Imagine....Life Without the Moon

Life is a tenuous thing, Very often one generally tends to take some things for granted, thereby fail to appreciate them. We realize their value only when they are not around any more. There are things which are minuscule and then there are some things which are of astronomical proportions. In point of fact, it is almost certain that countless Extinction-Level events would have sterilized the surface of our plucky planet had it not been for our constant companion and benefactor; a body which unwittingly wards away many of the ills that could befall us: the moon.

Most of us are amazed by the beauty of the moon in the sky. It has driven men to poetic verse and romantic notions... But what if the moon did not exist? The next time you notice the moon in the sky, try to imagine how things might be different with no moon orbiting our planet.

Besides the obvious; no moonlit walks, no "Moon River" and no Apollo Moon landings (one small step for a man one giant leap for mankind!!! )...Imagine...no solar or lunar eclipses. Many of our vocabulary words are "moon oriented." The words "honeymoon"(Now can you imagine this in any other way Honeymars,Honeyearth naah!!! not quite the same). Imagine you cannot call your annoying boss a "'lunatic"... you just cannot have a "moon madness" and say bye bye to the "moonflower" it would not even exist and try having that showy social past-time of "mooning!" with the Sun well not quite the day type right!!!

No more would we be able to enjoy the waves...The moon is largely responsible for the tides....with its pull responsible for the ebb and flow of the tides....

How about the word month, (derived from the word 'moonth!')...how about that...if not for the moon...January February would have been called 'sun'th or something....just doesn't sound right now does it!!!

I still remember when i was young my mom used to show the moon an make me eat...now if there was no moon what would she do??

How about chandamama...am sure all of us would have heard about it or read it at some point of time...no moon no 'chanda'mama....

Looking at the sky all you would find is a star lit night...a bunch of small dots...

Now for some science...Many calendars were based on the 29 day cycle of the moon, in fact,Today,the Islamic calendar as well as a few others, are still based on the moon.Christians calculate the date of Easter by the full moon. Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox.The Chinese date their new year according the moon.

Our nearest neighbor in space has been a major part of our life. The next time you gaze at the moon, think of the role it has played, and how lost we might be without it!

Whats your ten!!!

Once i was at subway with a classmate...he suddenly sprang a surprise on me...."hey venky name 10 things you consider most important ....things which you share with people"...was the question.

i was flabbergasted...but then got thinking...after a while i told him "buddy i need time"...being the guy he was..."i can wait dude...just make sure you let me know once you think of em! you know where to reach me right!!!" was his reply.

That evening i sat and penned down things which i feel are the ten most important things that i share with someone....ten things which i feel are very easily ignored!!!

they go like this...

LOVE:
The Special Feeling That Makes You Feel all Warm And Wonderful....the same special feeling that you give someone very close to you....

RESPECT:
Treating Others As Well As You Would Like To Be Treated...Give respect and you shall be respected....

APPRECIATION:
To Be Grateful For All The Good Things Life Has To Offer...Live in the present...appreciate the finer things in life....yesterday is history...tomorrow is a mystery....today is a gift thats why its called "present" so live life to the fullest....there is only one life to live...why waste by worrying!!!

HAPPINESS:
The Full Enjoyment Of Each Moment. A Smiling Face.You never realise there is someone in this world somewhere whose day is bright because of your smile....

FORGIVENESS:
The Ability To Let Things Be Without Anger. Forgive and Foget....Do we do it!!! i sit and wonder whether i do it!!!

SHARING:
The Joy Of Giving Without Thought Of Receiving... Ask what you can do for this world never ask what this world has done for you!!!

HONESTY:
The Quality Of Always Telling The Truth... truth is bitter but it is on any day better....

INTEGRITY:
The Purity Of Doing What's Right, No Matter What...Integrity to oneself...an to the ones around us...

COMPASSION:
The Essence Of Feeling Another's Pain, While Easing Their Hurt...everyone needs someone when they are hurting...realise that...the best part of the human body is the shoulder as it is the one which supports the head of a friend who needs the support!!!

PEACE:
The Reward For Living The 10 Most Important Things...peace towards one and all....


So whats your ten!!!

Just another day in the life of a hungry young man!!!

It’s way past dinner time an my stomach started growling so as to say come on u idiot don make me shout again eat...eat...and i start my long walk home as it is another half an hour for my bus and i just cant wait that long(Dude where's my Car....no not the movie but my ZEN....), then i think how about going an having a dosai or a plate of idli sambar at "Mathura" or a bowl of fruit salad at the "ABN pantry"... i start thinking i would do exactly that...i start strolling...i could almost smell the parata kurma from "Sarmani"...the chit chat of the people waiting for the movie to start at jayapradha right opposite to raheja...cars honking continuously...the autowallas flocking...an wondering what movie is running i step out on to the road...when my mind suddenly changes....its been long since i have had kara dosai at saravana bhavan why not that today....of course 50rs but i was hungry for the dosai now so i had already made up my mind...

i start walking a bit faster...could almost see the dosai inviting me...i cross woodlands where the night show of "nadu kadal thigil" (Deep Blue Sea for all who din get what that movie was!!!) is running houseful would be funny to see Samuel L Jackson an co speak Tamil wouldn't it...."odunga adu nammala thinga pogudu"...laughing to myself i continue "in pursuit of kara dosai"(get the drift..."in pursuit of happiness")...

A mad dash across the road when the signal is green...an the frustrated uncle with all the love an affection enquires whether i told my parents an came("Vetla solitu vantiyaa"), ignoring as ever i push on...enjoying the ever so elegant interior decor of JVM...an wondering why Pilot always shows movies which you just have to watch with your family (again get the pun....pilot jus does not show movies which you can call family entertainers ever wondered why!!!)i reach the bridge....a good quick jog an i see people standing outside NIIT- the dating center oops the computer center...where everyone comes just for learning computer....precisely why i went there...

The end was in sight...the home stretch...i could feel it...my goal...there in the distance...round the corner to the left was saravana bhavan...where a tasty crispy hot buttery kara dosai was waiting...cant wait any longer i start running...for a moment i turn an look whether the trusty hutch network is following or not...why hutch when i got an airtel connection!!! am refering to the doggie...get it??? where ever you go it follows...not the connection but the man's best friend...

5 minutes later, finally stopping when my legs could run no more,gasping for my breath, i look up and find myself standing in front of the brightly lit...ever crowded...saravana bhavan...The setting couldnt be better...The road lit up with the sodium vapor lights, the mada veethi buzzing with action, as shoppers and shopkeepers each trying to bargain their way into a deal...the shoppers for a few more pieces of inji and kothamalli and the shopkeeper for a few extra ruppes...is music to the ears.

The aroma of the sambar and the masala paal fills the air...my eyes open as wide as my mouth... as I stand outside Saravana Bhavan. the music of kunakudi's violin floats faintly in the background,I can’t wait to get my hands on the dosai. I can visualize amma bringing tumbler (not cup) full of filter coffee (not Folgers) to Appa who is already in front of the tv...a break from the computer(not laptop)... I influenced my mind to go home and then bring appa and amma to saravana bhavan...been a long time since we all came here...

this is when i am shaken out of my reverie by the strident noise of the microwave indicating that the frozen malai kofta that i had got for $2.99 and the Deep aaloo paratha for $3.99 that i got from R.K grocery is done and ready to eat....

I walk out the door to the entrance of my apartment complex, and all I see is an empty road and pin drop silence,occasionally broken by a car whizzing past at break neck speed every now and then, or a bunch of guys jogging with jarring music on their ipods...

thinking again...the life half way across the globe...as they say the grass is always greener on the other side....am happy...am having fun...am enjoying my life...but there is heart inside me which just can’t wait to go back to the place where i grew up...the place called HOME....

Is Common Sense Really Common!!!

If one were to look up the dictionary to see what Common sense meant we would find this - Common Sense (or, when used attributively as an adjective, commonsense, common-sense, or commonsensical), based on a strict construction of the term, consists of what people in common would agree on: that which they "sense" (in common) as their common natural understanding.(Thanks Wiki for this wonderfully laid out explanation...)

I was just reading a collection of quotations of one famous American writer ralph waldo emerson when i came across this-"Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing". this made me think how can something that astonishes you be common!!!

i started wondering how do you categorize something as common...everyone is very different in our own way...whats easy and routine for one might not be the same for someone else....if you put some thought into it we can find everyday things which is not the same for two people. when i think of this am reminded of a good old joke that i heard back during my school days(Gosh am talking 1990's wayyyy back!!!)so here it is...don't forget to laugh once am done ok...aaaahh don start laughing already i havnt started yet....so the joke goes something like this....

A Company which manufactures Washing detergents based in mera bharath mahan thought of introducing the product in arabic country. they developed a poster for the ad campaign which went something like this... "scene 1... A guy holds a dirty shirt....scene 2...the person displays the company's detergent pours it into the a bucket and adds in some water...wallah instant foam...the person dips the shirt into the bucket full...scene 3...a sparkling white shirt..." the marketing team was excited about the product launch.everyone was expecting the sales to sky rocket...but alas when the first month sales report came in everyone jaw dropped....the company hadnt sold a single packet... people were confused as to what could be wrong...then one day when the boss was thinking about his ad campaign at home...his servant suddenly let out a loud shreek...shocked he asked him what is the issue....to which the servant said who in the right mind would make a product which turns white shirt into a dirty one....it was then it hit the boss that in that country people read from right to left....so the ad got projected as " a guy takes a white shirt...pours some of the company liquid and then wallah u have a dirty shirt" no wonder the company dint sell a single packet!!! ( OK now its about time you laugh!!!)

I recently saw a another good demonstration of the profound change in something which appears common but in actuality is least bit common...it is what is called reversal of picture layout. intrigued read on...

A friend had created a picture with a menacing wolf staring at a small child – both on the left of the picture with a nature landscape scene spreading across the picture. To my mind, a much more dramatic effect resulted by flipping this scene horizontally so that the viewer first sees this very tranquil, sunny landscape and then is jarred by the sight of this impending attack on a small innocent child.

Of course the artist was not intending to make a comment about how savage things happen in the most innocent of places, his idea was something different than what i had thought of.

Its probably because of my personal perceptions that what is common may not be that common ....so how does one define if indeed one wants to sit and define "common"!!!


Ponder on this while i take a break...shall try to give my end of the deal pretty soon!!!!

Tickle your Brain a bit!!!

A basket contains 5 apples. Do you know how to divide them to 5 kids so that each one has an apple and one apple stays in the basket???

Is it people or is it the situation???

For sometime now, i have been wondering whether coming to a different country does it really change people???? do they become someone they were not back home? Is it the surrounding or the urge to blend in that brings about the change? This also makes me wonder is it really worth doing something when you end up becoming someone you are not?

This flows from certain perceptions that i had like for example there are things which are in built in you and then there are things which you pick up as you grow. People generally say that what you are is something which cannot be changed, how you are is what changes with time... like how a person becomes more mature with age(atleast thats what happens to most of us!!!).

My brother made a very good point sometime back that when you are with someone for a longtime you tend to pick up some good points from them...points which inspire you...points which make you wonder is that the reason why he is like this??? so what you do is try an mould yourself accordingly... but then again what you are deep down is something, that can never be changed...

The things i have seen and experienced over the past one and half years have certainly made me a tid bit stronger and more appreciative of things around me.