My sweet angel, Nikhil

Deep inside me, lost over time,

Is a poet who once spun a good rhyme,

Waiting for something to set affire,

Odes that would fulfill one's desire.

Then came along Nikhil, my nephew,

His brilliance who could equal but a few,

Little fingers, little ears, little eyes, little nose,

His appearance does not fall short of grandiose.

Not like his father, not like his mother,

Not even does he resemble his great grandmother,

His aunt, by good fortune, he took after,

Could he have asked for anything better?

Oh my darling, I long to hold you,

Kiss you, caress you, love you, enfold you,

When I see you for the first time be aware,

Not a minute away from me, will I spare.

I wish you all happiness in this world,

Looks of a prince and a heart of gold.

God bless!!

Taking a vacation to relax? Nahhh...

It is never easy to take your mind completely off your work during vacations. Especially when you have certain deadlines coming up. The above picture from PhD Comics shows the level of stress during different stages of a vacation. It was mainly designed bearing PhD scholars in mind but it applies to everybody who has a job to go back to. So when you decide to take a vacation keep in mind that you are spending time and money to be away from work and it doesn't serve any purpose whatsoever to keep worrying about work while you are away. So switch off your mobiles/laptops/blackberry, put away the files and have a great time!

We won!

I haven't played real cricket ever. I watch cricket matches only when India plays. However, I am a big fan of the game and have always wanted to play a good match. My dream came true last Saturday when we played cricket among colleagues in our office. Well, it was just tennis ball cricket but they had booked a good court and we had proper pitch, boundaries, wickets etc. There were four teams - Red, Black, Green and Blue - with people from different departments forming part of each.

The funniest part was that I was made captain of the Green team. Maybe it was because I was the only girl in all the four teams! In any case, I clearly told everybody that I was a novice and offered the captaincy to other people in the team. But they maintained that I should be captain so that's what I was. As many people hadn't turned up we decided to have only two teams, Red and the Rest of the World (i.e. all the other colors). I was the captain of RoW.

As a good captain should do (and clearly knowing I won't help the score much), I had everybody bat before me and finally ended up not getting a turn to bat. Disappointed though i was with the state of affairs, the score we made i.e. 76 for 8 in 12 overs, was good news. The Red team then started the chase but what with brilliant bowlers (not me of course) and good fielding (again, not me), we won by 7 runs (they got up to 69 for 9 in 12 overs). So the synopsis is that, we won! I brought back the shield to my house and then back to the office where it will remain until the next match. Who says participation doesn't count?!!

Travel Blog 4: Kerala - God's own country

I have been to Kerala several times. Both for work and for pleasure. I have been to Cochin, Trichur, Ernakulam, Guruvayur, Munnar, Kottayam and Kollam. The beauty of Kerala is in it's lush vegetations and serene waters. For want of time and space, I am going to narrate my experiences in Kollam to the exclusion of the rest (though they were equally exhilarating).

The Kollam visit was an extension of the visit to Kottayam where we attended a friend's wedding. We were two families - me, my husband, my friend, her husband and her kid. After attending the wedding ceremony, we hired a car and proceeded to Kollam. The drive was wonderful (though we mostly slept through it) in itself. We reached our resort in the afternoon and then went to our respective rooms to settle down. In the evening, we played table tennis and video games at the recreation center and had special Onam dinner at the restaurant. The next day, we had breakfast and went swimming (or in my case 'floating') in the pool. After that we went on a one hour long boat ride which was very relaxing. Then we had a nice lunch and rested awhile. In the evening, we went site seeing to the beach and the light house. The beach was similar to the Chennai beach except for the huge mermaid statue (which looked quite vulgar - wonder how the Government allowed it to be publicly showcased). The light house was a ghastly experience. I am scared of heights normally but this time I was really frightened. Probably the spiral staircase that leads to the top was the reason. In any case, I was happy to get back safely. That night we had dinner at the restaurant and retired to our rooms. The next day we had breakfast, went swimming, packed our bags, had lunch and left.

Not much of activity but it was meant to be a relaxing vacation so that was what it was. Bottom line is that Kerala is the best place to relax!

Meeting with the Indian Finance Minister!

I met with the Indian Finance Minister, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, at his office in Rashtrapati Bhavan at Delhi yesterday at around 1:00pm. The meeting was organized by the All India Association of Chit Funds and was primarily to present our report on the chit fund industry. The Finance Minister released our report. He also patiently listened to our presentation of the results and said it was good work. The meeting lasted around 40 minutes.

I am really excited about the positive response our report received after all the hard work that went into it. The meeting with the FM is an unforgettable moment in my life :)

The World Wide Web

The WWW is an amazing invention. Connects people across regional and cultural boundaries. I don't have to wait until tomorrow morning to get today's news. Well, actually I don't have to wait at all. With Twitter, Facebook and all the other social networks working as they are, the information dissemination is now real time. A time will come when everybody will be on these networks, 'tweeting' about their activities. That would be the ideal world. No secrecy, cunning dishonesty or hatred. People will know what others are thinking and doing and they can counter react in a logical way instead of waging war at each other. I am really excited to see this happen in my time!

Movies - The past two weeks

I saw like five movies in the past two weeks. Two on DVD and three in the theatres (one of which is second time). Following is a brief description of how I feel about them.

Kaminey - nicely taken but lacks a proper story line. Haphazard events culminate to form the final picture. Not much 'Masala' as well (that's good). I personally think Shahid and Priyanka should act as brother and sister more! Overall, not very entertaining.

Final Destination 4 - Gory but not scary. Couple of scenes are excellent; made me grab for my cousin's hand! However the extreme violence and bloodshed made us laugh more than frightened. Watch it on 3D if you ever plan to.

Kandasamy - Masala, glamour and color makes it palatable. Otherwise a no-show. Similar storyline as in Robin Hood, Krishh, Anniyan and so on. Songs are good.

Ice Age 3 - saw it again cos I love it!

New York - Old movie. Watched on DVD. Regret that I missed it in the theatres. Awesome! The theme was well explained and the truth in it touched my heart. I did cry for this one! Ending could have been less dramatic but overall I loved it.

Oh well, all good things must come to an end..

Last two weeks was fun. Super fun. My cousin sister was visiting from UK and she brought her two good friends along with her. Its always fun when my cuz comes down cos we are real close. This time it was even better with her friends around. These girls, they brought in a breath of fresh air into my otherwise dull life!

What did we do those two weeks? Well, not really two weeks but 10 days (given my cuz had to visit her mom's hometown as well). We went 'paint-balling' for starters. That was quite fun. And of course we went pubbing/clubbing like two maybe three, oh wait - was it ten? - times :) We also travelled a bit (to Pondi for instance). We went to the movies and had dinner couple of times.

The fun part, however, was the 'girl' times we spent together. Don't you think it is awesome when a bunch of teenagers talk about their bfs/gfs/parties? Especially when you are well out of your teens, yes of course! Made me feel old though, knowing I don't speak their language anymore. But yes it was amazing to listen to them! Playing 'dumb-sharadhs' and card games with them was also very entertaining.

Highlight of the whole visit was my cuz's 18th birthday when the entire family got together. We partied hard sans age. Was a good 'bonding' time :)

Now that my cuz and her friends have left, I am feeling very sad. I really miss them. I have no idea if I will even meet my cuz's friends again in the future. Well, life goes on, doesn't it?

Best moments in life...

There are some moments in life that one can never forget. Some moments that stay etched on our hearts. One such moment was my cousin sister's 18th birthday. I was unfortunately delayed for her birthday party due to some last minute work at the office. But my sweet cousin waited for me and refused to cut the cake until I arrived. She made everybody (from my baby cousin to my great uncle) wait for me! That was really touching. Yes, some moments in life remain unforgettable...

The Hangover

Have you ever watched a 'comedy thriller'? You wonder how these two genres go together? They do in 'The Hangover'. Unique storyline with awesome screenplay keeps one glued to the screen from start to end, while the action and dialogues makes one laugh until their tummy hurts. The movie is fast paced and well presented. And the actors complement and maintain the charisma of the movie.

To dwell deeper, the story is about a guy who is going to get married. His best friends decide to throw a bachelor party for this guy in Las Vegas. During this party, the friends are drugged accidentally and in the morning, they can't remember anything that happened the night before. To their shock, the groom-to-be has vanished! The rest of the story is how they try to find out what happened in the night and how they search and ultimately find their lost friend.

A must watch!

It is a miracle!

I am not a religious fanatic but what happened yesterday at Tirupathi (a temple town in Andhra Pradesh, South India) is worth a mention. My husband and I reached Tirupathi in the morning where we had to attend the wedding ceremony of a close relative. After the wedding, we drove uphill to the abode of Lord Venkatachalapathi. If you are an Indian, you might be aware how pricey it is to see the Lord. Unless you have some high level ‘contacts’, you may have to wait forever for a ‘darshan’ (darshan means vision of God). We usually have a letter of recommendation from our relative who has connections in Tirupathi so we can enter in the V.I.P section which is like a fast-track ‘darshan’ line. Unfortunately, yesterday we found out that they had stopped this V.I.P section. Hence we were left with two choices: (a) to return without a ‘darshan’ or, (b) to wait for three to four hours in the queue.

I flatly refused to do the latter as I was really tired from the journey and also I personally do not endorse standing in line to see an idol of God (I do not advocate idol worship in the first place, though I am not totally averse to the idea). So we had decided to leave ‘empty handed’ as it were. Then we heard that people above 60 years of age could join a shorter line, free of cost, for the darshan. We also had in our group, apart from me and my husband, an elder lady who is a family friend. She said she will go ask the authorities if she can stand in that shorter queue for darshan (note that one has to produce an identification proof to establish their age to join this queue and our family friend did not have this in her possession at the required moment). Fortunately for her, they said she could go without an identity proof.

And, here is the best part; she could apparently also take along with her a younger person to accompany her in case she has some health problems on the way in. As my husband was already eligible for a darshan after his ‘anga pradakshanam’ (circling the temple by rolling on the ground – a special tribute to God), I was the only one left without an opportunity to see the Lord. So I went with our family friend in the shorter queue and got the darshan in half an hour! To add, we also had a splendid and relaxed view of the Lord’s idol. This was the amazing incident which has proved yet again that there is a Supreme power which does act for our good. I always believe that God gives me the best and He seconded that with His subtle indication in Tirupathi yesterday.

...

What the world calls a 'magic doll': When you have it, it is old; But when you lose it, it is gold.

Let go

When you know there is no scope for redemption,

When you know you cannot reap what you sow,

When you know there is no going back,

It is best that you let go.

Yes, the memories will hurt,

Yes, you will feel low,

But how much can you give up?

It is best that you let go.

Far into the future you will see,

What is rightfully yours will come back in the end,

Await the return with open hands,

Let go now my friend.

Ice Age 3

The above caricature is by my colleague. At the office, we often don the role of animal characters in different movies. The current craze is Ice Age 3. I am the Squirrel with the Nut (don't ask me why!).

About the movie itself, we loved it! We were laughing until our stomachs started to hurt. Personally, I feel movies are meant to make us laugh and this one surely did.

Go watch it, if you haven't already!

Travel Blog 3: Official trip to America

Well, well, well. Now who doesn't want to go to America, the land of many opportunities? I surely wanted to visit the place but was not very keen on settling out there (as most of my friends and relatives have done). My wish was fulfilled when I got to visit the place this February. Though the trip was essentially work related, I took time off to visit my sister and sister-in-law.

In Seattle, WA, we were booked into the Marriot hotel. The room was awesome. It had all the basic necessities unlike in India. The first day I was a bit jet lagged and so I mostly confined myself to the room apart from stepping out for dinner to an Australian restaurant called Outback. On the second day, it snowed! I have not seen snow in my entire lifetime (except in movies) so it was quite exhilarating for me! At the end of the day, we had an official dinner at an Italian restaurant. On the third day, I went around the city with my colleagues. We visited the 'Pike' market which is a central marketplace like Pondi Bazaar in Chennai. We then went shopping at Macy's and had dinner at a Japanese restaurant called Shiro. On the fourth and last day, we visited the Space Needle which takes you around 6000 feet above sea-level (I can't guarantee that I have the right numbers). The view was amazing! We could see the entire city and more! However, we didn't feel it was worth the $15 we paid for the ticket. We also visited my house owner who lives in WA. Then we visited the 'World's First Starbucks' in Seattle. We had dinner at a French boloungerie and then continued onwards to the airport to board the flight.

My next stop was Atlanta, Georgia. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law live there along with their cute little baby. Fortunately, during my visit, my mom-in-law and dad-in-law were also in Atlanta. So I had a good time with the whole family! Surprisingly, when I landed in Atlanta, again there was a snow storm! It was my wish come true the second time around! In Atlanta, I was actually 'vacationing' in the sense that I was just lazing around doing nothing :) My day would consist of getting up, getting ready, eating, watching TV, playing with the baby, occasionally stepping out to visit places and then again back to bed. It was nice! The first outing was to the Riverpoint Mall (I am not very good with names) where we shopped for clothes and other things. Then I went to Walmart to shop for gifts for my friends. We also visited the Swami Narayana temple which was very beautiful. Another day, we visited downtown Atlanta and saw many interesting places. On the way we saw the King and Queen building; a magnificent structure that looks like the king and queen chess pieces. When we reached downtown, we first saw the Coca-cola factory. Then we visited the Titanic Aquarium, the largest aquarium in Georgia. It was fantastic! We saw different varieties of fishes, whales, sharks, and colorful sea creatures. We also went for a 3-D show about fishes. It was very cute. The aquarium was built in such a way that it could hold gallons and gallons of water - so much water that could flood the whole of Georgia if released! After we came out of the aquarium, we had our lunch at a North Indian restaurant called Haveli and then took a stroll in the Centennial Olympic Park. The Park had the names of all the participants in the Olympics that was held there long ago. We also played at the Musical Fountain which would dance to the tune of the music and we could dance along with it. Finally, we visited the CNN Centre and took a tour where they explained how the news shows are conducted. We took the world's longest elevator up to the newsroom! We returned home after a long and eventful day. The next day, I left Atlanta and traveled on to my next destination.

Destination 3 - St.Louis, Illinois. Home of 'modelmyl' and 'labakh das' (i.e. my sister and brother-in-law). From the airport, we went around shopping for groceries and then we went home and had a nice dinner. We then went to the St.Claires Mall and did some window shopping. Next day, I watched movies back-to-back in the morning and had delicious cereals. In the evening, we went to this Mexican restaurant called Tex Mex. Another day (it was quite chill), we went downtown to visit tourist sites. We saw the St.Louis Arch which is like the space needle in Seattle that shows the whole view of the city. We then went to the St.Louis Riverfront. Then we went driving through the city and my bro-in-law (bil) took some stunning snaps of me in front of the United States Court House. After that we came home and had some delicious Thai food prepared by my bil. Next day we went to the St.Louis Union Station; official train station for St.Louis. Amazing to see shops, fountains, restaurants etc. in a train station. It was huge! From the train station, we went to the Anheuser Busch beer company for a tour. This is the company that produces the famous Budweiser beer. It was a nice tour where we learned about the process of beer making and practically experienced it. We saw different beer bottles being displayed and the carts that were used to transport them during earlier days. We also saw the horses that used to pull those carts (real horses). Then we toured the factory and finally we joined the tourists for some beer sampling. After the beer company tour, we visited a casino. unfortunately, they didn't believe I was over 21 and so refused to let me in. So we headed back home. On the way, we had the Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Delicious is not the word! I loved it!! It was so good that I ate four in a row! If I would miss anything about the US, it would be Krispy Kreme doughnuts. The next day (which was also my last day in America), we went to Chicago (a five hour car drive from St.Louis). Chicago was the US I saw in the movies. Huge buildings towering above us. Overwhelming to look at! Incidentally, it was also St.Patrick's day and I could see a lot of green around me. We went to the Magnificent Mile which was filled with people. It was a mile long walk with all kinds of shops and visiting places on the way. We went on the Chicago River walk and saw the Seers Tower (similar to space needle or the arch). We then saw the huge statues of the Old Man and Lady (I don't know what it is actually called) and then saw a building which won an award. Then we went to the Disney store, Apple shop and had coffee at Starbucks. It was so much fun that I didn't realize I was late for my flight! So we rushed to the airport and then I got into my plane at the nick of time (thankfully!).

So overall it was a nice trip though there is still much left to see. My first impression of America is that it is a nice place to visit but not a nice place to live in. I feel it is very impersonal and if one doesn't know anyone then they would be lost in that country. I would prefer to live in India with it's chaos and commotion :) However, I would surely love to travel more and spend sometime there again given a chance. Of course, this time I would take my husband along with me (or the other way around)!

Last time I saw you..

The last time I saw you was in the rain,

You stood there looking at me go,

You took me to the car covered in your scarf,

I was happy to be with you in the rain.

The last time I saw you was in the rain,

We talked about this and that,

You thanked me for that cosmetic I gifted you,

We were singing along, a nice song in the rain.

The last time I saw you was in the rain,

I hope to see you again and again.

One year up and still going strong!

July 11th 2008 was the day I got married. Can't believe one year passed by so quickly! It was a wonderful first year and I look forward to spending the rest of my days with the man I love. Wish me a Happy Anniversary! :)

My first car!

I bought my first car today!! A Hyundai i10 Magna (Automatic transmission). I am quite excited. Will keep you'll posted on how I paint the city red with my Electric Red beauty :)

Save Earth

I am not an environmentalist but the following video pushed me to think like one. Do watch it when you have time!

http://www.youtube.com/homeproject

It is too late to be a pessimist. Lets start working towards healing Earth. Simple things to do - buy natural products, use bio-degradable materials, walk as much as possible, plant trees, conserve water and tell your friends!

Adam Smith on panhandling

"Man has almost constant occasion for the help of his brethren, and it is in vain for him to expect it from their benevolence only. He will be more likely to prevail if he can interest their self-love in his favour, and show them that it is for their own advantage to do for him what he requires of them. Whoever offers to another a bargain of any kind, proposes to do this. Give me what I want, and you shall have this which you want, is the meaning of every such offer; and it is the manner that we obtain from one another the far greater part of those good offices which we stand in need of. It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love."

The above paragraph is extracted from Adam Smith's book, "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations", where he says that the 'invisible hand' of the society works because Man is basically selfish. He works towards maximizing his own well being (in terms of wealth, happiness and so on) which leads, knowingly or unknowingly, to the betterment of the society. Given that man depends on others for his sustenance, Smith points out that he could get what he needs either from others' benevolence or by offering something that would interest them. Smith also thinks that the second way is much better as it is scalable and sustainable. I totally agree with Mr.Smith.

Now lets look at panhandling (more widely known as begging) - a social problem that is highly prevalent in India. Though Adam Smith doesn't specifically talk about begging, his indication that depending on the benevolence of others isn't an efficient way of getting things done, shows that begging is an inefficient occupation as far as societal synergy is concerned.

In India, there are over two million homeless people. As the Indian government is not quite proficient in providing employment opportunities to these people, almost all of them take to begging on the streets. Wait, lets not blame the government in Toto. Begging is also the outcome of 'laziness' among people. If one can earn around Rs.40 a day by begging on an average, would they be willing to pull carts or carry loads? Yes, if they have a drive in them to achieve something and plan for the future. But Indians, by their very nature, are short sighted. They live for the day and what better way to pass the day than begging on the streets?

A more cruel story which has been told in the recent past in different movies, is about beggar trafficking. The stories of how small children, the handicapped and aged people are being forced to beg by criminal gangs are grotesque. If this is true, then the law enforcers have to take immediate action.

According to me, the very first step in ensuring that begging stops is to discourage it by refusing to give any money. It seems cruel to say no to a poor guy on the street but think of the greater good. If there is no 'demand' for begging their will be no 'supply'. In time, the beggars will have to find an alternative occupation to fend for themselves which will add to our GDP directly or indirectly.

Think about it.

Poverty definition

World bank defines poverty as consumption less than $1.25 per day. But is that the best measure of poverty? How about the Indian definition - consumption under Rs.15 a day? Based on estimates and CPI/WPI of the 1990s, this definition is totally irrelevant when we look at the current inflation rates. The question is not just adjusting for inflation but also whether we are looking at the correct variables. Is income or consumption the only measure of poverty? Should we look at more qualitative variables like health? Also, in recession times I think poverty needs to be drastically redefined. Now even IT professionals who are suddenly out of a job have become poor. It is quite difficult to arrive at an exact definition of poverty but for the time being I will stick to what the world bank says.

Noor

Zarre zarre mein usi ka noor hai

Jaankh kudh mein woh na tujhse door hai

Ishq hai usse toh sabse ishq kar

Ishq hai usse toh sabse ishq kar

Is ibadhat ka yehi dastoor hai

Isme usme aur usme hai woh

Isme usme aur usme hai woh

Yaar mera har taraf barpoor hai

How difficult can it be?

I want to ask you this - is it that difficult to find topics to engage in conversation with me? Wasn't there a time when we talked about everything under the sun? Conversation, then, flowed like water. Now it is stuck like in deep shit. Well, I tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn't even matter...

Illuminati

"The Enlightened Ones".. Very interesting concept.. Led by Galileo, Milton and the others, this group was brave enough to raise its voice against the Church - the institution which ruled the world! Yes, they were penalized for this as expected. But come to think of it, anyone is penalized if he/she raises his/her voice against "power". Lets take our politicians. They are supposed to be our 'servants'. We appoint them, give them responsibilities and pay them. But can we go and ask them to do our work? No. Because they are protected by their 'power' and with sheer force, they could jeopardize our very existence in a jiffy. Well, I don't want to join the Illuminati against our politicians. But I surely want to have more say in how the country should be run. After all, I am working hard to feed the politicians, aren't I?

Travel Blog 2: Honeymoon @ Mauritius

Well before I start telling you about our trip to Mauritius, I should tell you that I got married (or you may have some bad ideas!). Briefly - I got married to a Software Engineer, Vinayak Murthy. I was going around with this guy for 5 years and some months (before marriage), plus currently 10 months (after marriage). Of course, it will hopefully continue for some more time ;)

Anyways, coming to the more interesting part; after marriage Vinay and I went on a Honeymoon trip to Mauritius. And what follows is an account of this trip.

Mauritius is a small but beautiful country. The roads are clean, traffic is well controlled and, to top it all, the people are real nice! We booked our trip through a travel agent but it would be worth to explore it by oneself. So when we arrived at the Mauritius airport, we were picked up in a nice big car by our escort, who dropped us at our resort - Hotel Klondike. The resort was fabulous! Our room was facing the beach; awesome breeze and a beautiful view. The food, however, was not very good (maybe we just didn't fancy African food).

Day 1: First evening, we took it light with a walk on the beach and a romantic dinner (no details about what happened in the night).

Day 2: Second day on, we went out to explore the country. The first place we visited was the Casela zoological park. We got to see peacocks, tortoises, different kinds of birds and fishes and even monkeys. It was like any ordinary zoo and we thought there is nothing much to expect. Then we heard that there was a special tour that we could take if we could part with a few more Mauritian dollars. We took it just for fun, not knowing what was in store. There was this long bus journey through some green forest-like areas and finally we arrived at our destination. And what do you think we found there? Lions! Living and breathing and right in front of us! We were in a group and were given a stick for protection (would you ever have guessed a lion could be frightened of a teeny-weeny stick?). We were then taken one after the other to pose near the lions. It was fascinating to show off later but I was damn scared sitting next to a lion!! We got to see cheetahs as well.

Day 3: The third day, we visited a bottle making company where we had a chance to observe how bottles are made from glass. We also posed before the 'magic mirrors' that made us look fatter and shorter than we actually are. Quite funny! After that, we went to a ship making company and saw very small to titanic-size ships on display. Then we went on a long drive and stopped to take pictures of beautiful views on the way. We visited the drinking water reservoir of Mauritius. Amazing to see how that small reservoir could quench the thirst of all the Mauritians put together! Afterwards, we went to a shiva temple where there was a huge Shiva Statue right in front. Magnificent structure. Then we went to the Black River park with a mountain view, followed by a visit to the water fall (I was very scared of the height!). Finally we went to see the seven colour sand (volcanic area). After a long and exciting day we went back to the resort to relax on the beach

Day 4: We met with some relatives living in Mauritius who were very nice and took us out to visit more places. We went with them to Port Louis which is the capital of Mauritius. We saw the ships in the harbour. Then we went to Le Caudan Waterfront; a mall in Port Louis. It was like the city centre and had many people walking around. We went to a casino there and I won two Mauritian dollars! Afterwards, we went to a racing course and watched an exciting horse race. At the end of the day, we went to our relatives place and together with their family, went out for dinner. During dinner, our relatives surprised us with a cake with lighted crackers and a Mauritian traditional dance by the waiters! It was very nice.

Day 5: On the fifth day of our visit, we went to another island near Mauritius. We took a motor boat ride to that island. On the way we did adventure sports like para sailing, undersea walk and tube ride. Para sailing was very exciting and it helped bring down my fear of heights. Undersea walk was a walk with nature. We got to touch the fishes! The gear was too heavy for our tiny heads but we didn't feel the weight at all under the water. Finally, the tube ride was exhilarating!

Day 6: On the final day of our Honeymoon trip, we went to meet our relative who took us for a tour of the Pepsi company. We saw how Pepsi produced and marketed its various drinks. After that, there were more family visits. Finally the trip came to a sad end at the airport and we took our return flight back to our homeland.

So folks, that is how our honeymoon trip went by. You may be wondering whether we had time to do the real stuff but believe me we did! It was fun unlimited!!! :)

Guilty or not guilty?

How do you determine whether you are guilty or not?

Simple, ask these questions to yourself:-

1. Who is the person(s) I respect the most?
2. Will I tell this person(s) that I did such and such thing?

If the answer is yes for the second question, then you are 'not guilty'.

From time immemorial, we have been deciding what is 'good' and 'bad' and what is 'right' and 'wrong' based on the views of our near and dear. My mom thinks drinking is bad for health so I feel guilty when I drink. My dad thinks going out with boyfriends is taboo so I feel guilty when I go out with my guy friends. One would have experienced these feelings more often than not.

But what really decides guilt should not be the opinion of others, it should be the right thing according to our values and opinions. If I think taking drugs is really injurious to health, I will never take it. On the other hand, if I think taking drugs is not injurious to health, but I feel my mom wouldn't like it, I will just take drugs and not tell my mom. So which is more effective?

Self realization matters.

I rest my case!

...

Oh there goes the green light,
Now it has changed to red,
Oh, I need, I need, the green light,
So I can go early to bed.

It's raining

It is raining, I see,
But I maybe hallucinating,
It is raining, I feel,
But I maybe hallucinating,
The clouds are dark, on sky blue,
Drops of dew on flowers anew,
Is it raining? I ask,
You are contemplating...