Entry for May 22, 2006

My Blame Rant

I have lived in the US for about 10 years now and I am amazed at the things that People Sue for. I think blaming others for what goes wrong is one of the weirdest traits we humans have. After a lot of exercise in being aware of the times I blame others, I came to the conclusion that I cannot eliminate that urge to blame completely. So I did the next best thing I could think off, Distraction.  I came up with a few fun things to do when I want to blame someone or something.  I blame them on something completely inanimate, something that can never ever react to my rants and accusations. I also like to make it totally inane and illogical so that it is more fun.  

 

Every time I behave in a manner that I can’t be proud of, I notice that it is in the week that has either the full moon or the new moon.  So I go, “Well, it’s the full/new moon”.  If my kids don’t eat what I cooked … fast food restaurants are to blame, if my kids were not so pre-occupied with the great food they make (*sigh*), the food I cook would taste great.   If I can’t sleep at night… Starbucks is to blame, if it wasn’t for all that caffeine I smell from memory, I would sleep so well.  When my kids quarrel with each other… The white house defense strategists are to blame, if it wasn’t for all the news of their wars around the world to control energy resources, my kids wouldn’t know how to quarrel over toys. 

 

We can also blame Nordic track, when we become overweight, seriously why can’t they make treadmills that burn calories when we just stand on it, instead of having to really exercise.  Blame the automakers, if the car refuses to let the pedestrian cross the street. Why aren’t they making cars that have eyes, why do I have to watch where I am going.  While we are at it- Blame the snack food for not refusing to be eaten, why they don’t fight us when we eat more.  Blame the  TV’s and Video games for not having a social life, those gadgets should refuse to turn on if we used them for more than an hour a day. Blame those catwalk models for breakups in relationships, if it wasn’t for them, our spouses wouldn’t go off with someone more beautiful/handsome.  Blame the toxicity in our bodies on  the rising cost of drinking water, if it wasn’t for that we would remember to drink water instead of carbonated drinks to cleanse our system.

I wonder if the animals of the world blame us for their dwindling habitats, forest fires, droughts, floods etc. I wonder if the numerous Antibiotic resistant, disease causing Bacteria blame us for making them so strong.  Hmmmm… off to think of more things to blame for things that go wrong in my life.

 

Hold within - CC #102

Walking with you quietly
Wishing we could be this way
Everyday of our lives, while
Desperately hoping you
never know, all that I hold within.

Just for a brief moment
I look in your eyes
The brown grey pools of calm
Kind, affectionate and almost amused
You look at me with a teasing "What?"

I shake my head, "Nothing" I mumble
Embarassed to be caught staring
Wishing I could hold your stare,while
Desperately hoping you
never know, all that I hold within

Cool winters herald the spring
New beginnings nature brings,
I watch the creatures dance in love
My mind filling with thoughts of you
Knowing I can never dance with you.

Things never to be spoken off
Where traditions reign supreme
Longing fills my every cell, while
Desperately hoping you
never know, all that I hold within.

Years stroll by,
work diminishes the yearning,
Living, a life of duty and honour
For the past fifty years.
Then  on a dry autumn day,
On the day of the dead
We walk again like years ago, 
Beyond the colorful glade
You stop and say
"Not that it matters now,
But I want you to know,
I have always loved you."

I stare back surprised
This time holding your stare
wondering about Life's little Ironies.
Unbridled sobs rack my being
Desperately wishing I could
Turn back time, letting go of
All that I held within.

Tour Creative challenge # 102 - Beyond

Were we Better off then?

I got this mail from a cousin of mine. Thought it was quite true.

According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the 60's, 70's and early 80's probably shouldn't have survived, because our baby cots were covered with brightly coloured lead-based paint which was promptly chewed and licked.



We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, or latches on doors or cabinets and it was fine to play with matchboxes!

When we rode our bikes, we wore no helmets, just chappals and fluorescent sticker on our wheel guard.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or airbags - riding in the passenger seat was a treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle and it tasted the same.

We ate chips, bread and laddoos and drank sugarcane juice with added sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing.



We shared one drink with four friends, from one bottle or glass and no-one actually died from this.

We would spend hours riding cycles without support wheels and then went top speed down the road, only to find out we weren't still so confident on the bike!!!



After running into stinging bees / thorn bush a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We would leave home in the afternoon and could play all evening, as long as we were back before it got dark. No one was able to reach us and no one minded.



We did not have Play Stations or X-Boxes, no video games at all. No 99 channels on TV, no videotape movies, no surround sound, no mobile phones, no personal computers, no DVDs, no internet chat rooms.



We had friends - we went outside and found them.

We played with marbles on the main street without footwear and sometimes that road really hurt! We fell out of trees, got cut, and broke bones but there were no law suits.



We had full on fist fights but no prosecution followed from other parents.

We played chap-the-door-run-away and were actually afraid of the owners catching us.

We walked to friends' homes. We also, believe it or not, WALKED to school; we didn't rely on mummy Or daddy to drive us to school, which was not just round the corner.



We made up games with sticks and pebbles.

We rode bikes in packs of 7 and and wore the same shoes all summer!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of... They actually sided with the law.

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever.

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. And you're one of them. Congratulations!



Pass this on to others who have had the luck to grow as real kids, before lawyers and government regulated our lives, for our own good. For those of you who aren't old enough, thought you might like to read about us.



This my friends, is surprisingly frightening......

and it might put a smile on your face:

The majority of students in universities today were born in 1985.

They are called youth.

For them, there has always been only one Germany and one Vietnam.

AIDS has existed since they were born.

CD's have existed since they were born.

Michael Jackson has always been white.

They believe that films such as Devdaas were written recently.

They can never imagine life before computers.

The joy of watching T.V. together with the entire neighbourhood.

They can't believe a black and white television ever existed.

And they will never understand how we could leave the house without a Mobile phone.

Memories

Last week, on the 26^th, it was the 14^th death anniversary of my grand-dad. Some how, my thoughts seem to be going back to him, although he has become a figment of my imagination.  The things I remember about him are vague at times and so vivid at times.  It's almost as if he is not there but there in my life.  

I know from memory, he was a very soft spoken man.  He used to write stories, poems and draw pictures. He had a good voice; he used to sing the typical Coorgi folk songs. He craved out toys from bamboo.  He knew to weave strips of cane into interlocked rings.  I remember a flute like instrument he made from bamboo, which he used to play.  He loved a good meal.  He loved a good game of cards. He loved his arm chair, the cattle, the chicken, the pigs, the dogs and the cats.  The chickens were so used to him that they used to peck the grain from his hand. He knew the names of each and every cow, bull and calf in the shed.  It was like he was acquainted with their life like it was his own. He had even taught one of the dogs to show its teeth when he said "smile".   He and my grand-mum had a bond of fierce loyalty, love, honor, respect and humour.  I don't know what my grandmom felt as I was not there for his funeral; I had my Finals at the time. I sometimes wish I knew him better.  For now, I know, I have parts of him in me. For that I am ever grateful.

One of the things I loved about going to my grandparent's home was the sense of open spaces, large fields of rice, coffee plants in more shapes and design than any gallery of wooden sculptures,  large trees laden with jackfruits, wild mangoes and the Shrubs with oranges, numerous berry plants whose names I still don't know.  Depending on the season of our visit, there was a different view awaiting me.   We mostly avoided the monsoons, because when you step on the ground, you can be sure that you have generously donated blood to the hungry leach.  Leaches are very impartial; they treat all beings with red blood the same way.

I remember my visit during the harvest festival, the fields were so awesome.  The rice stalks were laden with rice and were bent with humility.  They had a yellow brown hue and each time the winds blew, the entire fields formed waves, moving in one direction. Standing at the vantage point the view is a sight to behold. It felt like all the rice stalks spoke to each other and had practiced with dedication to achieve such a synchronous movement.

I don't know if I could survive a lifestyle that my grandparents had. My knowledge of farming is limited to Potted plants, and that of the animals, to the fact that pet dander/fur makes my allergies worse<<giggling>>.  Their day started at 5 am, when I am usually wondering if I could snatch another 10 minutes of sleep.  Their day ended by 9 pm, when I am usually getting things ready for the next day and then maybe read something before heading to bed.  Their most reliable vehicle was their feet and their strength was their faith in the abundance of the earth, while mine is the Car and my strength is this belief that I come from a lineage of Strong minded people.   I feel that their hard life gave them an appreciation and a sort of grounding that most of us lack today.  They worked with the rhythm in nature, they moved with the seasons. They bore the brunt of the seasons and ate the foods that were part of the cycle. While we have our "frozen/Imported/Greenhouse grown" foods and air-conditioned homes.

Am I being Nostalgic for something that looks good from far away? Or does some part of me Know that there was goodness then that isn't there now? Hmm...Off to ponder land again J

Windows to our soul

Eyes of different hues,
Black, brown, grey and blue

Eyes that peep,
Into a stranger's soul

Eyes so deep,
Holding you whole

Eyes holding our heart,
When we are far apart

Eyes that forever smile,
While walking a steep mile

Eyes that talk,
Never needing words

Eyes so sore,
No need to say more.

Eyes of kindness
Lending a helping hand

Eyes of impatience,
Questioning our worth

Eyes that hold tears un-cried
Staying strong for those they love.

Eyes that spill the joy,
Lighting up the entire room

Eyes that bring darkness,
Spreading a sense of doom.

Eyes that laugh,
When the lips are quiet

Eyes so harsh,
When words are not

Eyes so gentle,
With Love Divine

Our Eyes, Truly
The windows to our soul.