" Twenty years from now you will be more
disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover. "

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Some things should never end...

Sunset at the beach
The long drive
Happy memories...

The cup of hot steaming coffee
The box of dark chocolates
The urge to eat good food...

A good book
The funny sitcom
Quality entertainment...

The excitement before a journey
Travels to unknown destinations
Wanderlust...

Heart to heart chats with frenz
Long walks
Friendship...

India Pak cricket matches
English premier league
The will to excel...

The fav music track
Festive seasons
Celebrations of life...

Rainy days
Fragrance of flowers
The simple joys of life...

Gazing at moon-lit star studded skies
Lazy Sunny winter afternoons
The feeling of being content...

Pillow fights
Shopping sprees
Madness...

Family reunions
The comforting feeling of being with loved ones
Family Ties...

Candlelight dinners
Midnight seranades
Mushiness...

Laughing to one's hearts content
Playing pranks
Humour...

Optimism
Never-say-die attitude

Zest to live...

Prayers for a better tomorrow
Search for the silver lining in the dark cloud
Hope...

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The transition of Bongs

Non bengalis kindly excuse... You might not understand the post completely.

You know you are a old generation Bong if...
(The younger generation might not associate with the following list)
  • You are extremely proud of "Robi Thakur" (Rabindranath Tagore)...n Netaji.
  • You will own/inherit a copy of the "Gitobitan"...maybe also a huge record player, where you can play the "Hemanta" records.

  • For you, no meal is complete without "maach".
  • You are proud of your fish buying skills.
  • Your beverage of choice is tea (chaa)... n u will surely know wot "Makaibari" means.
  • As soon as you are back from office, you crave for "Chaa" and "Muri".
  • You can consume sweets as if there is no tomorrow... a bong wedding is sure to have atleast one "Rosogolla" eating competition.

  • You refuse to believe in allopathy.
  • You would have a family homeopathic doctor though.

  • Your day is incomplete without the "adda" (more closer to idle gossip)... PNPC.. :)
  • You will have a cute "daak-naam" like Khoka, Tukai, Mitthu, Babu, Pintu etc...

    (This one is for the Bhadrolok)
  • You own atleast one monkey cap... the monstrosity which serves as a cap cum muffler when a bong leaves Kolkata for colder destinations.
  • You have an eternal fixation for "Jholas"... and you will most definitely carry a "thole" while going shopping... (I think this should be promoted and we all should carry our own shopping bags - "Say no to plastic bags")
  • You can talk about Football at the drop of the hat... and the team you support is more likely to be either Mohan Bagan or East Bengal n not Chelsea or Manchester United.
  • You are an ardent fan and supporter of "Dada" (Saurav Ganguly).

  • Your day starts with music lessons, practicing Rabindra Sangeet, after all the "Abritti" competition is just around the corner.
  • You are just nuts about "jatras".
  • You must definitely adore Uttam kumar and love watching Uttam-suchitra classics.

  • For you, the Ambassador is a royal vehicle.

  • You, most definitely, wear glasses.

  • Your cosmetics include Cuticura talcum powder, Keo Karpin and Boroline.

Today's generation Bongs are a changed lot. But,

  • We are still proud of Rabindranath Tagore... also Sushmita Sen.

  • We still love the varities of fish/seafood... n we most definitely have a sweet tooth.

  • We find Coffee to be a more stylish beverage.. thanks to the Baristas and Starbucks around.

  • The first signs of cold are enough to make us rush to the nearest Allopathic doctor.

  • The days of PNPC are alas gone.. now we have Facebook, Twitter n the likes.

  • The "daak-naams" still exist...

  • We won't be caught dead wearing a monkey cap, but we do don a layer of innerwear when subjected to colder climatic conditions.

  • Jholas are passe...

  • Its more cool to be a ManU fan and EPL is lot more exciting... :-)

  • Bengali Rock bands rock!!!... seriously... have u heard Fossils, Bhumi, Cactus, Chondrobindu?

  • We can still admire the Uttam Kumar movies... its sad that even with abundance of talent, bengali cinema is not getting its dues...

  • We still have poor eyesights, thankfully no one knows coz of the contact lenses.

  • The smell of Keo Karpin and Boroline still makes us nostalgic.
  • We still wear Dhuti Panjabi / Taanter Sari on Ashtami...

  • "Bijoya" still means "Pronaam" and "Sharodiya Shubeccha"...

  • We still love Daab Chingri, Mochaar daalna, Shorshe Ilish n Kabiraaji Cutlet... (could go on and on...)
  • We still love to travel.. Wanderlust...
No one can take away all the Bengali-ness from us, and that's something to be thankful for...We are proud of our heritage...
Keep the Bong Connection alive!!

P.S. This was posted by a "Probaashi" Bengali... The nuances of being the quintessential Bengali might be missing but I am a Bong at heart... :)

Saturday, October 17, 2009

The festival of lights!!!


And lights it is, all around...
The celebrations are incomplete without family.. but still the mood does cheer up with all the festivities around...

After all Diwali is all about...

The endless shopping...
The traffic jams...
The search for noisiest crackers...
The mouth watering sweets...
The lip smacking savouries...
The colours of the rangoli...
The lighting of diyas...
The joy of meeting frenz n relatives...
The tinkle of fineries...
The feel...
The sounds...
The togetherness...
The festivities...

May the celebrations never end... Have a Sparkling Diwali...!!!



Thursday, October 15, 2009

The "I" Tag

Picked this tag from here

I am : a chatterbox :-)

I think : i should stop thinking/worrying so much...

I know : worrying gets me nowhere...

I want : to be happy always...

I have : a wardrobe overflowing with clothes, handbags, shoes, accessories... :-P

I wish : my entire wish list comes true :-P

I hate : packing n shifting (have been doing too much of that the last 2 years).. also waiting for people...

I miss : my family

I fear : being alone

I hear : and adhere to words of wisdom from only a set of ppl.. rest i choose to ignore...

I smell : everything really.. hv a pretty decent sense of smell... :-)

I crave : for coffee... and dark chocolates.. :-)

I search : always on google... :-)

I wonder : how perfectly lovely it would have been to have studied in Malory towers or St. Clares... :-)

I regret : not keeping in touch with so many people...

I love : shopping.. :-D

I ache : when good friends somehow drift away...

I was not : up last night watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. back to back... :-P

I am not : lazy all the time... :-D

I cry : when I cant take it anymore...

I believe : in god...

I dance : like no one's watching...

I sing : all the time... mostly in my head... :-)

I read : anything penned by P.G Wodehouse...

I don't always : lose my temper...

I fight : and forgive and forget easily... :-)

I write : to make sense of my jumbled up thoughts...

I win : hearts... :-)

I lose : peace of mind easily... even over trivial matters.. :-(

I never : can sleep on time...

I always : talk... 24x7...

I confuse : with anything financial - share market/stocks.. etc etc...

I listen : to almost all genres of music...

I can usually be found : on gtalk... :-)

I am scared : of being lonely...

I need : a vacation, badly...

I am happy : if I can make someone happy...

I imagine : India as a superpower soon... (it would have been already if not for corruption and population)

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Keep Walking!!!

The darkness may enshroud and nothing will seem right.
It might seem like the end of the road, with no sight of light...
You will want to give up, life will seem to have no reason.
But this too shall pass, like any other season...
Don't just give up, keep walking.

The goodbyes will always hurt, separation is tough.
You might break down, you'll not be strong enough...
I know that there’s sadness, I know that there’s sorrow.
I know that you feel like there’s no tomorrow...
You're not alone, keep walking.

Possess the strength and courage to conquer whatever you choose.
If you don't have faith, you are destined to lose...
For happier times you will yearn,
Remember, happiness is just around the next turn...
So don't quit, keep walking.

Hold on to your dream... Cross your bridges...
Believe in yourself... Face the challenges...
Have the courage to take the leap... Follow your heart...
The rainbow will soon come in sight...
Don't give up, just keep walking!!!

Friday, October 09, 2009

Being in Solitude...

“What a lovely surprise to discover how un-lonely being alone can be.”
Ellen Burstyn


Today in Facebook, God wanted me to know -
"If all you had to do was wish for something and you would have it, life would be... pretty boring, wouldn't it? God placed barriers between us and what we want, so we can enjoy interesting and satisfying lives. God hid our biggest rewards behind the highest barriers - our deepest fears. God wants us to face our fears, and hold ground in their presence, and let them go, and that's how we get out biggest rewards. What are you most afraid of? Say it, just start by saying it."

One of the thing that scares me is Being alone...
I just hate being alone, anytime, anywhere, for however long duration, for whatever reason...
But I have been alone lately and I realize that its been a blessing to be spending some quality "me" time...
Life is precious, even this time has to be well spent. There is a difference between being lonely and being in Solitude.

I have been so afraid of being alone that I avoid it as much as I can. Even if I am not with or in touch with family and friends, I fill up the void with Music, television and the likes. I can easily do a task with F.R.I.E.N.D.S characters for company...
All this while when I could have learnt from my solitude, I just stifled the space with noise that I didn't even listen to. It was all there to fill up the emptiness. So when the music stops there is no inner harmony.

Take time out to be alone.. one is not lonely then, just in solitude.. The silence within will start to speak...
Being in solitude is necessary to hear the inner music, to sow the dream blossoms...

The soul has started humming...

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Andyz back!!

No excuses.. but I am back.. not just with respect to blogging!!..
Hope can keep writing now... :)