a bit abstract so as to make ppl curious to know what its all about :-)

You can support our run by telling more ppl about the site www.ngopost.org.
Also if you wish you can make a donation to our running cause at
http://ngopost.org/donate.php

Thanks,
Alistair

for those at bangalore...
PS: registrations should still be open. So if you would like to join us please let us know. online registration can be done here...
http://reg.sunfeastworld10k.indiatimes.com/marathon/marathon.jsp
or you can directly register at kanteerva stadium till saturday evening

Here is a mail form Parul who started NGO post.
----------------------------------------------------------
Dear friends,

Most of you know that I have been involved with NGO Post - a web-platform for sharing ideas and information related to various social issues and helping people work together for their solutions across the globe. It started at UCSD in August 07 with a friend(Nitin) and I, and we have since grown to a team of 10 students and young techies. Going further we have lot of plans for making it a powerful network for people interested in social welfare, get experts to drive technology to places which need them and so on. Big dreams but we are on our way :-)

With all the enthusiasm building around Sunfeast 10k run in Bangalore, I, Goli (a NGOpost team member) and 20 of our friends will be running for NGOpost's cause. Here's How you can help:

1. Support NGO Post in the Bangalore Sunfeast 10K run
• If you are running or know anyone else who is, please join the NGO Post troop! There are about 20 of us so far.
• Donate for NGO Post. Every small contribution matters! Our parent organization, Sewa Bharti Nidhi Trust is registered as a Public Charitable Trust with the Govt of India and is an official charity partner for the Sunfeast marathon.
2. Participate - Since NGO Post is all about exchanging ideas and connecting people for social change, the more people use it, the more useful it becomes! Go to NGO Post, share stories and ideas about various social issues, vote for the best stories and connect with other changemakers!
   
3. Spread the word - Let your friends know about NGO Post! A few ways to do it:
• Link to http://ngopost.org/ from your websites, blogs, orkut/facebook profiles. We have a scrolling widget that displays the most popular stories which you can add to your site.
  
• Pass this mail on to as many people as you can. Please PLEEEASE :-)

The Builder

The Builder
by Pablo Neruda

I chose my own illusion,
from frozen salt I made its likeness--
I based my time on the great rain
and, even so, I am still alive.

It is true that my long mastery
divided up the dreams
and without my knowing there arose
walls, separations, endlessly.

Then I went to the coast.

I saw the beginnings of the ship,
I touched it, smooth as the sacred fish--
it quivered like the harp of heaven,
the woodwork was clean,
it had the scent of honey.
And when it did not come back,
the ship did not come back,
everyone drowned in his own tears
while I went back to the wood
with an ax naked as a star.

My faith lay in those ships.

I have no recourse but to live.

Unforgiven

I knew what I wanted to capture. I tried out some trial shots the previous evening and was waiting for day to break, when I would get my chance again. The sun shone on the motorbike that had just romanced the road over a couple of hundreds of kms. I asked Dhruv to move his bike closer to the tree, facing away from it. He stood beside it and smiled at the camera. I clicked a snap and then said, "Now move!".

Unforgiven. That was the image that lay in my head. I had seen the movie 'Unforgiven' a couple of years back. Directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris and Clint Eastwood himself, it deals with the man and the myth in all those tough western movies.

It begins with the Clint Eastwood digging his wife's grave below a tree, the woman who reformed him from the thief and murderer that he was. The movie ends with him standing below the tree at his wife's grave. Unforgiven, is about forgiveness and the lack of it. An insight into the movie can be found here.

How to Sit in Dog Shit and Influence People

You are on the road again; armed with that open mind and that adventurous spirit. You've romanced the road a couple of times before. Only to be blown away by the wind as it whistles seductive overtones, revealing itself and the secret of memories; those simple answers that are forever blowin in the wind.

But memories have a way of trying to erase themselves, as you inch forward; trying desperately to break away from the pack. The exhaust fumes find their way to you and you inhale them with a nonchalant demeanor. You are given no other choice. Everything is moving bumper to bumper as time tries to move faster and ends up piling up the seconds, which in turn pile up the minutes; nearly half an hours worth of them. The distance traversed is less than a kilometer and uneasiness starts to creep in, threatening to take over everything, including you're plans. The honking gets to you and pierces deep. Pressure mounts and frustrations soar; you need to break free; free from all of it. You just need a little space for yourself and you need to see the road ahead in silent lucidity. You start to wonder if the open road is just an illusion. But then out of nowhere the wind beckons and carves its path, an opening, and right there in front of you lies the open road; seductive and raring to be romanced all over again.

A plan was floated but hindsight was more accurate as it engulfled Shravanabelagola and Belur as detours in the 630kms that were covered by motorbikes over two days, covering 85 kms in an hour in the fastest stretch. The destination turned out to be Mullayangiri, Karnataka's highest peak, with an overnight stay at a temple at Seetalaingiri, where we were tested in more ways than one.

A 3 km walk to the peak and we met a very nice little boy named Madan, who stays up there. We could have camped in the cave just below but we didn't have tents. A walk in the dark without torchlight and we reached the temple again, only to hike back at 5 the next morning. Since food was being prepared we decided to sit out in the grass and munch on chips. Three dogs tried hard to convince us that chips are good for them but we thought otherwise. Just then someone put his hand into something and felt it go squish and as they say the rest will go down as his story. I jumped up and told everyone to check their pants and just about then my hand felt something and as they say the rest will go down as my story.

Being in deep shit can surely do things to your mind. Being in dog shit can do even more. And with every such situation lies the opportunity to rise as individuals and influence others to do the same. As pointed out by Dale Carnegie in 'How to win friends and influence people' is can be very very simple. But everyone tries it in there own way.

• "Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never tell someone they are wrong."

yeah sure... what an idea... to sit in the grass in the dark

• "Begin in a friendly way."

Errr... with a pat on the back ? which hand should I use...

• "Start with questions the other person will answer yes to."

it wasn't his idea and it wasn't his idea and it wasn't his either.... errr... so whose idea was it to sit in the grass in the dark ?

• "Let the other person do the talking."

well... its tough to talk with you're hands full isn't it :-)

• "Let the other person feel the idea is his/hers."

so whose idea was it to sit in the grass in the dark ?

• "Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view."

err... so how did it feel when you put you're hand in it ?

• "Sympathize with the other person."

We gotta go eat food now... with our hands... you know that right...

• "Throw down a challenge."

"Ok food is ready... lets eat".

• "Dramatize your ideas."

[And do it while eating food.. and smile to give it that effect] Errr... I was thinking.... what if....

The night is cold as the ground shivers with the continuous pounding of the wind and rain outside. It seeks comfort from you as it drains your warmth and finally you wake up in yet another predawn. And right there begins a new day that promises to be even better then the last one cause you now know how to sit in dog shit and influence people.

Dreams and Ambitions

Someone I know got this email from a friend who studies in the 12th std.

sorry xxxx, it was too much, the stress n the pressure was just too much, i dont think i'll make it, i couldnt study, i tried my best, but what bothers me the most is that i can feel my dreams n ambitions slip away, it was that difficult, my memory n understanding was so poor, u know failure means delay not defeat but i dont want a 2nd attempt, i guess all that i can do is just sit at home and make toys, its exam time i shouldn't be sending mails but i really needed to talk u know. physics was so easy but on the day before the exam all that courage i had suddenly shattered and i started crying, never touched the book again and i couldnt do well in the exam, and i dont want to take it as a challenge ever again u know, its too much, way too much, i'm sorry.

Into the Wild

my mom, dad and sis were down to goa with me for a wedding. We were at one of our relation's place. So my dad says that there is a wild life sanctuary close by. His book says it about 40 kms away from us. Its afternoon, as the hot wind blows naughty/sarcastic jokes around, everyone is lazying about, the sea and some of its species in your belly. And then my dad and I decide to go to the sanctuary... others who have lived in Goa since biblical times say, "there is a sanctuary in Goa ?"... my mom in her subtle way tries to postpone our trip for later, knowing that it won't happen later... and others suddenly realize that they have stuff to do... "I have to go kill my tailor .. I gave him one design and he stitched something else"... "I have some plumbing to do".... basically it was very very hot.....

and so I packed fours lenses; a zoom, a macro, a wide angle stabilizer and a normal one hoping to capture some good pics... and the two of us travelled for 2 hours, and did a lot of bus hoping... looking thru windows as the countryside passes you by.... and you inquire about hiring jeeps to go thru the sanctuary and they tell you "you can walk around".... it was actually a zoo... the open type ones... hmmm....

and then we finally reach our destination and they tell us, "thursday closed"....