Counting my blessings

They say that when the going gets tough, one should always look at what one has rather than what one has lost. Well, I was sitting around feeling annoyed at a number of things that were entirely subjective - I thought some people had been silly, even though they had perfectly valid reasons for behaving the way in which they had. I was feeling a bit let down and frankly, irritated.

A prime time to count my blessings, I reckoned. So here's the list: (in no particular order, I hasten to stress)

• A loving mum who has seen me through thick and thin (and I am not referring to my weight problems).
• A trusting pair of friends who always seem to be around whenever I am in trouble for the last decade or so.
• Three wonderful people - one who always finds time for me and who I consider to be my closest friend, one who keeps my spirit going and always seems to see the good side of me and has been doing so for almost nine years now, and one who I have really met only once but who I already trust infinitely.
• Two lovely people who make me laugh no matter what happens - one with her utterly loony imagination, the other with his wit. Both trust me too - for whatever reason!
  
• Some people who think that what I write is worth paying for.
• A lot of people who actually (actually) read what I write.
• A cat who leaps down from the chair and rushes to greet me whenever I get home.(all right, she does that once in three days, but still....)
• A...

It works. I feel better already! Thank ye, all. Will work on completing the list the next time I feel down.

Feeling PROUD

It gives immense pleasure to see your best friend being appreciated by others. Isn't it? You feel elated and on top of the world. And today I am feeling the same. Nimish Dubey...my best friend, mentor and philosopher has been appreciated by The Hindu for his book 'Kesariya Bana' (see scanned copy below).

Thanks Nimish for making me feel that way and for making me extremely proud. Thanks again:)

Kesariya Bana- Appreciated by The Hindu

What I miss on Diwali

Most of my friends know that I am not too religious by nature. Yep, I do say my prayers every night and when in some stress, do tend to look upwards and mutter, “Keep an eye out for me, will you?” but apart from that, nah! I do believe that there may be an Almighty lurking around somewhere but frankly don’t think he or she (or it? Who knows?) needs major cuddling up from alleged devotees. I mean, heck, if you are the Almighty, you pretty much have it all, no? Why the blazes would you be concerned about someone praying to you – that too in a certain method or language - or not?

Anyway, I keep getting told by those who don’t know me too well about how much I miss out, especially on religious occasions, like Diwali. All I do is light some diyas with mum and then its back to my books (David Eddings’ Illenium, games (its Tomb Raider Legend right now) and music (Sting, currently).

Well, I decided to sit down this time and make a little list on what I was missing out on Diwali:

1.A larger electricity bill
2.Lots of smoke in the house
3.Lots of noise
4.Stacks of unhealthy food
5.Greetings from strangers
6.Greetings from people I wish I had not known
7.Gifts from people who expect something in return
8.Visits from relatives who otherwise forget my existence
9.Social occasions where everyone barely has time to talk to each other
10.A lighter wallet

Yep, there are going to be those who point out that I also miss a chance of meeting my friends and also on the sincere greetings that they might have given me. Know something? I don’t need a festival as an excuse to meet them. And as for the good wishes, they will give them to me anyway. Hey, they are my friends – they never wish me ill anyway. If they do, I will change their status!

So I am not sure I miss too much. Call me and anti-social atheist if you will, but hey, that’s me.

That said, happy Diwali, everyone. I might not celebrate it but sure appreciate your doing so.
Now, excuse me while I go back to Lara Croft!