20110113

Hmm Musings

- With people now meeting via online chats/forums - shouldn't there also be a category for DEAF n DUMB dates along with Blind Dates?

- Due to the severe dent in the economy prevalent right now - all job seeking forms now will have a third category for those seeking jobs - full time, part time and "sometime" jobs (jobs that at least scrapes one through their bills)

- Do not despair or feel proud when someone tells you that you are one in a million - It means in India and China there are at-least 1000 others exactly like you.

- How come most people know how to swim in the Gene Pool but not the Swimming Pool?

- A friend told me that God tests all the people He loves - people who go through bad periods in their lives - now what if I have not studied for this test or want to opt out of this course?

- Lastly looking at this image.....


Are these a result of abandoned prayers or loss of faith?

20110110

Postcards from the Winter Wonderland

It has been snowing crazy this year. Two storms since the new year and one more to come tomorrow. Here are some pictures in the West Hudson Park, Kearny, NJ - near my apartment from the snow storm of last Friday.

Dog is the Master of the Ceremony
Snow - way!!!
Winter Wonderland
Brave Hearts
(considering it was close to minus 9 D Celsius or 15 F)
Mother Nature never Ceases to Inspire
There is no light but Just snow at the end of this Tunnel

20101221

Lunar Eclipse 2010 - December 21st.

The Conditions : Time 1.00 m to 5.10 Am, Clear skies, Cold temperatures around 2 C (35 F) to -2 C (27 F) but extremely windy feels like -7 or -8 C.

Photo showing the windy conditions at 4.00 in the morning - taken with a 2 sec exposure

The Event : It just only a Lunar Eclipse of 2010 but it was the first total lunar eclipse to fall on a winter solstice in 372 years. The last time a lunar eclipse corresponded with a winter solstice, or the annual day when the Earth's axis is tilted farthest from the sun, was Dec. 21, 1638. See this website shows the animation of the eclipse : (link) Shadowsandsubstance
The way in which the moon changed its color from white to getting dark to suddenly becoming bright red/orange - seemed like a girl (in this case moon) was blushing when the guy (the earth) took her in her embrace....


A truly spectacular view at around 3.17 Am - when the moon is within the Umbra shadow region of the Earth - Total Eclipse.

The Spectacle : Following pictures taken from 12.30 Am (from before the Eclipse began) to around 4.30 Am (just when it came out of the Eclipse)

20101129

अनिच्चा Anicca

Impermanence - Pali - अनिच्चा anicca; Sanskrit: अनित्य anitya

Recently was at a 10 Day Vipassana Meditation camp here in Massachusetts. In this post I am not talking about the details of what this meditation process is, as this info can be found in detail here - Vipassana (link)

The One thing that I learned on a personal level is the notion of Impermanence (Anicca) existing in
-the world we live in,
-the desires and aversions
-the joys and sorrows,
-the pains and sufferings,
-the physical existence
-the perceptions and assumptions

All these above mentioned phenomenons and many more are simply creation of our conscious mind - that can be controlled or evaporated by stepping back or concentrating on them - thus realizing that they come and go.

So here are some photographs I have taken over last few years where I have abstracted this concept - hope you like them.

Here the baton that is lit when captured at high speed forms a ring but it really is just our perception - an illusion that will disintegrate if he slows down the process of rotation.
(A performer in a hotel at Matheran - Maharashtra, India)

Here the swift movement of hands creates a reverberation that can be rhythmic and that if timed incorrectly can be noise - reflecting the working of our thoughts that can be joyous or sorrowful - again if the hand stops the sound disappears - can we stop the mind from thinking?
(Sanyasi playing Mridangam at Nova Gokula - Isckon Temple in Pindamonhangaba - Brazil)
Here the yellow depicting the journey of our lifetime - that does end at a point - and the various people we interact or meet with along the way - every step is a new revelation - some new acquaintances and some old.
(Stairs at Miller Brewing Company - Milwaukee - Wisoncsin, USA)
Here our mind is like a furnace that is constantly thinking - rethinking. But many of these thoughts are ephemeral and transient. Some thoughts get molded into actions and some simply burn away.
(Aluminium factory in Silvassa - Gujarat, India)

Here is an example of relativity - where even though all the cars are moving at high speed - they seem static - whereas the tunnel seems dynamic - for some life is static if they are around dull people and dynamic if they slow down or change the circumstances - both the situations are in our control but not many can dwell or act on it.
(Tunnel in Dubai - UAE)

Again like every phenomenon which is transient - some may remember this post - some may simply forget it - some may like it some may not - that's the TRUE nature of life



20101112

Urge to Scribe

Just had this urge to scribe something, anything. Its been a while I wrote somethings.

Facebook had taken over the Blogging. One of the interesting part of Facebook was its status messages. I used to write small snippets that were succinct and funny.

Here are few of them - will post more later.....

- What if either Adam or Eve was gay!

- Make hay while the sun shines - but isnt Opium more profitable?

- Unable to download a nursery rhyme in time for class the kid goes................Twinkle Twinkle Little Star........How I wonder what Network you are?

- With people now meeting via online chats/forums - shouldn't there also be a category for DEAF n DUMB dates along with BLIND dates ?

- No one told me why I should have read the Tell Me Why - not even them