would post more shortly.....
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would post more shortly.....
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]]>I do my best to help her
I've done the things I should
If you'll please bring me a puppy dog
I promise to be good.
I get to missing dad so much
Though I know he's there with you
I think a pup would cheer me up
And soothe me when I'm blue.
So, the little boy fell off to sleep
And drifted far away
He dreamed of fluffy puppy dogs
That chased him in his play.
Then something strange awakened him
In the middle of the night
He felt a presence in the room
But no one was in sight.
The little boy looked all around
There was not a soul to greet
But a small and fluffy puppy
Curled up there at his feet.
Wishes really do come true
In his heart he felt so glad
The tag attached said simply
To you dear son .... from Dad."
....wish u all a very happy christmas n may all your wishes come true...
love to all
......Let me take you far away
You'd like a holiday..
Exchange the cold days for the sun
A good time and fun..
Let me take you far away
You'd like a holiday
Exchange your troubles for some love
Wherever you are
Let me take you far away
You'd like a holiday
Longing for the sun you will come
To the island without name
Longing for the sun be welcome
On the island many miles away from home
Be welcome on the island without name
Longing for the sun you will come
To the island many miles away from home........
Play was outstanding... based on Gandhi but not the regular historical ones...it had an element of laughter wonderfully woven... showed a different shade of his character... we could actually relate to this Gandhi, who finally seemed not just 'Mahatma' (the great Soul) but also a normal human like all of us.. who had weaknesses and strengths, uncertainities and difficulties, failures and disappointments... who fought with wife at home yet was concerned about her...
The beautifully directed play had an awesome cast with a special mention of Joy Sengupta and Neha Dubey -as Gandhi and Kasturba... actually everybody gave an overwhelming performance...
Did any of you in B'lore go for the play?
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basically had nothing to write today.... just had been a little agitated since morning...
I had always been very choosy about my coffee mugs..... had always preferred the tartan red mug to the big blue one ..... in fact, for that matter, i would have even prefferd any of the dreary mugs to the annoying blue mug, which i detest the most...i like nothing about the mug specially the obtusely etched 3 letters on it-'IBM'...
But, to my disappointment , on reaching office, realised that i am left with a wide range of choice of blue and black 'IBM' engraved mugs.... hunted listlessly for my favorite one ...
finally with utter disappointment sipped the first morning coffee in one of the giant mugs....
had memories of the pretty red mug all day, amidst 'board minutes', 'arbitration awards', 'customs act' and 'tortious liabilities'.....
however, even at the end of the day couldn't discover the mystery behind the disappearance of my favorite coffee mug...
came back home with a broken heart...
compromising with the first morning coffee is a huge task in itself... a mammoth task, my friends...
Vodun (a.k.a. Vodoun, Voudou, Voodoo, Sevi Lwa) is commonly called Voodoo by the public. The name is traceable to an African word for "spirit". Vodun's can be directly traced to the West African Yoruba people who lived in 18th and 19th century Dahomey. Its roots may go back 6,000 years in Africa. That country occupied parts of today's Togo, Benin and Nigeria. Slaves brought their religion with them when they were forcibly shipped to Haiti and other islands in the West Indies.
Slaves were baptized into the Roman Catholic Church upon their arrival in Haiti and other West Indian islands. However, there was little Christian infrastructure present during the early 19th century to maintain the faith. The result was that the slaves largely followed their original native faith. This they practiced in secret, even while attending Mass regularly.
Today over 60 million people practice Vodun worldwide. Religions similar to Vodun can be found in South America where they are called Umbanda, Quimbanda or Candomble.
Today, there are two virtually unrelated forms of the religion:
the actual religion, Vodun practiced in Benin, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Haiti, Togo and various centers in the US - largely where Haitian refuges have settled.
an evil, imaginary religion, which we will call Voodoo. It has been created for Hollywood movies, complete with "voodoo dolls", violence, bizarre rituals, etc. It does not exist in reality, except in the minds of most non-Voduns.
An inaccurate and sensational book (S. St. John, "Haiti or the Black Republic") was written in 1884. It described Vodun as a profoundly evil religion, and included lurid descriptions of human sacrifice, cannibalism, etc., some of which had been extracted from Vodun priests by torture. This book caught the imagination of people outside the West Indies, and was responsible for much of the misunderstanding and fear that is present today. Hollywood found this a rich source for Voodoo screen plays. Horror movies began in the 1930's and continue today to misrepresent Vodun. It is only since the late 1950's that accurate studies by anthropologists have been published.
Vodun beliefs:
Vodun, like Christianity, is a religion of many traditions. Each group follows a different spiritual path and worships a slightly different pantheon of spirits, called Loa. The word means "mystery" in the Yoruba language.
Yoruba traditional belief included a chief God Olorun, who is remote and unknowable. He authorized a lesser God Obatala to create the earth and all life forms. A battle between the two Gods led to Obatala's temporary banishment.
There are hundreds of minor spirits. Those which originated from Dahomey are called Rada; those who were added later are often deceased leaders in the new world and are called Petro.
Followers of Vodun believe that each person has a soul which is composed of two parts: a gros bon ange or "big guardian angel", and a ti bon ange or "little guardian angel". The latter leaves the body during sleep and when the person is possessed by a Loa during a ritual. There is a concern that the ti bon ange can be damaged or captured by evil sorcery while it is free of the body.
Vodun rituals:
The purpose of rituals is to make contact with a spirit, to gain their favor by offering them animal sacrifices and gifts, to obtain help in the form of more abundant food, higher standard of living, and improved health. Human and Loa depend upon each other; humans provide food and other materials; the Loa provide health, protection from evil spirits and good fortune. Rituals are held to celebrate lucky events, to attempt to escape a run of bad fortune, to celebrate a seasonal day of celebration associated with a Loa, for healing, at birth, marriage and death.
Vodun priests can be male (houngan or hungan), or female (mambo). A Vodun temple is called a hounfour (or humfort). At its center is a poteau-mitan a pole where the God and spirits communicate with the people. An altar will be elaborately decorated with candles, pictures of Christian saints, symbolic items related to the Loa, etc. Rituals consist of some of the following components:
a feast before the main ceremony
creation of a veve, a pattern of flour or cornmeal on the floor which is unique to the Loa for whom the ritual is to be conducted
shaking a rattle and beating drums which have been cleansed and purified
chanting
dancing by the houngan and/or mambo and the hounsis (students studying Vodun). The dancing will typically build in intensity until one of the dancers (usually a hounsis) becomes possessed by a Loa and falls. His or her ti bon ange has left their body and the spirit has taken control. The possessed dancer will behave as the Loa and is treated with respect and ceremony by the others present.
animal sacrifice; this may be a goat, sheep, chicken, or dog. They are usually humanely killed by slitting their throat; blood is collected in a vessel. The possessed dancer may drink some of the blood. The hunger of the Loa is then believed to be satisfied. The animal is usually cooked and eaten. Animal sacrifice is a method of consecrating food for consumption by followers of Vodun, their gods and ancestors.
Evil sorcery:
The houngan and mambos confine their activities to "white" magic which is used to bring good fortune and healing. However caplatas (also known as bokors) perform acts of evil sorcery or black magic, sometimes called "left-handed Vodun". Rarely, a houngan will engage in such sorcery; a few alternate between white and dark magic.
One belief unique to Vodun is that a dead person can be revived after having been buried. After resurrection, the zombie has no will of their own, but remains under the control of others. In reality, a zombie is a living person who has never died, but is under the influence of powerful drugs administered by an evil sorcerer. Although most Haitians believe in zombies, few have ever seen one. There are a few recorded instances of persons who have claimed to be zombies.
Sticking pins in "voodoo dolls" was once used as a method of cursing an individual by some followers of Vodun in New Orleans; this practice continues occasionally in South America. The practice became closely associated with Voodoo in the public mind through the vehicle of horror movies.
"The goal which all the Vedas declare, which all austerities aim at, and which men desire when they lead the life of continence … is OM. This syllable OM is indeed Brahman. Whosoever knows this syllable obtains all that he desires. This is the best support; this is the highest support. Whosoever knows this support is adored in the world of Brahma."
~ Katha Upanishad I
'Om or Aum is of paramount importance in Hinduism. This symbol is a sacred syllable representing Brahman, the impersonal Absolute — omnipotent, omnipresent, and the source of all manifest existence. Brahman, in itself, is incomprehensible; so a symbol becomes mandatory to help us realize the Unknowable. Om, therefore, represents both the unmanifest (nirguna) and manifest (saguna) aspects of God. That is why it is called Pranava, to mean that it pervades life and runs through our prana or breath.
The Eternal Syllable
According to the Mandukya Upanishad "Om is the one eternal syllable of which all that exists is but the development. The past, the present, and the future are all included in this one sound, and all that exists beyond the three forms of time is also implied in it".
The Music of Om
Om is not a word but rather an intonation, which, like music, transcends the barriers of age, race, culture and even species. It is made up of three Sanskrit letters, aa, au and ma which, when combined together, make the sound Aum or Om. It is believed to be the basic sound of the world and to contain all other sounds. It is a mantra or prayer in itself. If repeated with the correct intonation, it can resonate throughout the body so that the sound penetrates to the centre of one's being, the atman or the soul.
There is harmony, peace and bliss in this simple but deeply philosophical sound. By vibrating the sacred syllable Om, the supreme combination of letters, if one thinks of the Ultimate Personality of Godhead and quits his body, he will certainly reach the highest state of "stateless" eternity, states the Bhagavad Gita.
The Vision of Om
Om provides a dualistic viewpoint. On one hand, it projects the mind beyond the immediate to what is abstract and inexpressible. On the other hand, it makes the absolute more tangible and comprehensive. It encompasses all potentialities and possibilities; it is everything that was, is, or can yet be. It is omnipotent and likewise remains undefined.
The Power of Om
While meditating, when we chant Om, we create within ourselves a vibration that attunes sympathy with the cosmic vibration and we start thinking universally. The momentary silence between each chant becomes palpable. Mind moves between the opposites of sound and silence until, at last, it ceases the sound. In the silence, the single thought—Om—is quenched; there is no thought. This is the state of trance, where the mind and the intellect are transcended as the individual self merges with the Infinite Self in the pious moment of realization. It is a moment when the petty worldly affairs are lost in the desire for the universal. Such is the immeasurable power of Om.'
The whole world has evolved from Om;
The whole word is sustained by Om;
The whole world will merge into Om-
In Om resides my strength
I'm sitting here in the boring room
It's just another rainy Saturday afternoon
I'm wasting my time
I got nothing to do
I'm hanging around
I'm waiting for you
But nothing ever happens and I wonder
I'm driving around in my car
I'm driving too fast
I'm driving too far
I'd like to change my point of view
I feel so lonely
I'm waiting for you
But nothing ever happens and I wonder
I'm sitting here
I miss the power
I'd like to go out taking a shower
But there's a heavy cloud inside my head
I feel so tired
Put myself into bed
Well, nothing ever happens and I wonder
Isolation is not good for me
Isolation I don't want to sit on the lemon-tree
I'm steppin' around in the desert of joy
Anyhow I'll get another toy
And everything will happen and you wonder
I wonder how
I wonder why
Yesterday you told me 'bout the blue blue sky
And all that I can see is just another lemon-tree
I'm turning my head up and down
I'm turning turning turning turning turning around
And all that I can see is just a yellow lemon-tree.......
Have a couple pass of Bacardi Blast haplessly lying on the wretched desk... RK'd supposedly be back by 8-as he's promised .... otherwise he'd have a blast..I promise-:
:
why r men so irresponsible..I still don't understand....
Everything under the sun is in tune......
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon......
PINK FLOYD
Sad nah? How often we overlook our responsibilities......
We must be the change we wish to see in the world.....
If you don't like Saturday morning cartoons, children's adventure movies, and silly fun, then don't bother seeing this film. Otherwise, you'll have a good time.
'The filmmakers take major liberties with history, human behavior, and the laws of physics, but it really doesn't matter. They're not going for realism. They wanted to make a flamboyant PG-rated kids' movie and succeeded. The characters all behave pretty much the way they do in kids' movies, and the cast is obviously having far too much fun.'
Strengths of the movie include admirable performing by the Alejandro and Elena as well as the elements of laughter .....
]]>Happy Blogging everybody...
Marriage! Looking into the future with utmost hope and excitement…. taking his hand and pledge your love to him for all eternity…… filled with this incredible emotion that wells up inside….. It overflows and reaches every part of the soul…….. such a wonderful emotion...
I'm not sure what to call it. A little word like love doesn't seem big enough to describe it. But I guess there is no other word....with no word to truly express the depth of love, the joy of emotion, the certainty of commitment…..
'What greater thing is there for two human souls,
than to feel that they are joined for life-
to strengthen each other in all labor,
to rest on each other in all sorrow,
to minister to each other in all pain,
to be one with each other
in silent unspeakable memories ...'
George Eliot
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Just when you make your way back home
I find some time to be alone
I go to see the place once more
Just like a thousand nights before
I climb the stage again this night
’cause the place seems still alive
When the smoke is going down
This is the place where I belong
I really love to turn you on
I’ve got your sound still in my ear
While your traces disappear
I climb the stage again this night
’cause the place seems still alive
When the smoke is going down
I climb the stage again this night
’cause the place seems still alive
When the smoke is going down..........
Music :rudolf schenker
Lyrics:klaus meine
Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn!
Look to this Day!
For it is Life, the very Life of Life.
In its brief course lie all the
Verities and Realities of your Existence.
The Bliss of Growth,
The Glory of Action,
The Splendor of Beauty;
For Yesterday is but a Dream,
And To-morrow is only a Vision;
But To-day well lived makes
Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness,
And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Look well therefore to this Day!
Such is the Salutation of the Dawn!
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
]]>She never lets me in
Only tells me where she's been
When she's had too much to drink
I say that I don't care
I just run my hands through her dark hair
Then I pray to God you gotta help me fly away
And just...
Let her cry if the tears fall down like rain
Let her sing if it eases all her pain
Let her go, let her walk right out on me
And if the sun comes up tomorrow
Let her be, let her be
This morning I woke up alone
Found a note standin' by the phone
Sayin': "Baby, maybe I'll be back someday"
I wanted to look for you
You walked in, I didn't know just what I should do
So I sat back down and had a beer and felt sorry for myself
Sayin'...
Last night I tried to leave
Cried so much I couldn't believe
She was the same girl I fell in love with long ago
She went in the back to get high
And I sat down on my couch and cried
Yellin': "Oh-Mama, please help me!
Won't you hold my hand?!"
And...
...
Raindrops on roses
And whiskers on kittens...
Bright copper kettles
And warm woollen mittens...
Brown paper packages tied up with strings..
These are a few of my favorite things
Happy blooging...
]]>The world is closing in
Did you ever think
That we could be so close, like brothers
The future's in the air
I can feel it everywhere
Blowing with the wind of change
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the wind of change
Walking down the street
Distant memories
Are buried in the past forever
I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
The wind of change
Blows straight into the face of time
Like a stormwind that will ring the freedom bell
For peace of mind
Let your balalaika sing
What my guitar wants to say
Music:Klaus Meine
Lyrics:Klaus Meine
Had an exceptionally long day... nothing much happening... or probably I didn't let anything happen ... my first day in new office.... kept me very monotonously busy .... I probably am lingering too much on my past... experiencing a wierd abstraction... or confusion , should I say... can't relate myself to this city... tommorrow is Saturday... looking forward...
STRENGTH
written by: G. Scott Compton
Copyright ©2004 G. Scott Compton
To the strong soul who learns to defy his or her own fears.
Life is a test insistent upon strength
Each person is challenged at analogous lengths
Yet the vie to subsist will exhaust the timorous some
For the Lord's race is imputed to all...to run
This is to avow: you must believe
As you are special...allow no one to deceive
For what you have learned will make you stronger
If only to love and be loved one day longer
Others may look upon the Sun going down
A vanishing hope, the benighted frowns
But you must learn to see the resilience of the night
As a testament to each given day...to your unforgiving might
Thus revere your kin and formative youth
Whilst both bleed one's vigor to nourish this truth:
Strength is innate and must be held deep inside
A rule in life's book by which everyone should abide
So tonight when the Sun has given up and retired
Look upon the day and all that which you have inspired
For everything you wish for will someday come true
Your strength is there....your strength is YOU!
Happy Blogging
]]>So for all those who know 'bout the festival n also for those who doesn't, here's a glimpse of the divinely beautiful Durgaidol...
Happy blogging...
Stood first in BA (Hons), Economics, Panjab University, Chandigarh,1952;
Stood first in MA (Economics), Panjab University, Chandigarh,
1954;
Wright's Prize for distinguished performance at St John's College,Cambridge,1955 and 1957;
Wrenbury scholar, University of Cambridge,1957;
DPhil (Oxford), DLitt (Honoris Causa);
PhD thesis on India's export competitiveness
OCCUPATION /Teaching Experience:
Professor (Senior lecturer, Economics, 1957-59; Reader, Economics, 1959-63;
Professor, Economics, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 1963-65; Professor,International Trade, Delhi School of Economics,University of Delhi, 1969-71;
Honorary professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University,New Delhi,1976 and Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi,1996 and
Civil Servant
Working Experience/ POSITIONS:
1971-72: Economic advisor, ministry of foreign trade
1972-76: Chief economic advisor, ministry of finance
1976-80: Director, Reserve Bank of India; Director, Industrial Development Bank of India;
Alternate governor for India, Board of governors, Asian Development Bank;
lternate governor for India, Board of governors, IBRD
November 1976 - April 1980: Secretary, ministry of finance (Department of economic affairs);
Member, finance, Atomic Energy Commission; Member,finance, Space Commission
April 1980 - September 15, 1982: Member-secretary, Planning Commission
1980-83: Chairman, India Committee of the Indo-Japan joint study committee
September 16, 1982 - January 14, 1985: Governor, Reserve Bank of India.
1982-85: Alternate Governor for India, Board of governors, International Monetary Fund
1983-84: Member, economic advisory council to the Prime Minister
1985: President, Indian Economic Association
January 15, 1985 - July 31, 1987: Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission
August 1, 1987 - November 10, 1990: Secretary-general and commissioner, south commission, Geneva
December 10, 1990 - March 14, 1991: Advisor to the Prime Minister on economic affairs
March 15, 1991 - June 20, 1991: Chairman, UGC
June 21, 1991 - May 15, 1996: Union finance minister
October 1991: Elected to Rajya Sabha from Assam on Congress ticket
June 1995: Re-elected to Rajya Sabha
1996 onwards: Member, Consultative Committee for the ministry of finance
August 1, 1996 - December 4, 1997: Chairman, Parliamentary standing committee on commerce
March 21, 1998 onwards: Leader of the Opposition, Rajya Sabha
June 5, 1998 onwards: Member, committee on finance
August 13, 1998 onwards: Member, committee on rules
Aug 1998-2001: Member, committee of privileges 2000 onwards: Member, executive committee, Indian parliamentary group
June 2001: Re-elected to Rajya Sabha
Aug 2001 onwards: Member, general purposes committee
BOOKS:
India's Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth -Clarendon Press, Oxford University, 1964;
also published a large number of articles in various economic journals.
OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Adam Smith Prize, University of Cambridge, 1956
Padma Vibhushan, 1987
Euro money Award, Finance Minister of the Year, 1993;
Asia money Award, Finance Minister of the Year for Asia, 1993 and 1994
INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS:
1966: Economic Affairs Officer
1966-69: Chief, financing for trade section, UNCTAD
1972-74: Deputy for India in IMF Committee of Twenty on International Monetary Reform
1977-79: Indian delegation to Aid-India Consortium Meetings
1980-82: Indo-Soviet joint planning group meeting
1982: Indo-Soviet monitoring group meeting
1993: Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Cyprus 1993: Human
Rights World Conference, Vienna
RECREATION:
Gymkhana Club, New Delhi;
Life Member, India International Centre, New Delhi
Name: Dr Manmohan Singh - Prime Minister of India
]]>She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches.
Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container,put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.
She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button. She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on the charger and put the telephone book into the drawer. She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry. She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom.
She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the excursion and pulled a text book out from hiding under the chair.
She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store.
She put both near her bag Mum then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her Night Solution & age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and filed her nails.
Dad called out, "I thought you were going to bed."
"I'm on my way," she said.
She put some water into the dog's dish and put the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked and the patio light was on. She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps and radios, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.
In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her 6 most important things to do list. She said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.
About that time, Dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in particular. "I'm going to bed." And he did...without another thought.
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