never mourn in life

A snowflake is one of God's most fragile creations, but look at what they can do when they stick together! - Anonymous

2010-01-18T00:59:00.016+05:30

Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder
Where it's so white as snow
Privately divided by a world so undecided
And there's nowhere to go

In between the cover of another perfect wonder
And it's so white as snow
Running through a field where all my tracks will be concealed
And there's nowhere to go

When to descend to amend for a friend
All the channels that have broken down
Now you bring it up, I'm gonna ring it up
Just to hear you sing it out.

Well for those who are still taxing their brains and thinking that you have read it somewhere (heard it?) and I not the kind of person to come up with such words, you are absolutely correct! Its a small excerpt from a song by Red Hot Chili Peppers. I am not going to give away the name of the song now. You are just one step away from getting it - just google for it. Okay one more hint now! The opening lines of the song -

Come to decide that the things that I tried
Were in my life just to get high on.

By now you must be pretty confused as in where am I leading you to by making you think so much. Its not a online quiz contest that I am hosting and that you can win some prizes at the end of the day. Well the opening lines of the song say it all for that matter. It was last Saturday when I was at one of my friend's house. It also happened to be the last weekend of the winter break. Come on, you cannot end the break on a sad note. Lets venture out for a new level of ecstasy. We decided to go and visit Lake Ontario. Now for those who are wondering what is so great about a visit to a lake, let me share some information with you. Lake Ontario happens to be one of the Great Lakes situated on the border of USA and Canada. At this time of the year it becomes really cold out here and there happens to be snowfall every other day. The week before that, Rochester had experienced a whole week of heavy snowfall. As an aside the feels like temperature that night was about turned out to be -26 C.

Anyway we decided to head off to our destination. It was about twilight when we reached the lake. The pictures below shall certify to what I say. There was one other car in the parking area other than ours. People usually do not go over to such places at this time of the year for obvious reasons.

Once we got off we started walking along huge stretches of untrodden snow one or two feet high. In the beginning I was enjoying it a lot, taking pictures with my friends camera and running around in joy. I love jumping on thick layers of fluffy snow and then your feet goes down and you are immersed in some white mass all around you.

As time passed by within five or ten minutes I realised that the cold weather was actually turning out to be a disaster for me. I am to blame for that to some extent. I was not wearing by gloves as usual and my hands were freezing. I gave up on taking pictures temporarily and slid my hands into my pockets but not much of a relief though. I felt as if my hand was becoming stiff and I was not able to move all my fingers properly. I was shivering in at the though what if.... Anyway I think I am not doing a great job by saying things like this. Instead I will show you some pictures and they shall speak for themselves.

This picture shows the frozen lake on its left and on the right its there is a small platform of about five hundred meters in length across which one can walk into the lake to some extent. The sharp pointed spear kind of things looked like stalactite to me.

A view of the frozen lake across meeting the horizon.

This was the most amazing thing I saw there. There were small stretches where the lake was not frozen but I still wonder how those ducks could survive in such a habitat.

The two pictures below are of the same spot but shot from different angles at different time of the year. The first one was taken sometime back in September and the next one - it goes without saying. You can clearly make out the drastic changes that have occurred.

Another view of the lake where it was not completely frozen but you could see chunks of ice floating on it. Its very difficult for such a huge water mass to be completely frozen. Oh at this site, I was reminded of the Titanic and I was wondering how much must have the people suffered who passed away in that incident. Drowning into a freezing river...

At the end of the day I was extremely delighted and happy to see the world so white as snow. I had witnessed one more Nature's beautiful but chilling images. I would like to thank my seniors who took me over there (Kris)hanu, (J)oy, (Nilot)pal. Special thanks to (Jef)frey for the pictures.

Lets end it on a happy note with a famous comic character's misadventure.

Love is the language which the blind can see and the deaf can hear

2009-02-08T01:09:00.013+05:30

This is a dialouge between two close friends who sing themselves out to each other. The story is formed out of a collage of various songs.

P.S. The names of the songs which pop up in their conversation have been included in brackets.

(Viloet Hill - Coldplay)

Was a long and dark December
From the rooftops I remember
There was snow
White snow

Clearly I remember
From the windows they were watching
While I froze down below

(I am with you - Avril Lavinge)

ME :

I'm standin' on the bridge
I'm waiting in the dark
I thought that you'd be here by now
There's nothing but the rain
No footsteps on the ground
I'm listening but there's no sound

Isn't anyone tryin to find me?
Won't somebody come take me home
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are
But I... I'm with you
I'm with you

(The Sound of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel)

ME :

Hello darkness, my old friend,
I've come to talk with you again,
Because a vision softly creeping,
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Come up to meet you,
Tell you I'm sorry,
You don't know how lovely you are.

(Scientist - Coldplay)

DARKNESS :

I had to find you,
Tell you I need you,
Tell you I set you apart.

Tell me your secrets,
And ask me your questions,
Oh let's go back to the start.

(Yellow - Coldplay)

ME :

Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And everything you do,
Yeah they were all yellow,

I came along
I wrote a song for you
And all the things you do
And it was called yellow

(One Last Breath Creed)

DARKNESS :

I'm looking down now that it's over
Reflecting on all of my mistakes
I thought I found the road to somewhere
Somewhere in His grace
I cried out heaven save me
But I'm down to one last breath
And with it let me say
Let me say

(Shy Boy - Katie Melua)

DARKNESS :

So good looking you seem to be
But you're too tongue-tied to say hi to me,
You could make it happen so easily
Woah, I'll tell you why boy,
'Cos I'm looking for a shy boy

Most guys advertise
By making eyes and telling lies
If you only knew,
You could make your dreams come true
All you gotta do is ask me to

(All I want is you - Juno)

DARKNESS :

Take me by the hand and stand by my side
All I want is you, will you stay with me?

(Nine Million Bicycles - Katie Melua)

ME :

We are twelve billion light years from the edge,
That's a guess,
No-one can ever say it's true
But I know that I will always be with you.

(If You Were A Sailboat - Katie Melua)

DARKNESS :

Sometimes I believe in fate,
But the chances we create,
Always seem to ring more true.
You took a chance on loving me,
I took a chance on loving you.

(In the End - Linkin Park)

ME :

In the end one thing
I don't know why
It doesn't even matter how hard you try
Keep that in mind
I designed this rhyme to explain in due time
All I know

Time is a valuable thing
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings
Watch it count down to the end of the day

(Clocks - Coldplay)

DARKNESS :

Lights go out and I cannot be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Brought me down upon my knees

ME :

Confusion never stops
Closing walls and ticking clocks
Gonna, come back and take you home
I could not stop that you now know

(There She Goes - The La's)

ME :

Her walk, her talk
Her way her savoir faire
There she goes

Photons have mass?! I didn't even know they were Catholic

2008-08-31T13:41:00.011+05:30

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. -Albert Einstein

There has always been a superposition of religion and science in some sense and each one tries to answer the other ones existence in some sense. Being a bit well versed in science in comparison to religious matters, I will try to analyse religion and mainly its sole originator God from a scientific bend of mind and see if we can do any justice to the problem. I guess a question has already popped up in the mind of few readers. Does God exist indeed that we should go ahead and speak about understanding Him/Her? This question itself can be debated to a great extent and the atheists will definitely voice their opinion against the motion. I will not answer this question and leave it up to you to decide whether God exists or not. The main problem is that there isn't any universally accepted definition of God.

It is as impossible for man to demonstrate the existence of God as it would be for even Sherlock Holmes to demonstrate the existence of Arthur Conan Doyle.

Unlike a mathematician I will avoid answering the question of existence and take it for granted that God exists. The main reason behind this assumption is that, I personally believe there must be a superpower of some form overlooking us all the time and managing this big show. The point is how are we going to view this superpower. God's supervision over earth can be compared to say Batman's monitoring over the Gotham city (superman's supervision) or in some other naive form as per their wish.

We should not stop answering this question of utter importance at such a childish level. Now the question arises as in how do we portray God. Its like saying having known the velocity of an electron with certainty we will not be able to predict its position even though we know it exists. If we claim that God exists we should give an attempt to find an answer to this question.

The question- how do we view God has haunted the minds of many great philosophers across all ages. I guess we haven't found an unique, universally accepted answer to this question yet. Scientific discoveries have helped us answer so many mysteries and made life easier for us. But it is surprising to see that even a question like this has been avoided. Is something wrong with our thinking process then? We have developed sophisticated, non trivial mathematics and still we are not equipped to answer this question. A day may come when some other theory or way of understanding will develop. Something which will be convincing, elegant and answer question which Science did not answer.

I believe explaining what God is in reality is non trivial. Some people like Buddha and many others claim to have seen God. The difficulty is that their observations are not reproducible and cannot be shared. They used different techniques unlike any scientific method and claim to have found an answer. But on the other hand their way of thinking did not achieve those feats and those answers which science has reached and made life simpler for us. In a way this tussle between religion and science may last for ages and they will not reconcile.

Purpose of Life

2007-01-29T10:53:00.002+05:30

Has anyone ever pondered about the question that what is the essence of our living? I hope not, or even if people who have thought about it are very few in number. I have gathered mixed responses in this regard.

Some say that life is just a transition between birth and death, it is meant to be enjoyed to the full extent. They try to be cool in all matters that happen around them. They worry not about the consequences that may follow due their actions for they think that the thing which is bound to happen will take place and nobody can stop it from happening. Thus it is worthless or futile to think about what may happen. They think not about the past nor the future but are interested in enjoying the present to the full extent.

On the other hand there is a class of people who think that one should think in advance about the future and also learn from the past. They believe that what one is today is because of the past and what one one will become tomorrow is because of the present. To them past, present and the future is equally important. Thus they think and ponder about various things and try to forecast things in advance. And when things do not match their prediction they are either frustrated or know not what to do next.

I think I have deviated from the topic a bit. Let me come back to my question.
So what is the essence of living? Is it just to make others happy (when you are small you get good marks and make your parents happy, when you start earning you should keep all your family members happy, when you grow old you should be knowledgeable enough to tell good stories to your grand children). If this what life turns out to be that is to make others happy then why join the rat race and sacrifice a lot of your own desires? After all when you die you will leave aside all your so called precious things and leave for the heavenly abode all alone just the way as you had entered the world.

Let me now make a reference to a story by Leo Tolstoy. It goes as below.
Three Questions - by Leo Tolstoy

One day it occurred to a certain emperor that if he only knew the answers to three questions, he would never stray in any matter.

What is the best time to do each thing? Who are the most important people to work with? What is the most important thing to do at all times?

The emperor issued a decree throughout his kingdom announcing that whoever could answer the questions would receive a great reward. Many who read the decree made their way to the palace at once, each person with a different answer.

In reply to the first question, one person advised that the emperor make up a thorough time schedule, consecrating every hour, day, month, and year for certain tasks and then follow the schedule to the letter. Only then could he hope to do every task at the right time.

Another person replied that it was impossible to plan in advance and that the emperor should put all vain amusements aside and remain attentive to everything in order to know what to do at what time.

Someone else insisted that, by himself, the emperor could never hope to have all the foresight and competence necessary to decide when to do each and every task and what he really needed was to set up a Council of the Wise and then to act according to their advice.

Someone else said that certain matters required immediate decision and could not wait for consultation, but if he wanted to know in advance what was going to happen he should consult magicians and soothsayers.

The responses to the second question also lacked accord.

One person said that the emperor needed to place all his trust in administrators, another urged reliance on priests and monks, while others recommended physicians. Still others put their faith in warriors.

The third question drew a similar variety of answers. Some said science was the most important pursuit. Others insisted on religion. Yet others claimed the most important thing was military skill.

The emperor was not pleased with any of the answers, and no reward was given.

After several nights of reflection, the emperor resolved to visit a hermit who lived up on the mountain and was said to be an enlightened man. The emperor wished to find the hermit to ask him the three questions, though he knew the hermit never left the mountains and was known to receive only the poor, refusing to have anything to do with persons of wealth or power. So the emperor disguised himself as a simple peasant and ordered his attendants to wait for him at the foot of the mountain while he climbed the slope alone to seek the hermit.

Reaching the holy man's dwelling place, the emperor found the hermit digging a garden in front of his hut. When the hermit saw the stranger, he nodded his head in greeting and continued to dig. The labor was obviously hard on him. He was an old man, and each time he thrust his spade into the ground to turn the earth, he heaved heavily.

The emperor approached him and said, "I have come here to ask your help with three questions: When is the best time to do each thing? Who are the most important people to work with? What is the most important thing to do at all times?"

The hermit listened attentively but only patted the emperor on the shoulder and continued digging. The emperor said, "You must be tired. Here, let me give you a hand with that." The hermit thanked him, handed the emperor the spade, and then sat down on the ground to rest.

After he had dug two rows, the emperor stopped and turned to the hermit and repeated his three questions. The hermit still did not answer, but instead stood up and pointed to the spade and said, "Why don't you rest now? I can take over again." But the emperor continued to dig. One hour passed, then two. Finally the sun began to set behind the mountain. The emperor put down the spade and said to the hermit, "I came here to ask if you could answer my three questions. But if you can't give me any answer, please let me know so that I can get on may way home."

The hermit lifted his head and asked the emperor, "Do you hear someone running over there?" The emperor turned his head. They both saw a man with a long white beard emerge from the woods. He ran wildly, pressing his hands against a bloody wound in his stomach. The man ran toward the emperor before falling unconscious to the ground, where he lay groaning. Opening the man's clothing, the emperor and hermit saw that the man had received a deep gash. The emperor cleaned the wound thoroughly and then used his own shirt to bandage it, but the blood completely soaked it within minutes. He rinsed the shirt out and bandaged the wound a second time and continued to do so until the flow of blood had stopped.

At last the wounded man regained consciousness and asked for a drink of water. The emperor ran down to the stream and brought back a jug of fresh water. Meanwhile, the sun had disappeared and the night air had begun to turn cold. The hermit gave the emperor a hand in carrying the man into the hut where they laid him down on the hermit's bed. The man closed his eyes and lay quietly. The emperor was worn out from the long day of climbing the mountain and digging the garden. Leaning against the doorway, he fell asleep. When he rose, the sun had already risen over the mountain. For a moment he forgot where he was and what he had come here for. He looked over to the bed and saw the wounded man also looking around him in confusion. When he saw the emperor, he stared at him intently and then said in a faint whisper, "Please forgive me."

"But what have you done that I should forgive you?" the emperor asked.

"You do not know me, your majesty, but I know you. I was your sworn enemy, and I had vowed to take vengeance on you, for during the last war you killed my brother and seized my property. When I learned that you were coming alone to the mountain to meet the hermit, I resolved to surprise you on your way back to kill you. But after waiting a long time there was still no sign of you, and so I left my ambush in order to seek you out. But instead of finding you, I came across your attendants, who recognized me, giving me this wound. Luckily, I escaped and ran here. If I hadn't met you I would surely be dead by now. I had intended to kill you, but instead you saved my life! I am ashamed and grateful beyond words. If I live, I vow to be your servant for the rest of my life, and I will bid my children and grandchildren to do the same. Please grant me your forgiveness."

The emperor was overjoyed to see that he was so easily reconciled with a former enemy. He not only forgave the man but promised to return all the man's property and to send his own physician and servants to wait on the man until he was completely healed. After ordering his attendants to take the man home, the emperor returned to see the hermit. Before returning to the palace the emperor wanted to repeat his three questions one last time. He found the hermit sowing seeds in the earth they had dug the day before.

The hermit stood up and looked at the emperor. "But your questions have already been answered."

"How's that?" the emperor asked, puzzled.

"Yesterday, if you had not taken pity on my age and given me a hand with digging these beds, you would have been attacked by that man on your way home. Then you would have deeply regretted not staying with me. Therefore the most important time was the time you were digging in the beds, the most important person was myself, and the most important pursuit was to help me. Later, when the wounded man ran up here, the most important time was the time you spent dressing his wound, for if you had not cared for him he would have died and you would have lost the chance to be reconciled with him. Likewise, he was the most important person, and the most important pursuit was taking care of his wound. Remember that there is only one important time and is Now. The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion. The most important person is always the person with whom you are, who is right before you, for who knows if you will have dealings with any other person in the future. The most important pursuit is making that person, the one standing at you side, happy, for that alone is the pursuit of life."

After all this let me tell you something about Death what I feel about it.

"One should never fear Death for once it comes to you are not there."

Check this link for fun :
http://www.deathclock.com/