Year End Post:The summits and trenches of 2011 :-)

Okies folks.....here we are....it's that time of the year again. Time to reminisce on the year that's passed. I remember starting the new year on a happy note but I'm ending it with mixed emotions. 2011 has been one killer of a year. And I bet people would want to forget this year from their lives...umm,at least a lot of them would!

Personally, my year has been a real cocktail! More like a pendulum of sorts. There have been times when I've felt so elated that it almost felt unreal...and then there were times when I felt that all I wanted to do was to just disappear. Highs and lows are part and parcel of the game, anyways :)

So here's what happened....

Up in the Clouds

1. Got entrusted with a lot of new responsibilities at work and my career graph is looking so good now that I have to mutter 'touchwood' every other day! :D :)
2. Realised the true value of girlfriends...never did before! I haven't had so much fun with my girlfriends as I did this year...all thanks to some lovely women like Pooja Chadda, Parminder, Manju Mathew, Ronia, Ajeetha, Vaishnavi, Misha, Anjali.....girls,I love yall! xoxo :)
3. Zeroed in on the men that matter as well. It's very few guys out there who value our friendship as much as I do...Ashwin, Rodney, Manoj, thank you so much for being there when I needed y'all the most. You ROCK! \m/ :)
4. Got my very own Laptop! I still haven't gotten over it.....still totally in love with it! :D .....and a brand new touch-screen fone too :D Love again! :P :)
5. Was made to feel good being a woman...which is a lifetime first! Never felt this way before...and to say the least, it feels great! :) There were times when I was even made to feel like Jessica Rabbit!!!!! LOL  :)
6. Started a new blog - The Cat And the Cushion - and got a lot of positive feedback for it! :) About time too....there were times when I wanted to write something on a lighter note and this place just didn't seem right for it. :)
7. Got rid of several unwanted elements in my life...it's only after I chucked them that I feel alive once again! Life's much better WITHOUT them in it :) 
8. Bonded big time with cousins and got closer to many of them....special mention for Pravish Kuttickat, Reeba Roy and Suraj Sreekumar :)
9. Ryan Gosling (*blush*blush*) happened to me :D he he! :)
10. It's been dresses galore for me this year...got a totally revamped wardrobe...New year,New look! Woohoo! :)

Down in the Dumps!

1. Lost my grandmother...possibly one of the biggest losses of my life. It's going to take me the rest of my lifetime to overcome it. :'(
2. My car fell ill for the first time :( Spent quite a few days at the workshop :( My poor baby! :(
3. Didn't get to finish seeing 'Breaking Dawn' as much as I wanted to. Darn internet connection was acting up! x-(
4. Realised that for many people, 'growing up' translated to 'growing apart' :(
5. Also realised that I need to work on my ability to understand people. Getting miserable at it with each passing day :(
6. Could not meet any friends during the summer holidays this year :(
7. Got told off several times (again!) for not behaving my age :(
8. Got misunderstood several times...some 'times' had dire consequences :(
9. Missed a lot of weddings including a plush Lebanese one too :(
10. Didn't move any forward with my manuscript....it's still gathering dust :(

There you go...that's a gist of what happened and what didn't last year. I'm done with my reminiscence. The time now is to look forwrad and hope for the very best to happen in the year ahead. I have a HUGE list of things I want to get/achieve/possess in 2012. Most of them are not yet ready to be put down in print...but I have them in mind and I am now in the process of devising methods to get what I want ;-) He He!

I take this opportunity to thank each and every one of my anonymous readers from all over the world (Yes! The blog traffic details are very flattering! :') ) for taking time to visit my blog and read my thoughts. It's your encouragement that keeps me going :) Thank you for being there!

So here's hoping 2012 is a fantastic year for everyone and several times better than the year that passed. Let's hope we don't hear too many bad news from any quarter. Wishing all my fabulous readers a wonderful New Year's Eve, a peaceful New Year's Day and a happening New Year ahead!

Much love!

With regards & prayers,

Raakhee :)

Being human...

Hello all! Belated Merry Christmas to all! :) Been a while,eh? I know,I know...I'm not going to come up with any more fancy excuses. I was genuinely busy with work. Got entrusted with a load of new responsibilities recently. To say the least....I'm lovin' it :D

 

The thought process has been working overtime though. Need to keep the mind busy if I don't want myself to get irritated with routine stuff. I was just looking around for a while...at people...at how they change...at why they change.

 

It's funny how a single incident, however small it may be, can change your idea or opinion about somebody. I mean...it could be somebody you would have held in high esteem. They do one mistake and they just tumble down in your view. So what happens to all the good things that they did? Was your opinion about them false? Do you have no sense of judgement? They are only human...they can make mistakes. The catch is...you are as human as they are.

 

 

 

It's like everything else just disappears into thin air when that person behaves in a way you least expected. It shocks you....takes you by surprise....makes you feel cheated or just plain stupid. Whatever your feeling, you just don't like it. And this dislike for yourself and your feelings translates into dislike for the other person. It happened to me...not once; but many times. It was like somebody just turned off the light in a room. So sudden. It is amazing. And then try as they might, they never regain the earlier stature bestowed upon them by us. It's like we have this thing at the back of our minds that 'he/she let me down once, he/she CAN do it again'. So we're wary of them.

 

Things are never the same again. But on the long run, maybe it's all for our good. These are just opportunities to get to know people. Chances that God throws in front of us to show us how people are in reality.

 

 

Mistakes aren't always stepping-stones

I have always maintained that the English language is a beautiful one albeit filled with plenty of idiosyncrasies and crazy contextual vagrancies! This could be just my viewpoint, of course. Many people find it easier to express themselves in their native language. Though I grew up in a household that gave a lot of importance to awareness about my native language, I must admit that English is the language I think in. It, thereby, became the language I express myself in the best way.

As the years rolled on, I have fallen more and more in love with the language. So much so that I have begun to almost revere it! :D But this has led to a problem of sorts. I can't tolerate mistakes - either grammatical or spelling! I find it (almost) criminal to make a mistake. I make mistakes too...for I am no machine. But each time I make a mistake or am told of a mistake, I make a mental note never to make it again. I would definitely not get angry with the person who pointed it out, let alone talk about them behind their backs ('who does he/she think he/she is?Shakespeare?')...

It is that very treatment that has been meted out to me most often. I get told off for correcting people on their vocabulary. People say their ego is hurt when a mistake is pointed out to them. I get told, 'But you understood what I was trying to say,no? That is important'...No,THAT is not the only thing that's important, IMHO. I find it irresistible to NOT to point out a mistake when it is made. I surely mean no harm...nor is my intent to belittle the other person. Period. But a mistake is...well...a mistake. And it is the duty of any person with a higher level of knowledge about any subject to correct another person when he/she makes a mistake in that subject. I consider it as just another way of spreading knowledge. And knowledge is a much better thing to spread than gossip or hatred! My corrective statements and raised eyebrows may be offensive to many, and I do know that I have hurt many an ego with my blunt remarks. I would be happy if people were to realise that my comments are just like an artist's advice at an amateur's careless stroke...or like how a mother adds that additonal pinch of salt to her daughter's first try at cooking (ah!now it's perfect,honey!)...I wish more people would understand.

It actually feels nice to be a candle that lights a million candles...rather than be a mirror that merely reflects :)

Hmm.....

Tears:Summer showers to the soul

The other day, I shed a few precious tears (for reasons I don't want to disclose here anyway ;) ). And let's say I had, what I'd like to call, an 'Isaac Newton' moment :D Meaning to say that the entire deed set me thinking...why did I cry now? (Okay,the first answer i got was the obvious reason as to WHY i cried...talking about the next level of the thought process here) I mean,what set off those tiny glands?Why tears when I could have had any other emotion? I could have talked it out with someone or written about it or gotten angry or whatever! But I cried. Why? Just a little deeper thought and I had my answer ready.

Imagine (or rather look back at) the day when you achieved something you had really worked hard for...something you had put your heart and soul into. It could be anything - a school prize, an acknowledgement, a grade, even a 'yes' from someone you love! Or think of a time when grief engulfed you in its murky blanket...so much so that no amount of consolation can soothe you - the loss of a loved one,an unfair accusation, getting second place by too small a margin. These are times when emotions are capable of overwhelming you...in the sense that it fills your heart and soul to the brim. You just can't take it any more. Words seem to fail you. You feel like you would rip at the seams! That's when you cry.

Crying is probably one of the best ways to let out the emotions brimming and sloshing inside you. At that moment your heart is akin to an irresponsibly filled glass...one little nudge and everything spills over! It's not always the prettiest of emotions to behold. But I am sure that many would agree with me that a good long cry does wonders to your mood, although your circumstance may or may not have changed at all. I have seen people getting hysterical and crying on TV when they see their favourite celebrity at a show (usually for Michael Jackson's shows). Why do they do that? It's just an expression of so much adulation for that icon whom they have come to idolise and worship. It is not at all a planned thing. Just an automatic body mechanism. The heart can contain a lot of things...emotions,sentiments,love,hatred,anger,jealousy,envy...but there a limit as to how much of the same thing it can handle at a time.

Then there is the famed 'tears of joy'. Oh!That's something that happens to almost everyone (it's yet to happen to me...I'm still waiting *wink*wink*). We see people getting so elated at something and then they just break down crying with that smile still on! Mothers are the best example for this. We've all seen our mothers break into tears of joy at something. For them, each thing we do is special :)

I don't know if many people do it but I cry when I'm angry. And I'm talking extreme anger here. An optional emotion would be...ahem...murder :D At such times, you really don't get the right words to express yourself. You know you have been wronged...and you sooo want to wring the neck of the @#$%&*%$# who dared to hurt you...or you know that all the allegations against you are false but nobody would believe you...or you're just plain hopping mad! In short, you're in a situation where you're alone,angry,helpless and frustrated.Just cry!Or wail....bawl....scream from the rooftop...weep....do something!But let the briny flood flow out of your eyes.

They say that holding back tears is such a wrong thing to do. Like famous British psychiatrist Henry Maudsley once said 'The sorrow which has no vent in tears may make other organs weep'. Yes...it is so true. Tears that are contained/withheld can harm you. Your mindset, your mood, your very persona....everything is affected. I, for one, get a splitting headache :-/ It's popularly considered 'feminine' to cry. Which is so wrong!Men ought to cry. Just for the reason that they are brawny and muscular, that does not mean that their hearts are made of stone! Men are emotionally weaker than women. The apt way to vent out your feelings would be to just cry in your privacy. There is absolutely no need to advertise your emotions, of course, keeping the rather critical society in picture. But let them out...it's wrong to hold back tears that wish to be freed.

Remember......Tears are the safety valve of the heart when too much pressure is laid on it.(Albert Smith)

Cheers! :)

Weirdest of the Weird

The Piri Reis Maps

16th century Turkish geographer and cartographer Piri Reis created some of the most accurate maps of the world including then-unknown places like Antartica...with the contours and details put in so perfectly that they almost look as if they had been lifted off Google Maps!Antarctica was 'discovered' only on 7 February 1821 by American sealer John Davis. How did Piri Reis make those maps then???

Island of Crete

In 1995, archaeologists discovered a piece of a large clay object that had imprints of the parts of a modern-day heavy-duty helicopter. The clay slab dates to a period more than two millenia ago. Given the fact that Crete has been an island for more than 5 million years, it is also interesting to note that there have been evidence of pre-human maritime activity to the island. Stone tools that are at least 130,000 years old have been unearthed, though the earliest known sea-travel was that of the much evolved Homo Sapiens to Australia about 60,000 years ago. Read more @ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/science/16archeo.html

Silbury Hill, England

This is the largest artificial hill in Europe. Believed to conceal an ancient step-pyramid, this mound has several mysteries attached to it.It is a part of the Avebury-Stonehenge UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is built in exactly the same way as the Giza pyramids of Egypt. The fields that lie around the mound have often been in news for the mysterious crop circles that form there. The Silbury/Avebury complex  together with Stonehenge and Glastonbury, combine to form a right angled triangle across the English landscape. The Hypotenuse is formed by the St. Michael's ley-line, which crosses England along the zenith of the May-day sun.Avebury sits exactly 1/4 of a degree north of Stonehenge. Read more @ http://www.ancient-wisdom.co.uk/englandsilburyhill.htm

Nazca Lines, Peru

The Nazca valley is a strip of level desert ground 37 miles long and a mile wide. The enormous drawings were made by removing the dark purple granite pebbles which cover the floor, and exposing the light yellow sand beneath.


The drawings were first confirmed when commercial airlines began flights over the Andes. The purpose of these drawings and the reason for their enormous size has been much debted over the years though no conclusions have been arrived at as yet.


Read more @ http://www.ancient-wisdom.co.uk/perunazca.htm 

Spheres of Costa Rica

Also known as the Diquis Spheres, the spheres of Costa Rica are mysterious rock formations in a perfectly round shape. They are more than 300 in number and are found scattered all over the region in a more-or-less geometrical pattern. The spheres range in size from a few centimetres to over 2 metres (6.6 ft) in diameter, and weigh up to 16 short tons (15 t).The stones are believed to have been carved between 200 BC and 1500 AD.

Ashoka Pillar, New Delhi

Considered to be one of the symbols of pride of India, the 7m high pillar located in the Qutub Complex is known to be unbelievably corrosion resistant,in spite of being made out of 98% wrought iron.


The pillar, which weighs more than six tons, is said to have been fashioned at the time of Chandragupta Vikramaditya (375–413) of the Gupta Empire though other authorities give dates as early as 912 BCE.


It is believed to have served as a sundial at some point of time while it was originally housed within the compound of a Jain temple.

The Siboglinidae or the Vestimentifera

One of the most mysterious creatures living on earth today, the Vestimentifera are a phylum of giant tape-worms that grow more than 2 meters in length and are found at ocean depths from 100 to 10,000 m . The pressure at these depths are close to 260 atmospheres and their primary nutrition is derived from the sulphide-rich fluids emanating from the hydrothermal vents they live by. The fact that these creatures still exist prove that even after all life has been wiped off the face of the earth, these underwater beings will surive.

Taung Child

The Taung Child — or Taung Baby — is the fossilized skull of a young Australopithecus africanus individual. It was discovered in 1924 by quarrymen working for the Northern Lime Company in Taung, South Africa.


Raymond Dart (1893–1988), an anatomist at the University of Witwatersrand, received the fossil, recognized its importance and published his discovery in the journal Nature in 1925, describing it as a new species.


The fossil consists of most of the face and mandible with teeth and, uniquely, a natural endocast of the braincase. It is estimated to be 2.5 million years old.

A juncture...a decision...a life

Some people come into your life like a hurricane. Nobody can predict when they will come or what will the impact of their presence be in your life. But they DO come...wreak havoc with your emotions...and go away just as suddenly as they came. And what are you left with? Bits and pieces of your once happy life. You are left wondering what you did to deserve all this...and the question with no answer keeps popping up in your mind-'why me?' Because as far as you can remember, you have done nought to deserve this. And then you blame it all on destiny and fate and pacify yourself saying that 'everything happens for a reason' and that 'probably God wanted to make me stronger'. So saying, you set about gathering whatever was left by the treacherous tempest and building your life once again from the scratch...with the constant fear that it may happen to you again. Things will never be the same again.

So they say 'time heals all wounds'... I've been hearing this phrase ever since I can remember. But nobody ever told me that some wounds leave scars behind...especially the very deep ones. That was a lesson I learnt by experience...and in the hard way. That phrase holds true only for wounds that are on the surface level. It does not hold true for those that are more than just skin deep. Such wounds can be created only by those whom we have emotionally invested in. And such wounds heal for sure with time...but they leave permanent scars. Each time you see the scars, you are reminded of what you went through to get that scar...the pain, the fear, the tears and every possible emotion associated with it. You might want to cover up the overtly ugly scars with something...but only makes it invisible to others. You know it is there and no amount of covering up can hide it from your own conscience. You wonder if it could have been averted in some way. And then sadly realise that there is no place for 'what-could-have-been' anymore. It happened to you and that's the bland truth. And again the question-'why me?'.

Just when you think you have everything under control (you're deliberately NOT thinking about the hurricane damage and you've programmed yourself NOT to look at the unsightly scar anymore), the hurricane returns yet again. You get hurt in the process of trying to salvage whatever you had rebuilt...thereby reopening the wound once again. And this time, it hurts even more than before. You are left shattered and shaken. Anger, disillusionment and irritation overwhelm you. And at this juncture, you have just two roads to take-either repeat the process what you did earlier or move on to someplace better. Someplace that you are sure such a thing will not happen to you again. Right now, I find myself at this very juncture. I am fairly sure of myself of what path I would choose. The memories will haunt me for a lifetime...but at least, it will not return. But when I think of all the effort I put into building up the life I am going to leave behind, I feel a tug at my heartstrings. All that effort, all the perseverance, all the hopes and dreams...all in vain? I don't know.

Hmm... :-/

Kit-Kat Fudge!

Hey there all you beautiful people! Hope everyone is in the best of spirits. First things first, though. Here's wishing all my fellow Indians a very Happy Republic Day! :-D

Today, I thought I'll share with you one of my favourite recipes. I call it Kit-Kat® Fudge (for the simple reason that it tastes uncannily like Kit-Kat®), though technically speaking it's nothing but simple home-made Chocolate FudgeJ. It is very easy to prepare and is one of the few desserts that I confidently make! :-P he he!

Ingredients

1.       1 bar of cooking chocolate (it's your choice if you want to use White chocolate or Milk chocolate or Dark Chocolate; I made it with Milk Chocolate)

2.       1 small pack of any glucose/milk biscuits

3.       1 tin condensed milk

4.       Margarine or a piece of butter for coating the tray

Directions

1.       Empty the contents of the biscuit packet into a small vessel and break the biscuits into small pieces. Try not to powder it. Rough crushing will do just fine.

2.       Coat a stainless steel plate/tray with either margarine or a piece of butter (my personal choice is butter) and set aside.

3.       Melt the chocolate in a non-stick pan. Stir the chocolate while it melts (you don't want any burning happening)

4.       After the chocolate has fully melted and once you are sure that there are no lumps left, empty the tin of condensed milk into the vessel and mix well.

5.       Now add the crushed biscuits and keep stirring.

6.       Remove from the fire and immediately pour the mix into the prepared plate/tray and spread it out to your desired thickness using a spoon or wooden spatula.

7.       Allow it to cool and then refrigerate it.

8.       The fudge hardens on refrigeration and can be cut into your desired shape.

9.       Can be served as it is or with a topping of your choice like a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Try it out and let me know how it came out.

Bon Appétit! J