The magical power of prayers..

i've been reading chicken soup for the bride's soul for the past few days.. exciting (do i mean exotic?) ways of proposing to one's sweet heart, choosing wedding gowns, aisle dances to saying vows.. the book is an amazing compilation...

look at this piece for a vicarious reading experience...

couple of months to go for that all awaited moment for emily to join hands with her fiance... year long preparations for that once-in-a-life-time experience.. and the last two weeks were hectic indeed, looking out at Macey's, Fileney's and Mama Mia's for that perfect gown, which shouts in full throat.. emily.. you look like an angel in that... this is you.. she too was surprised at not being able to come across the piece that was really made for her, till she bumped onto this immaculate, wedding gown at mama mia's..

it was a creation... with beedings, laces and satins stitched to perfection.. emily sported a trial and the crowd shouted vowwwww...... the gown was done for her.. but the price tag didnt bring much cheer anyways.. $1200 was indeed outa her reach and she did not want to take credit from her parents on this proud occasion..the clerk at the counter said it would be put for sale the following week and the price would come down to $320... her heart sank... would she wait? and what if some one else steals her dream??

a life time disappointment.. she felt her heart sobb..okie.. but why not i take a risk at this moment?? IF THIS IS MY PIECE, it is worth the wait.. and the deicision was made.. pa and mom and her little sis.. they buried themselves in a strong embrace.... over the next few days, emily thought about ways to retain the gown at mama mia's till the sale day.. maybe, she would ask her friends to call up and book the dress for picking up the following day..keeping the reservation up and alive till the d-day??? each of those shaky ideas were dropped and the family decided to simply wait and pray... and the news spread out... soon, her college friends began to pray.. her high school mates sent her roses saying their prayers.. her pa's and ma's friends called over to say that they all stay with her... and it was like years that the twelve days passed.. emily called up mama mia's to check whether her gwon was still there..the girl at the counter was friendly and warm...she said no and wished her good luck.. emily called up the next day too, just before closing the shop... well, her dream was still there...

and on the D-Day morning, pa and ma were there at mama mia's at 7:00 in the morning.. they peeped through the window panes to spot their dear daughter's flawless gown that corner waiting for the proud owner..at 8:30, emiliy and her little sis arrived, excited, dancing with joy.. 9:00AM.. the shop opened.. emily ran to the corner and grabbed her peice.. tears rolling down her cheeks.. and on the faces of all who knew the story!!! she 'stood on trial' again and needless to say she looked georgeous!!!!

cheers
roy

Redefining travelogues..

i just re-wrote my impressions on travelogues, and travel diaries to be specific, after reading a piece from Maithreyi Nandakumar.. the author is with BBC's radio Bristol.. and the piece i like to talk about is her experiences of visitng the royal palace and meeting with the Queen and The Prince.. it is a rare, and once in a lifetime, opportunity to get invited for the Queen's luncheon gathering @the Buckingham Palace.. each and every sentence in the memoir was meticulously carved to tickle the reader's imagination and taking them to a virtual tour of the palace... the language is beautiful, lucid and crystal-clear.. and you wind up the column with a dejavu..... of enjoying the royal luncheon yourself... kudos to this lady.. i have added one more in my repertoir of must read colmnists.. here comes the elite...

Maithreyi Nandakumar,V. Gangadhar, Ramachandra Guha ,Sasi Tharoor and Sevanti Nainan...

check out a piece from Mrs. Nandakumar..

so long
roy

Uprootings and more...

it has been a while I blogged anything.. and this can't really be attributed to lack of topics of interest.... i would rather see it as a slackening phase, wherein a i feel an elongated lethargy to grab up enough creativity to punch in anything..

that apart, life has not been a roller coaster ride in the past weeks; cool, routine and eventless.. and it doesn’t really rock either, presumably because my wife is away and i feel all the more lonely and left alone, albeit being cuddled up by our two little ones.. while i miss her so much, i cherish the moments of joy spending time with the kids..

elsewhere, in the outside world... Israeli settlers are moving out reluctantly and a larger percentage of them are forcibly evicted from the Gaza strip... i was watching the scene in BBC yesterday night.. it is tough for people who have spent most of their lives, some more than 30 years, in Gaza to move out one fine morning.. these are the moments of agony, disbelief, parting, sorrow and misery.. some settlers, who could not come to terms with the reality yet, where shouting at the police, kicking and cursing them.. all out of unfathomable pain and endless days of suffering that might lie ahead.. it was indeed in the minds of all the Israelis in Gaza that they might want to leave either today or tomorrow.. when the reality struck they could not cope with the stress and pain, one of the basic human behavior indeed!! the police were so composed and cool and truly professional in handling the scene.. but then who doubts the efficiency of the police force of a nation that boasts about mosad and top defense technologies in the world..? way to go gentlemen...

the Palestinians are celebrating on the other end.. you win some and you loose some.. we talk about, and witness, destiny here.. nothing more and nothing less. period.

so long
roy

Dream career unleashed!!

at times i just sit back and wonder what a dream career means to me! is that something which is lucrative to the extent that you live in a hitherto unknown world of snobs?? is it so challenging that you jerk out the last of your nerve cells to tame it and move up the corporate ladder? is it so responsible that you stay up all night at workplace to meet the commitments and deadlines?? or is it all about utilizing your people skills in full where you cajole your team in aiming for the stars and not getting smuggish by reaching the sky??? questions galore.. and in gamuts... i still wonder and no clues yet..

again, one thing that strikes me repeatedly is.. listen to your soul and do something you are REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT.... and the rewards will follow..

enough said i guess....

so, till then

bye
roy