The Romance of the Monsoons!

And finally, this year, the Monsoons are here!

Only a few days back, Bombay was (a bit too) warm, bright and sunny with nature at very best, gaily showing off its vibrant colours, in its full splendour!

While the skyline out of my office window looked bright and quite a bit impressive, we, in the city, were all worried. With the lakes supplying water to this megapolis running dry after last year's Monsoon debacle, it had become essential that the weather lived up to its reputation to ensure a full year's water supply.

And just before the alarm bells started clanging hard, the Monsoon did indeed keep its annual date with the city, this year at least.
After an overcast sky, with clouds floating around ominously, the rain did finally start pouring yesterday! And before we could realise, it started pouring. The temperature started tumbling down, the sunlight blocked out for God knows how many days. And the green started looking even more vibrant!
As I look of my office window during the day, the beautiful sight outside beckons me, the green beckons me.

As the rain began to pour, the intensity of the downpour increased, I remembered Forrest Gump's dialogue on the Monsoon in Vietnam, which says: "One day it started raining, and it didn't quit for four months. We been through every kind of rain there is. Little bitty stingin' rain... and big ol' fat rain. Rain that flew in sideways. And sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath."

If there's one season that stands out in the city, it is the Monsoon, the season that brings out the best the city has to offer, whether it's nature or spirit of human endurance, an extreme example of which we had witnessed in 2005!

The Monsoons not challenge the human inhabitants of city, but also it's animals. The two pigeons which have made my balcony their permanent address are visibly very unsettled with all the rain pouring. (They've been in the balcony long enough that they would qualify for the voter's identity cards, etc. etc.!!!!!)

A wish which I always had is to get out in the rain and dance like the way Shahid Kapur did in the movie, Jab We Met!

The romance of the Monsoons is here!

Movies to die for....

And who can do without movies?

These are some of my favorite movies that I can see over and over again without ever getting sick and tired of them are:
The Ten Commandments: A wonderfully picturized Biblical tale of what today's managers would term as 'Strategic Intent', of how Moses led his people out of slavery to the proverbial land of milk and honey. Jerry Macguire: The story of Jerry (Tom Cruise) who stood up for what he thought was just, took a stand and engineered success through a 'soft-approach'. The most memorable scene in the movie was when Jerry tells Rod Tidwell to play from his heart and not his head. And who can forget the amusing Ray (Jonathan Lipnicki) saying "D'you know that my next door neighbor has three rabbits?"Cast Away: A guide on how to survive when the chips are down! What use is the beauty of the uninhabited South Pacific island to Chuck, without his companion. But he keeps his spirit alive, finds his companion in Wilson and sees his way through to civilization. Forrest Gump: The travelogue of Forrest leads us through the war in Vietnam, anti-war demonstrations at Washington, ping-pong in Beijing and lots more. And Forrest's simplicity and southern drawl makes the flick a must watch. My favorite dialogue here is the way Forrest describes his childhood sweetheart - "Me and Jenny was like peas and carrots!" Ben-Hur: And miracles do happen, and time is great leveller - this is what Judah Ben-Hur's story has to say. To pick a dialog from the flick - "You may conquer the land, you may slaughter the people. That is not the end. We will rise again." is some attitude one should live by.
You've Got Mail: A delightful romantic comedy is a real treat to watch after a hard day's work, especially Kathleen Kelly or Meg Ryan's child-like banter. Ghost: There are some things that transcend the recurring cycles of time, of life and death, for some inexplicable reason, which is better left unexplained. There lies the beauty of it all. The magic of Whoopi's acting was amazing but the clincher is the scene of Sam (Swayze) and Molly (Demi) on the potter's wheel, with the Unchained Melody playing. When I see this movie, I am reminded of my blog, Zindagi Ke Saath Bhi, Zindagi Ke Baad Bhi!

Surely, these are movies to die for....

Life is like a game of Sudoku

One of the memorable dialogues that the Tom Hanks movie Forrest Gump had was "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

That's true.

But my take is slightly different.

Life is like a game of Sudoku.

The game is slow, consumes a lot of patience and gets frustrating at times.

But winning the game requires the energy to go on.

At times, one finds stuck - not being able to figure which digit is to be placed in a box, stalling all progress on the game.

And then the breakthrough come out of nowhere..... that comes alongwith a rush of adrenalin. And you are set to complete the game.

That's precisely what life is, we've got to go on.... unless we go on, we will not get anything out of life....

How long can the Moon eclipse the Sun? ---- Random thoughts of a straying mind...

A few days have passed and my mind has been straying from one thought to another, much like a monkey, in a jungle, swinging from one branch of a tree to another.

These reflections have touched on the good times in the past, the golden moments that I would love to relive, to the aspirations for the future and the events of today, which may not seem all that pleasant and those that seem to have a potential to impact (positively or negatively) the achievement of aspirations for the future.

Life can be unfair sometimes, we meet a lot of wrong people, have quite a few unpleasant experiences. And the result is that I (as with most of us) end up feeling down and out.

The biggest irony of life is what I find most surprising -- the good times pass off in a jiffy -- a split second, but the tough times last an eternity. It seems that the night will never end.

And the most surprising fact of all -- these circumstances recur with an amazing frequency.

But then there are hopes for the future. These thoughts are like lifesavers -- the ropes that one holds on to for dear life.

And then these times also teach us about our friends -- those who stand by us and those who pass us by. As we go along, most old friends fall by the wayside, but those who remain are there for good.

And one becomes so vulnerable, so sensitive at times that it becomes so easy to hurt those who love you dearly. It's like what Forrest Gump said "Shit happens".

And one better count one's blessings in tough times -- that I have love and support of family, am physically able to take life head on, have a mind to think, weigh options, etc. etc. If one starts counting one's blessings, the list will be endless.

But then then the Sun does rise and rise it will, rise it must! And it happens so fast that seldom does one realise that it's happening. And that's probably because its darkest before dawn, as one song once said -- which one I forget.

What will see us through - it's all about faith - faith in God Almighty (one can believe in God, irrespective of whether one believes in religion or not), faith in oneself and faith in love.

To sign off for now, I will mention what the dollar bill says -- "In God we Trust"