Only If

If there is something in I could Lose,

It would be your Eyes.

If there is anything I would Choose,

A union with you, under the divine Skies.

If there is anyone I would ever Dream,

It would be You.

If I would love anyone to be my Queen,

It would be Thou.

If there is anything Flawless,

It's your beauty, my dear Temptress.

If there is anything Hopeless,

It's my passion Shameless.

If there is someone Ageless,

It's You, pure as a Dove,

If there is something most Priceless,

It's our Love.

Only If You Were Mine

P.S. Only If, Only If, You were Mine, These lines could be yours.

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Schools Or Five Star Hotels?

Times have definitely changed.

It's been a long 13 years since I completed my schooling. Frankly, I didn't expect the changes in schooling to be drastic.

When I was in school, my school hours ran between Half past Twelve in the afternoon till Quarter to Six in the evening. We had an early lunch at home, to rush to school and have a small thirty minute tiffin break at 3'o clock. The remaining time was spent studying.

Tiffin's were almost always bought from home itself. In an occasional  situation where you forgot the box at home or in the school bus, your friends would gladly share their food with you.

My school didn't have a canteen until I was in 8th standard. Even when it was introduced, it served only a limited set of food items, at very a economical price.

With this idea of a school  in mind, today's news article in the Hyderabad edition of The Times of India stunned me. This picture would say it all.

Here are some excerpts from the news article.

• At some schools, students cannot get food from home.

• Breakfast at one school costs Rs. 150 

• Lunch at another school costs Rs. 300, sometimes even Rs. 400

• Parents are spending Rs. 10000 per month as food expenses for children at school. This translates to Rs. 450 per day (considering 22 school days per month)

• Add to this, such expenses are mandatory and a part of the fee structure. 

For me, this is an absolute horror. If this is the amount of money parents are spending on the children, for a maximum of 2 meals a day at school, I wonder what the other expenses would look like.

If you are working professional in India, you can think about the expenses for yourself if you have both the breakfast and the lunch at work. For almost all practical purposes, your expenses will not exceed Rs. 10000 per month.

What hurts further is the fact that the Planning Commission of India has said that earning Rs. 32 per day would make a person above the poverty line. Read more about The Planning Non Sense.

Rs. 32 Vs Rs. 450. My mind has stopped working. Read the entire news article here.

There was a time when the school fees were Rs. 150 per month. Some schools offered free classes to girl students. These schools are charging Rs. 10000 for School "Meal" Fees. I ponder where are we headed.

What do I say? Well, the schools just need to be practical. And focus more on schooling and other serious stuff.

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What Works For Twilight?

What works for Twilight??

Hope you didn't exclaim Twilight What!!! If you did, to the make matters clear, it is one of the most successfull movie franchisees in recent times. 

What is it about Twilight that makes it such a money spinner and a hit with the audience, old and young, men and women??

First of all, its the Romance. Romance has never failed cinema, and will never fail. The reason - love is our eternal need. And everyone wishes to be blessed with unbounding love as showcased in the movie. 

Twilight Romance

Next, if love is near, can A Love Triangle be far behind? Nope. The movie is a love triangle of epic proportions - between an ordinary girl, a vampire who doubles up as a man and a werewolf. 

Twilight Love Triangle

Both, the vampire and the werewolf, love the lady and try to keep her away from each other, possessed with usual bouts of jealousy. As for her, she tries her best to balance between her friends, at times even appearing manipulative. 

Next comes Selfless Love. If my last few lines indicated selfish love, selfless love is one of the cornerstones of the movie. 

Twilight Selfless Love

The next scene is an excellent example of Selfless Love :- The girl loves the vampire. Yet, on a cold winter night, when his cold body would not be of any use to keep her warm, he lets her snuggle in the arms of the warm blooded werewolf.  

The Characters is one of the factors which is making people fall in love with this movie. 

You have a little young girl, Isabella Swan, popularly known as Bella, who is the center of attention. She is affable, pretty and uncertain in love. Then you have Edward Cullen, an eighteen year old vampire, who has been so for the last hundred years or so. He is attracted to her by her enigmatic mind, and she does reciprocate. 

Twilight Cast

To make matters complex, you have Jacob, Bella's pal since childhood. He showers her with love and affection, only to get some of it in return. Most surprisingly, when he turns into a werewolf, he hates himself for it.

The Supporting Characters are diverse. You have a complex cast of personas. A vampire doctor, an affectionate father who is also a police officer, a lady vampire who can look into the future, and another lady vampire who doesn't love her life as an vampire. 

Twilight Supporting Cast

You also have the bad vampires who love to make a havoc, and devour human blood.  

The Emotions showcased in this movies are beautiful and realistic, and a reflection of our daily life. You can feel the love and the passion, the care and the fondness, the hatred and the fear, trust and anticipation. There are moments of pure lust, mad rage, horror and envy. 

Twilight - Attraction and Emotion

Finally, it's The Cast which has made the movie series a grand success. Bella's character is played by Kirsten Stewart, all of 21 years. She is attractive and has done adequate justice to her role. People often accuse her being cold in her character. But what else do you expect, when you are dealing with a cold blooded vampire?

Twilight - Isabella Swan - Kirsten Stewart

Edward Cullen's character is played by Robert Pattinson To say the least, he has struck a chord among all the girls - right from little girls to old ladies. It would be interesting to note that both Kirsten and Robert are a real life pair.

Twilight - Red Carpet

Taylor Lautner plays Jacob Black, and is a central part of the movie. And my personal favorite is Ashley Greene who plays the character of Alice Cullen.

Alice Cullen - Ashley Greene

All in all, the movie series is an interesting watch. And with the last movie - Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1 - set to release soon, Twilight is all set to become more famous.

Twilight - Breaking Dawn

Twilight - Kirsten Stewart - Bella Swan Vampire

Will Cullen marry Bella? Will she become a vampire? Such questions are abound among the Twilight fans. Happy watching.

And the pictures below will definitely set your hearts racing.

Twilight Breaking Dawn Bella Swan Edward Cullen Getting Married? 

Twilgiht Breaking Dawn, Renesmee Cullen, Bella and Edward's Daughter  

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Motivation Vs Excuses

Motivation 

~~A reason to do your work.

Excuses

~~A reason NOT to do your work.

I wonder why the seeds of Excuses are much more than the sources of Motivation!

I ponder why Excuses are abundant while Motivation is rare!!

My heart feels dejected. But God whispers, Motivation is much stronger than Excuses. And I pray to God Almighty to Motivate me strongly.

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The Planning Non Sense

If there is one feeling which gripped me today morning, it was a sense of guilt. A deep sense of remorse.

Reason - A new headline in today's Times Of India. It screamed out on the first page - Rs. 32/day enough to cross 'poverty line'.

The Planning Commission of India supposedly thinks that earning Rs. 33 per day makes a person above the poverty line. For people outside India, this is just 0.66 USD, or 0.5 EUR, or 0.44 GBP at today's exchange rate.

What a sham!!

To think of it, you would have eminent economists sit on the commission, to tell this non-sense to the people of India. A guy on the street can make a much better assessment on what is needed to be above the Poverty Line.

These silly guys have the guts to give the assessment pictured above. 

If you spend 2 Rupees 30 paise on milk, a day, and drink 85 ml of milk, this would make you above the poverty line. Is this quantity of milk even sufficient for a 6 month old child, for his mental and physical development?? 

Is 20 grams of pulses sufficient for one person for one day for maintaining his or her basic health??

Just have a thought for an Indian family with a husband and the wife, and a kid. If one person in the family is working, and earns Rs. 33 per day, what does each member of the family get? One third of the portions above. :(:(

Yes, India is not a rich country. It's an emerging economy. It has many poor people. But what our guys achieving with this assessment?? 

Even someone who is really poor is classified as above 'Poverty Line'. This would in turn have an effect on the benefits he or she would get. This in turn would effect the quality of life he or she can lead. 

It's very disgusting to have this criteria to deciding whether a person is above or below the Poverty Line.

I can say just thing. Whatever you do, whatever criteria you set, do one important thing - If you have a problem, accept the problem. If you don't accept the problem, there is no way you can resolve the problem.

Our guys here are failing to acknowledge that India has many poor people. But by doing so, they are walking 10 steps back from eradicating poverty. Hope better sense prevails and such assessments are corrected appropriately. 

If not, it would reflect very poorly on Manmohan Singh, an eminent economist by himself. 

Manmohan Sir, if you don't understand basic economics, please don't call yourself an economist.

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Seven Years

It's been seven years, since Joe became a Pro. But Joe is too tired today to write anything :)

So what does Joe do? Well, he reads what he has written an year back.  Catch my thoughts on Joe The Pro.

Maybe, the feeling is a bit more reinforced. And most importantly, a big Thank You to God Almighty for giving me strength all these years. 

But yes, why not summarize it with a few cartoons.

This is how I felt when I started with work. Everything seemed so alien.

Slowly, I was a part of a team. And succeeded in the endeavors. That's when I felt happy and proud.

And there were times when the expectations were high. Very high. I wondered what next? What shall I do more? 

That's when the boss said - Whatever it takes!!

There are times when I've been overloaded with work. To speak literally, I can recollect a few-many days of staying back continuously at office. Or rushing to work with just a brush of the teeth. Those were the moments of madness!!

And I wonder how my reportees feel when I rush to them with work. I hope, not as below. :)

All in all, it has been an interesting experience, full of ups and downs, happiness and sadness.

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Divine

I closed my eyes,

Lost myself in a dream,

On the far horizon, you were a sunrise,

Full of glory and style supreme.

I couldn't set a rhyme,

Felt as if I had commited a crime,

Let's meet once at lunchtime,

Could we set ourselves up for a lifetime?

Still an enigma,

Oh my charming diva,

You mesmerize me with your aura,

Both of us could make a wonderful saga.

It would be your heart, In which I could lose,

Your mind would be my shrine,

We could paint our lives with lovely hues,

Our company could be divine.

Lovely and Divine

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Dream Weaver

I wonder why I always paint a picture which gets washed away before it gets dried. I ponder why I always plant a sapling which does not simply stand the test of time.

I know that drops make an ocean. But with me, the drops get converted into water vapors. I ruminate why the flower always wriggles out before it blooms.

I mull why I always build castles of sand only to see them washed away by the waves - of time. I think why I always weave some dreams, only to see the threads get torn away.

A dream I weave,

Try my best to conceive,

It only does me deceive,

My heart does grieve,

Circumstances urge me to unweave,

Yet, I will try again.. to weave.

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Ageless

Walking for miles altogether,

Looking around endlessly.

Struggled as an loner,

The future swinged between bleary and flowery.

Our paths did cross,

It must be by God's grace.

On each other's heart, our name could emboss,

Never ever to erase.

Is it by chance,

That you left me in a trance.

Is it my luck,

That you left me moonstruck.

Losing in your eyes two,

I wonder if we have known others since ages.

Was that a cue,

Our union could be priceless.

Is it your kismet,

Is it my destiny,

I think it's our good fate,

Our companionship would leave us elate.

I will wait for you,

All I can do is pray to Him.

I would never ever wish you adieu,

I hope, our life is happy to the brim.

Be mine forever,

I will be yours,

Both of us would shine brighter,

With His blessing, weave a wonderful memoir.

Only if you know,

I write this for you.

Our fondness could grow,

I could be yor beau.

You could be my dame,

Charming and Priceless.

Burning like an eternal flame,

Our union could be Ageless.

Ageless

P.S. Only if I could put your picture right above. Yet you know, you could be where it matters the most - my heart and my mind.

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Eternity

Magical You,

I held you in an awe,

Softer than the early morning dew,

Your beauty, stunning and raw.

I could lose into your eyes,

Gaze into them endlessly,

Your attraction is not a surprise,

Oh my lovely Queenie.

Hold my hand, 

I will walk with you,

With His grace, our union will be grand,

Will never let you down, I promise thou.

We would paint a beautiful picture,

Color our life vividly,

Be mine forever,

I'll be yours, till eternity.

With You, Till Eternity

P.S. This is for Her.

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Unity In Diversity

Moments are priceless. Like the one below.

Unity In Diversity

This picture was snapped on the occasion of Janmashthami (Lord Krishna's Birthday). 

The proud parents of the little boy were  taking him to school to participate in the Fancy Dress Competition, dressed as Lord Krishna herself, when photographer Javed Raja captured this moment. 

This was in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujrat, and was published in the Indian Express on 19th August 2011.

It showcases the multi-cultural diversity in India and it's underlying unity.

Touch Wood.

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It's Her Day

It's Friday. The end of the week. The beginning of a weekend. :-) 

Well, as I left office, my mind was a bit unsettled. Drawing out cash from the ATM took more than the expected time. And by the time I was done, the clock read 6.58 PM. Just two more minutes for the 7 o clock bus to depart, and there was no way I could have made it in time.

I sulked. I had missed the 7 o clock bus. And I would have to wait a full thirty minutes for the next one. Not a good wait for an idle demonic mind. 

But, Surprise Surprise. As I just walked out of the exit, the bus was just rolling into the bay. And guess who stood there. It was her.  

Her

She hadn't crossed my thoughts since the last weekend - when I wondered if we would have A Tryst Forever. And there she was again. Miss Enigma. Stylish as ever. 

She bought a smile to my face. And happiness, even as I write this...For Her. 

I wonder whats between Me, Her, and Weekend's. Maybe nothing. 

That's when my MP3 rolled on. 

~~~~
Tujhe milke laga hai ye,

Tujhe dhundh raha tha main,

Tujhe milke laga hai ye,

Tujhe dhundh raha tha main...

Tujme hai kuch aisi subah sa,

Jiski khaatir main tha jaga sa,

Aa tu mera khwab sajaa ja re...
~~~~

I thanked God for playing this song at an opportune moment. After all, today, I didn't have the mental strength a write a poem for her. And this was my song for her.

Miss Enigma

But then, things happen. And here I am again, for Her.

~~~~
I know your name, 

Not yet. 

Your claim to fame, 

A beautiful persona, stunning and great. 

Mesmerizing and Enchanting,

You were at your alluring best.

It brightens up my evening,

If I could be with you, I would be blest. 

In a moment fuzzy, 

You will walk away far.

If you look back at me, 

I know the door to your heart is ajar.  

If you don't turn your head,

My heart would miss a beat.

I wouldn't let the sorrowfulness spread,

My hopes wouldn't deplete.

Some another Friday,

Both of us could be gay.

With Lord's blessing,

It will be you, me and everything.

~~~~

Only If She Looked Back

If you are wondering on whether she looked back, she didn't. I was disappointed. And if you are wondering if my heart missed a beat, Yes, It did.

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Wall Graffiti

It was just a couple of days back that hurricane Irene hurtled across the US East Coast, leaving behind lots of rains, water, floods, along with destruction to life and property. 

The Americans did their best to prepare for Irene. Apart from the clinical preparations, what stood out was the spirit of the people. This is beautifully echoed in the pictures below.

Hate Irene Graffiti

Hurricane Irene Graffiti

Hurricane Irene Hopeful Graffiti

You Are Not Welcome Graffiti

Graffiti's commonly give an outlet to the people's thoughts, in the most tense, difficult, and special moments.

If this was about Irene, have a look at some pictures in Libya. A revolution in Libya has almost overthrown Muammar Gadaffi's regime. These are some pictures right when the revolution was its fiery high.

Libya Revolution Graffiti

Libya Graffiti Against Gadaffi

And if you think of wars, one of the first name that would come to your name would be George Bush. He launched an assault in Afghanistan in 2001 to overthrow the Taliban, and later in Iran to take on Saddam Hussein.

People had to resort to street graffiti to stop Bush from starting anymore wars.

USA Graffiti Stop War And Bush

Bush started the pursuit of Osama Bin Laden in 2001. Barack Obama completed his task in 2011. Osama Bin Laden was taken out in a compound in the garrison town on Abbotabad, Pakistan.

Pakistan Graffiti Long Live Bin Laden

Bin Laden seemed to have a huge following in Abbotabad. His legacy will live on in the town.

Moving onto England. When Wayne Rooney contemplated a move to Manchester City from his parent club Manchester United, the fans were furious. This is what Rooney got for thinking about such an audacious move. 

Wayne Rooney Hate Graffiti

This was most ruthless. Rooney and his wife must have spent some sleepless nights after seeing this graffiti threat.

Next stop - Russia. Vladimir Putin is running strong. After becoming the  Prime Minister of Russia, he held the position of The President for 8 years starting 2000. Later, he had his protege Dmitry Medvedev become the President while he himself became the Prime Minister.

Later next year, once again, he plans to contest the Presidential Elections. Considering all this, this graffiti on Vladimir Putin in Russia is not surprising

Russia Putin Graffiti

Moving onto China.

In China - Graffiti Against Capitalism

And somewhere in Germany.

Anti Nazism Graffiti

Need I say more??

Love elicits the best in you. And they say you can paint a town red with Love. Well, this fellow believed in it, and acted accordingly - in spirit and action.

I Miss You Love Graffiti

And then some interesting stuff. This must have been the anger of some parent as he or she saw their child fall in love with Coke. 

Coke Graffiti

Business opportunities come in varied shapes and sizes. If you have graffiti's, you can make money by removing graffiti's. But that doesn't spare you from becoming a victim.

Graffiti Removal Graffiti

Finally, why do people paint graffiti's?

If there is one quote which will summarize the thoughts of a graffiti painters, this is one.

Blank Wall Graffiti

P.S. The credit for these beautiful pictures goes to the painters who painted the beautiful graffiti's. And the men and women out there for taking their snaps. And Google for bringing them to me and you.

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