Hope

Hope. It is the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength and your greatest weakness.

- The Architect

Tales of Ordinary Madness

"Intuition and romantic fatalism shouldn't be taken lightly"
-Love and Other Catastrophes

"The longing for a destiny is nowhere stronger than in our romantic life. All too often forced to share our bed with those who can not fathom our soul, can we not be forgiven if we believe ourselves fated to stumble one day upon the man or woman of our dreams? Can we not be excused a certain superstitious faith in a creature who will prove the solution to our relentless yearning? And though our prayers may never be answered, though there may be no end to the dismal cycle of incomprehension, if the heavens should come to take pity on us, then can we really be expected to attribute the encounter with the prince or princess to mere coincidence? Or can we not for once escape rational censure and read it as nothing other than an inevitable part of our romantic destiny?"
-On Love by Alain de Botton

Thats got to be the best excuse in the world for being a romantic fool. However, put so eloquently, even the fake cynic in me forgives the ones who think prince charming or lady love is right around the corner.

Refreshing !

In & Out

Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.

Some are born mad, some achieve madness and some bring madness upon them and those around them.

Unfortunately greatness and madness go hand in hand.

What makes all the difference is striking the right the balance ... Its called making a choice !

Day of Revelations

They say anger greatly reduces the functionality of our brain's logic centres but somehow to my surprise I've learnt the reverse is also true.

I suddenly have answers to so many questions that have puzzled me for the longest time.

And today (now) I can actually sit back and laugh at the ridiculousness of the whole affair. I mean what a fool I've been, its all been so obvious from the start.

Conclusion ? All that thought, energy, emotion, time and even stress ... everything wasted in such an eloquently elegant way ? ... Hmmmnnn ...

Well I don't think so ...

I suppose I've come out of this a lot wiser. Call it 'experience'. At least I now know everything I should internalise with a pinch of salt.

Any Regrets ? ... Ummmnn ... Not really courtesy the experience and the learnings. Though I wish this moment had come much earlier. Would have saved me incredible amounts of time and effort.

Earthquake !

... Moderate Tremors ...

Should be at least 5 on the Richter scale ...

When Insults Had Class !

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." --Winston Churchill

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." -- Clarence Darrow.

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." -- William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it." -- Groucho Marx

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it" -- Mark Twain

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." -- Oscar Wilde

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend... If you have one." -- George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

... (followed by Churchill's response)

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second, if there is one." -- Winston Churchill

"I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here." -- Stephen Bishop

"He is a self-made man and worships his creator." -- John Bright

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial."--Irvin S. Cobb

"He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others." -- Samuel Johnson

"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up." -- Paul Keating

"He had delusions of adequacy." -- Walter Kerr

"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?" -- Mark Twain

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." -- Mae West

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." -- Oscar Wilde

Lady Astor once remarked to Winston Churchill at a dinner party, "Winston, if you were my husband, I would poison your coffee!" Winston replied,"Madam if I were your husband I would drink it!"

Mr. Intellectual Once Said ...

"I must say that I find TV very educational. Everytime somebody turns it on, I go to the library and read a book."

So much for all the hours of research we put in...

Experience

It's not our abilities that show what we truly are ... It's our choices.

That's what differentiates us from the rest of everybody out there.

... And choices usually are like a double edged sword!

So the next time you make one, be damn sure of what you decide. You might not get another chance.

Reinventing the Wheel

Some of life's toughest lessons can never be taught ... They just have to be lived, experienced and felt to be learnt.

Yet another night ...

Physically exhausted

Mentally drained

&
Wide awake

What ?

I did'nt do it ...
I did'nt control it ...
I can't cure it ...

Chaotic Logic

Flip through any book of quotable quotes and its more than likely that you'll find the famous lecturer and essayist of the 19th century, Ralph Waldo Emerson declaring with the strongest conviction...

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”

... Profound... That's what any leadership guru will say. And of course all those who've paid tons of money to hear him faff will shake their heads in unison.

And now the entire thing has been taken to ridiculous levels, courtesy the latest Bollywood money spinner 'Om Shanti Om'. Watch as Shahrukh Khan eloquently uses a mildy distorted version of Emerson's fabled belief more than 6 times to make it the film's punch line ...

May I implore the esteemed brains of this world to please take a moment and think about what Mr. Emerson believed to be so true and what 99% percent of today's advise / love gurus use to make money...

I mean think about it ... if simply deciding was enough to force things to happen, life would have been so damn neat.
Hell ... I want / had decided to be the richest guy in the world in pre school !
The Result - All the conspiracies have happened ... life is a goddamn mess and I am nowhere bloody close to it.

And then I read somewhere 'you need to decide from your heart and not just your brian ....'

Bull Shit !

A Slice Of My Life

If ever in my lifetime I make the mistake of being lost between fantasy and reality, remind of a story. Its called...

'The Little Pink Frock & A Box of Cadbury's Gems'

Morning Glory

A smile erupted from the very depths of his heart and spread across his face like the morning sun

P.S. - Kindly excuse the photgraphic quality. Picture taken on a humble 3.2 MP cell phone camera.

Scorpio

I was recently gifted a coffee mug by a very dear friend. Inside the nicely packaged box was a parchment (reproduced below) that supposedly told me the tale of my personality traits.
That I was born under the sign of Scorpio is no secret but am I the Scorpio as detailed in the parchment ?
Well...

Scorpio
October 23 To November 21

Passionate & Determined

Scorpio is the eighth sign of the zodiac. Those born under this Sign are dead serious about their mission to learn about others. There's no fluff or chatter for Scorpios either; these folks will zero in on the essential questions, gleaning the secrets that lie within.

Scorpios concern themselves with the beginnings and endings and are unafraid of either; they also travel in a world which is black and white and has little use for grey. Its the scorpion which symbolises Scorpios and its no accident. Much like the Scorpion that would rather kill itself that be killed.

Those born under this sign are the ones who are in ultimate control of their destiny. Fearless Scorpio's rarely lose. They just keep going on since they are stubborn and determined to succeed.
They tend to skip the kiss and get on straight to whatever comes next.

Scorpio's Key Phrase - I create

Scorpio's Pick-up line - You're place or mine ?

Scorpio's Colours - Deep Red, Black & Indigo

Scorpio's Gems - Bloodstone, Opal & Garnet
Scorpio's Metal - Plutonium
Scorpio's Coffee Choice - Never prone to self denial, Scorpio opts for all the sensuality of a latte. One can barely taste the coffee but isn't subtlety the name of the game

Simple Pleasures of Life

Sin Delicious

Did you know that Barista Coffee has an extremely indulgent dessert on their menu ?

Its called Dark Temptation !
(Warm chocolate Excess served with ice cream and whipped cream, topped with hot chocolate fudge)

Now that's what I call absolute ecstasy !

Hhmmmnnnn..........

Small Fires

Read this on a box of matches.

A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.

Talk about small revolutions.

Watched

At the stroke of the midnight hour while the terrorists plotted and the robbers planned ... I found my watch.

All I now hope for is 'World Peace' !