On THE rainy morning..

Rains were lashing the black tar road that went winding behind the tall lush green trees. Rain drops seemed to bounce off at least a foot high. It made a rhythmic loud sound which intermingled with the whoosh of wind that I though could uproot our tent and send flying back to city! I peeped outside to get a broader view of how spectacular nature looked. The bonfire seemed to have fallen off to sleep in ash and unburnt wood. I liked the smell of it. Up in the canopy, I saw monkeys sitting on a branch. They were drenched. I turned my head to see birds perching patiently, waiting for the rains to stop. The tiny bright wild flowers made the whole scene so picturesque that I wanted to carry that moment back with me! I held hot mug of coffee in my hand and listened to rain. Even in that loud background, everything inside was so calm.. at peace. This noise didn’t bother me like the city traffic. It had the same soothing effect of sound of ocean waves.

After a while, the rains stopped and we decided to take out our jeep in go in the forest. That must be around 7.30 in the morning. In a few minutes we left the main tar road and went deep into the forest. Everything around looked so full of life and verdant! We had the buzz of bees and animal calls as an intermittent interruption to the thick silence around. Suddenly, we all were alert! We heard alarm calls of monkeys from somewhere near by. My heart was pounding.. we were in for a treat! No one spoke a word.. the only expression that everyone had was overwhelming anticipation of which great carnivore were we going to sight? Will we see a tiger? No.. but they were not so common in that forest. But who knows? We might.. or is it leopard? Oh my god! Will it be? It is so difficult to spot one..Will we see the kill? My heart beats were going louder and monkeys were almost shrieking now! We stopped at a little clearing and we were looking in the direction of alarm calls. We must be very close to the predator. Our eyes were searching for that one sight which would stay alive in our minds for ever. Minutes passed, but no luck. Alarm calls were still loud. We got a little disturbed.. we didn’t even manage to spot where the mysterious predator was. My friend sighed and took off her cap. He turned to keep it in the jeep and I suddenly felt her grip tighten on my shoulder. I almost skipped a heart beat. Now was the moment! The predator that we were searching for all this while was sitting with the kill on the branch of a tree around 35 feet behind us. It was a HUGE male leopard. It looked in our eyes and jumped off the branch to disappear in the jungle. We stood there for several minutes spellbound! Man! We saw a leopard! And that too in a situation where he looked at us so closely much longer than we did! We sat in the jeep to head back to the tent and every one was going, ‘oh my god!!’ I am sure the leopard had a smirk on his face seeing that.

It is time..

Empty nights and hollow days,

I look at the rose that once you gave

It sleeps in the book that I then read

Petals now look transparent, but the pages red

It was past and it is past

But there is so much of us in it, how do we deny?

We went full circle and have come face to face

I say No! And run away

What am I scared of?

I do not know

Is it the possibility of failure?

And the pain that I can’t hold.

On the floor so cold awake I lay

Wondering why I didn’t finish putting

Tiles on the wall that we left half way

How do I finish the part that you drew?

Now almost all tiles are in place but a few

Probably now I know what not to hold

It’s time I let myself fly

and the waters flow

What could be the title for this post???

I was watching a video on TED.com on rethinking music videos which set me thinking…Jakob presents one of his creations, moonlight glory. Take a look at it. What do you think?

I thought I should take a closer look at ‘expression of music’ in my head. I closed my eyes (that seems to be the first step for me!!). Music started.. I am still in my room.. I am mentally very aware of where I sit and what is around. Then it slowly fades… I am listening to music intently… I love guitar.. beats are good.. very pleasant tune.. I am smiling. Ok…. Now I am at this resort I went to 2 years back.. at the Singara foot hills. It’s a star studded night sky. There is this strong wet wood’s smell in the air. I am sitting by bonfire in a recliner.. gazing stars… I feel so relaxed… Music stops. I take a little while to come back to my room mentally.

What happened? Music had this inherent mood. The moment I connect with it, I associate a visual impression that I vividly remember and which identifies with the mood. This is what happened with this music piece.. But there were times when I visualize places that I have never been to or even at times, don’t visualize anything but a few abstracts.

Then I close my eyes again. I go back to the same resort.. star studded sky… which is this music going on in the background? It is the music piece which listened to when I was actually there..not the one I listened to a few minutes back.

In a way this was not an unexpected outcome for me. I am more of a visual impession person than an audio impression one! The reverse synthesis of music doesn’t work for me! Are these two processes interconnected necessarily? Hmmnn…I remember sitting in my garden back home and I just had music notes in my head… no visual impressions..music emerged like a fountain from somewhere unknown Well, I used to compose music… a few years back.

I am a little surprised at how my brain works knowing how much I like music , drawing, painting or visuals in any form! Or am I taking wrong parameters into consideration? Hee hee…

Cheers to the colorful musical world that we share!

Anubhuti

chocolates, music and much more

That's a great way to start a new year, isn't it? :D chocolates, music...wow! I haven't blogged for some time.. and now I have something to write about, something to share or nothing at all.. just some random thoughts.. random is what's natural to me.. that is why the name mosaic as i have mentioned in my first blog. To be honest, this randomness is not completely true.. which sort of makes me a little sad. there is a link.. so deep that it's not apparent superficially.. but i can sense it. For my own selfish satisfaction, i would like to accept my thought process as random.. it gives me a pleasure of being... ummnnn... kind of rebellious!! hee hee.. Am i making any sense to u?? Any way, chuck it!

So.. CHOCOLATES... whoever discovered this divine thing, should be given the highest honor in the word!! According to the history, Aztecs of Mexico discovered chocolates. then, was i an Aztec in my last birth? hee hee.. If I wasn't the one who discovered it, am sure I must have been among those who promoted it! I just love chocolates!! and unfortunately due to my weak vocab i can't stress it enough! To bore you a little, chocolates are thought to have link with levels of serotonin, a hormone, an important one. Chocolate lovers, do take full advantage of this link to serotonin!! :D next time you are tempted to have chocolate when you are just not suppose to, throw in this nice reason... for good health! :D Just chocolate, chocolate ice-cream or chocolate pastry or any other form of chocolate.. enrich life in true sense.. hee hee.. one bite.. just one bite and it's so soothing! have you tried eating rich chocolate pastry with hands and not use a spoon and a fork?? I did.. on 1st of jan! Its lot more fun u know!! when there is chocolate all over your fingers.. you feel like you have really eaten a chocolate.. being sophisticated just doesn't help here, my friends! really, try it out. And if you eat like that in a place like ITPL, where there are lot of sophisticated IT people around you, like i did, it rocks!! It's a pleasure to look at people when they are amazed to see that one can truly enjoy something without worrying about what world says! And on top of it, you have really enjoyed your chocolate pastry! ha ha...

In the first week of jan, I attended this awesome concert by Sanjeev Abhyankar. I know it's a little unusual combination.. to like both western and indian classical music. I love yanni's compositions as much as a raaga sung by sanjeev abhyankar. I do not understand technicalities of either but i listen to them keenly, experience deeply. Even as of now, I can hear One Man's Dream.. as if played somewhere far away..It has an ability to make me forget everything around and take me into a different world, confer a mood... When I listen to Megha malhar, i experience it.. live it.. there is thunder, there is lightening, heavy rains and human emotions in response to all this.. To demonstrate all of it in just five notes of which Megha Malhar is composed of.. man! that's quite something!! Hats off to whoever composed Megha Malhar and many more such raagas! It really is not necessary that you understand technicalities of things that give you pleasure.. or do it the way world has been doing it over years.. It is for you, your happiness..and the fact that it helps you live that moment to the fullest! do it the way you really enjoy it and.. you will smile.. smile from within :)


Cheers!

Crazy about Corwin!!

Jeff Corwin shows have been an integral part of my relaxation time! He has produced two shows on Animal Planet- of The Jeff Corwin Experience and Corwin's Quest. I absolutely admire this guy! My favourite is Corwin's Quest, which sadly is over now :( If you have not watched any of his shows or have read about him, following are some of the links that you MUST visit to get the glimpse of this unique species called Jeff Corwin! :D
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Corwin
(wikipedia page on him)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt1JSnUj_r8
(funny him!)

Jeff, U ROCK!

Two interesting stories..

Two interesting real life stories, read on,

STORY NUMBER ONE

Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago . Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.

Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie." He was his lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.
To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but also, Eddie got special dividends. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.

Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him. Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object. And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was. Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.

One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done. He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al "Scarface" Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great.

So, he testified; Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street . But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine. The poem read:

The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.
Now is the only time you own.
Live, love, toil with a will.
Place no faith in time.
For the clock may soon be still.

STORY NUMBER TWO

World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier USS
Lexington in the South Pacific. One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized
that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank. He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship. His flight
leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.

As he was returning to the mother ship he saw something that turned his blood cold: a squadron of Japanese aircraft were speeding their way toward
the American fleet. The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them
back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger.

There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet. Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and
out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent. Undaunted, he continued the
assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible and rendering them unfit to fly.

Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction. Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the
carrier. Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft.

This took place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace of W.W.II , and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor.

A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29.

His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this
great man.

So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of
Honor. It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.

SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?
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Butch O'Hare was "Easy Eddie's" son.