Waking up!!

When you are off from work to wake up at ease , you feel morning is wonderful .On a day as this , as the morning creeps upon me and peeks in my bedroom windows , and I think of what a precious privilege it is to nap a few more minutes and wake up in comfort.

They say you are not awake until you are actually out of bed and stand up but the time you take to arise makes you feel alive; to breathe and feel.
And then your blessed drink of morning coffee.Its not a beverage ; it is a moment of pleasure !!
Sometimes I feel , I sleep just to wake up for a cup of coffee. Every bean drinker loves the euphoria of sipping upon a beautifully crafted cup of coffee.If heaven had a flavour , it was coffee.

As you now open your eyes to the light, your day starts thinking of people , activities , things to be done. This time would be an oasis in the desert of hurrying existence. But then , As we realise we are loved and have miles to go , absolved by the light , we decide to go on!

Timeless in Travel !

“Traveling- it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller"- Ibn Battuta” .

We leave in a wonderful world that is so full of beauty,charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we can seek them with our eyes open.Travelling is one of the most affirming things we can do to ourselves. Travel makes me happier. It inspires me to be a better person. But what inspires me to travel?

Initially, I traveled  in holidays for vacations to lose myself , to have a break from the daily chores..and then next there came a time when I travel to find myself .Its a journey you make into  yourself. As Kate Douglas Wiggins puts it, “There is a kind of magic about going far away and then coming back all changed.” Its not about seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.; a new way of seeing things. That is the magic which inspires me.

Today I will be talking one such magic which I have not yet felt but its on my list .You must be wondering why do I chose to write about a place where I have not been yet but I am so much enthralled by it that somewhere virtually I have lived that magic. I will share a story which I want to live .That enchanting place is Ladakh- a crowning glory. Among the popular destinations that attract travelers are the lakes at Pan gong and Tso Moriri, the scenic valleys of Nubra and Zanskar, some of the highest motor able passes in the world (Khardung La and Chang La), ancient monasteries along with crucial places of historical and military significance such as Drass, Kargil,Siachen and Turtuk. 

Rustic charm :

When you enter the kingdom of heaven, you are fascinated by the beauty and breathtaking expanse of the arid high altitude Himalayan landscape. Ladakh has its own appeal. When you’re about to reach Ladakh, the very first sight of magnificent mountains greeting you with their silent white faces brings a twinkle to your eyes. Just imagine looking down on a silent, placid, greenish blue lake – beautiful, isn’t it?  . It's a world of rugged valleys, snow-covered mountains, endless hills, barren lands, clean and curvy roads and the mystical Lamas where centuries old monasteries have still maintained their charm. The confluence of the Indus and the Zanskar rivers is a rare sight. One can clearly differentiate between the two waters from a distance.

Nubra Valley :-

We have seen snow capped mountains, we have seen deserts, and we have seen colorful gardens, but all three at the same place?and That is Nubra Valley for you, otherwise called Valley of Flowers by those who have visited it and swear that it is the most beautiful place in the world. Surrounded by the snow capped Himalayan peaks, with the Siachin Glacier feeding the Siachin river on one side, The roads leading up to the valley(Khardungla Pass) is one of the highest motorable points on Earth. The valley itself is home to a wondrous variety of flora, covering the entire area in a riot of colors during spring. And not far from this marvellous natural garden, you find sand dunes. Yes, sand dunes in the mountains, complete with camels! That too the rare variety, the two humped Bactrian camels. Believe me, there are no words to describe the beauty of this place. You just have to take it all in, and preserve them preciously in the confines of your heart. For there they will remain, ever-colorful and awesome, as the memories of the experience of a life time.

Pangong Lake :-

The most talked about (and not without reason!) attraction of Ladakh is the Pangong Lake which undoubtedly is one of the most peaceful  places on this planet.Can the sound of a duck moving on water ever be distinctly audible? Yes, only at the Pangong Lake ! Its like a blue gem in between brown and yellow mountains all around! It looks like a painting, completely unreal and out of this world. The colours are so vibrant and stunning, its completely unbelievable that such a place can exist in this world! Here you can stand knowing that across the turquoise waters lie the mountains of an even more isolated  and gorgeous land – Tibet.

Apart from the sight seeing that nature offers , what makes a place memorable is its people.

The people and culture  :-

The villages in Ladakh have the charm of being in a fairy land .The shy people are a charm to befriend for when opened up they exude the warmest of hospitality and welcome .Ladakh is a place thriving with a rich artistic and cultural vibe. The old and ancient monasteries are excellent specimens of century old Tibetan architecture. The monasteries are also important educational, cultural and spiritual centers .There is lot to learn from the Ladakhis. The way they fight against difficult conditions and  to live within limited resources and still they celebrate life with zeal and gaiety.

To conclude, I would just say, Its there on my cards .

You too pack your bags . Ladakh awaits you.

I would end the post with a quote in Hindi which is supposedly not my forte but since I like it.So here it is,

Sair kar duniya ki ghalib, zindgaani fir kahan,

Zindgaani agar rahi toh, naujawani fir kahan..

Limiting beliefs !!!

It was great to know a very optimistic and enthusiastic individual..always on the verge of adventure and zeal.But  there are serious setbacks in life which puts you down  and envelopes your mind with fears and doubts.. after which you actually question yourself  " Can I do this ??" "Will I be able to do this ??"

There are dozens of limiting beliefs which hold you back from what you actually want to do. The inability to accomplish what  you really want to do makes you even fallible.

Its then you realize that you have to overcome those fears for yourself and for all those you really care.

When they expect you to do something and when you feel  "I wish I could " and then your mind does not have that much strength to  say a Yes!!! .Its then you think you have to do it make your life meaningful.You have to get out of the cocoon  and fight all fears to realize your potential.These beliefs are stubborn and they plague you inspite of your knowledge that  they are holding you back.

Its that dusk of life when you are breathing just a little and call it Life.  It is more hurting when once upon a time you lived a fulfilled and spectacular life .The only thing which gave you that ultimate satisfaction at the end of the day is when you could do that "something" for others . Now you yourself feel your inability and you yearn to push past those limiting beliefs to bring the contentment to your life .

Dont take this post as a negative implication.. Its a journey from the shades of darkness into the Light when you feel the beckoning of the unfulfilled potential and want to listen to the heart's call. Its the attempt to throw all the fears which engrossed your mind to do that "something" which gave you satisfaction.Although it takes time to imbibe everything you lost but it gives you satisfaction that you initiated to start that incremental change.It's time to run beyond all that you could not do to do what you CAN!!!

An ocean of conceptions- dat makes us wat we really are !!!

Its a proven fact that every individual on this planet stands out to be unique and the only thing that makes him so is his mind.No two person can be exactly alike in their thought process.. some threads of the process may be similar but not all.

Every thing comes from the mind. When you say "I had a good day today,” it shows dat u r holding in your mind the memory of a bad day.Without the mind creating labels, there is neither good experience nor bad. When you say dat tonight’s dinner was good, it means dat you r holding the experience of a bad dinner in mind. Without the experience of a bad dinner it is

impossible for u to call tonight’s as good.Whatever you think is just a fiction dat ur mind develops.When u look at something and have a strong impression of it..u probably dont realise dat the strong impression is merely ur mind's interpretation of what it really is. Whether u wake up and find the world outside to be foggy or you wake up with a clear mind and the world looks

bright and beautiful..these are just impressions that ur mind creates rather than changes in the external environment.

Whatever you experience in life is not outer reality,but only mind.Imagine different people simultaneously looking at one object, but each of them has a different perception of it coming from his own mind.The point I am making is without the mind there is no manifestation of the entire world.

If we know how our mind expresses itself,our views and feelings and our imagination ,we will realise dat all our emotions,the way we live our life ,the way we relate to others, all comes from our mind.At times in life u face situations when ur relationships are at a stand, there are misunderstandings ,emotional problems dese arise because of the way your mind functions; your basic problem lies in the way you misidentify yourself.If a relationship doesnt work out, the general tendency lies in one person blaming the other and finding faults in each other, without realising dat its ur mind dat is perceiving the circumstance as right or wrong.The relation u had or the love dat blossomed or was felt could never be wrong.In fact there is no other truth than love. :-)

Dat was simply an example,there is a critical point I would like to put forward and dat is the the mind should be left free.It should not be bounded by any limits.I read somewhere that one should know his limits but should never accept them.Whatever u hold in ur mind will occur in ur life ,If u continue to believe what u have alwas believed,u will continue to act as u have alwas acted.There are no limits to human ability ,intelligence and imagination.U just cant limit ur mind to what seems reasonable and possible, by dis u are limiting ur realm of wonder.

Set it free.. dream till ur last minute and work to relish dose dreams and its ur mind which makes what u are - a precious individual.Happiness and contentment is also simply a state of mind.

P:S :- I don't know what inspired me to write dis up .. may be a series of realisations but it doesn't matter .. what matters is dat I m growing up with every realisation .. :D

Though Love was never ours...

Of late..I realized that I don't choose to put them into words. Rather when there is an ebullition of feelings within , words become a choice.. Again after a long time.. there has been a flow of thoughts and several thoughts have enveloped together to create something in the name of Love..

Blessed I feel this day..

When you came by..

Making me smile..

Comforting me all the while.

A glimpse of those cherished memories..

Flashes by the mind..

Giving a feel of joy..

And a wrath of pain.

Amidst all I smile ..

Coz it feels good to think of you..

Great to be a part of you..

Though love was never ours..

But we were always together....

Hey.....after so many days I again found a reason to write....n dat is "Life isn't a big thing..its a MILLION little things..."Its d little things of life dat make life wat it actually is...Its not abt how successful and established u may become..its abt hw u live each moment of dis journey...its not abt hw u win or lose a game ..its abt hw u go through d minutes before d game..its not abt hw happy u r wen u meet someone after a long tym...its abt hw much u desired for dis moment...its not abt hw beautiful a rose is wen it blossoms...its abt d thorns dat sharpens as d flower grows yet dere is nothing lovelier dan a rose.....

The moment wen Dad took ur hand and walked with u to the icecream shop to share a cone full of heaven on earth......the time wen ur mom clapped with an enthusiasm of a thousand people wen u won ur first prize in life...the moment wen ur parents watched with overflowing pride as u came running to share ur accomplishments...dat hour which was much more precious dan the prize itself...makes LIFE as gr8 as it is...

Realizing the things dat mean so much like a thought that puts a smile on your face or a simple loving touch......The fragrance of d flowers or d smell in d rain.....The words of encouragement dat are spoken your way or a few of dose names given 2 u by ur friends,those fights wid ur siblings over d tv channel or a chocolate....can dese substitute anything in ur life...though small dey carry a wealth of bliss in dem...

Ur first day at kindergarten ,childhood pals with whom u shared ur lunch boxes....ur first punishment in school...the day u didn't do ur homework....and yet dere was a feeling of accomplishment in dat no matter how big or small...this was just a glimpse of d past dat presents itself as visions and images in d long corridors of time.

The thought of loved ones who have come and gone..their pictures and memories.....old photographs left alone in an ancient album conveying love, family, friendship in past happy occasions....... previous flashbacks recalling dreadful, frightening moments like the first time wen u stammered on stage and since den d stage was all yours....dese are those little gems dat will forever reside in ur veins...

I know I can't pen down those million little things here but each of dese things represents a world in us ....a world which is d most beautiful part of existence...which makes each one of us a star...a star which may not light up the entire world ..a star which may not twinkle our way 2 glory...but a star with the power to put a twinkle in someone’s life somewhere....

The Gift of Lyf....

Life is not everlasting

And nothing lives for long

Yet,the journey is sweet and brief

With all its smiles and grief....

With its few words of love,it erodes away all the hatred...

With its few moments of joy,it melts away all the sorrow...

There are flames of light which enlightens every hour of darkness..

And a new awaited dawn rising at the break of each day...

Life has so much to offer,so much to give..

Put aside despite and worry,fill it with fragrance of rejoice and glory..

Give meaning to this short voyage of life..

With pages of joy and loads of friendship..

Dare to smile though not the while be rejoicing..

Dare to expect though not the expectations be fulfilled..

Dare to dream though not the dreams be cherished..

Dare to live though not things are your way...

Give LIFE what it is worthy of..

Satisfaction and contentment is all that it needs..

And all that it deserves is to be HAPPY....