Gag bag

I must confess I am not a traveler. I hate traveling as such, instead I prefer to laze around in some lonely spot, with no crowd and least noise. However I still like my luxury, and I don’t like to part from it. So a modern house in a serene place is my best dream.
But I still like my rendezvous with nature for a short duration, and I do have a wish-list sorts about the places I intend to visit.

• Alaska
• Oceania
• Mauritius
• Leh-Ladakh
• Pakistan
• North east India
• Central Europe and Mediterranean
• Jerusalem/ Israel
• Siberia
• Antarctica

And I want to go backpacking somewhere. With just bare necessity, maybe a little money to spend and 10-15 days of total nomadic life. I will do that at age 25. :) Maybe Dreams says it better :)

Caught behind the veil of screens,
Mere shadows, ghosts or just another automated tool?
With Unicode for words, mp3 for sounds.
A mouse for limbs, and headphones for ears.
Hours sweep past.
But not a moments emotion shared.
Blessed were the likes of Jack and Rose,
Who got a moment together,
But lived a life in it.

I have often wondered how team games like Cricket or Football or Hockey work. Or for that matter any team game. Every player has a role to play. You can be a bowler or a wicketkeeper or a batsman if we consider cricket. You have a defined role. A bowler opens the bowling attack, and is supposed to pick up early wickets. A batsman on the other hand is supposed to make use of the conditions and score quickly to set up a good total.

Or for that matter even in Football. A defender, is supposed to clear the ball if it comes in his half, and a striker is supposed to put those half chances to full use. A defender should give up his excitement of going forward, and trying to score. He should not give in to his instincts of trying to do skills. He should have a no nonsense approach to his game. The mid fielders get to flaunt these skills and can be showy in their game.

All in all, I don’t think you get to show case all your talents on the pitch.

Another thing is that in cricket, it hardly so happens that a bowler gets a man of the match. It is always the batsmen who walk away with this prestigious prize. A bowler can take 3 wickets, but it's still not enough in front of the 70 odd made by the batsman. Why is this so? Isn’t the bowler doing his job of taking the wickets? If it's a high scoring game, the batsman who scored the century gets the prize. If it's a low scoring game, the batsman who lasted and scored that winning run in a nail biting finish gets the prize. If the first side scores a huge total. And the second side get out at a low score, it is always said that the team lost because they crumbled to the pressure of the score. Never is it said that some good bowling did the trick. It's unfair on the part of the bowler, he always sees a Sachin walk up to the podium to collect the trophy. Hardly ever is he called up.

In every team game, I think it's a collective effort. I agree that some matches have their own heroes, but most of the times, it is because every man does his job. If a striker scores a hat trick, it's all due to the feeders, else he would have nowhere.

It’s the same everywhere. In a company, the profit all goes to the owner, but it's those small things which every person does behind the screen, that all things happen so smoothly. In all things, it's a collective effort. A stage performance, a concert, a get together of friends. Even a party. A trip. It's all because every person contributes in his her own special way. We may not be able to applaud every person, but never forget to acknowledge the effort. Every person counts. Every small deed helps. Every small effort pays. It may be small, but it makes a difference! Always remember, alone, you can do nothing. You can accomplish nothing. A family, a group. Anywhere. All are necessary so that every person is in his her right state of mind. A husband cannot blame his wife for not contributing to the house income. She has her assigned task, appreciate that. Nor does it work the other way. Look into yourself, and always work selflessly. Cause every small bit you do helps you eventually. Always keep your calm, and do everything without expectations. Your effort pays off, even if not appreciated. But one day, you will feel the need for something small someone always did, and then you will realize how important that person was. It's a team effort always.

You need everyone. Everyone needs you. Life is a game. Play your role. And expect the others to do the same. It's no one’s fault if on a given day, the striker doesn’t score. There is always the next game. But just cause the striker didn’t score, don’t forget to clear that ball off the line, else you not only don’t score, but also concede, and lose the game. Keep your team mates together, it will benefit you a lot in the long run.

I always wanted an elephant as a pet. I wanted to keep him in my parking, and wanted to give it food to eat, maybe play with it. Go for rides on it. It was my childhood fantasy. Even now, it remains my favorite animal, and bags the place for the animal I love the most, but am scared of the most! :)
Here's an ode to it...


I dream of an elephant,
completely milk white,
which not only looks thin,
but is just as light.

It runs around in my park,
even after it gets dark.
And then admires the moon,
only to realize it's time to sleep soon.

With its big black eyes,
it can tell all my lies.
But it will never scold nor hit,
only will it teach what is right.

When I am feeling sad,
it will sit beside me,
and hug me with its trunk,
so tight that my face opens with a glee.

It is my best friend,
which will to my every need tend.
I just wish someone will
to me this friend lend.

A silent wish
A lone drop of tear
A pair of folded hands
Held up in prayer

Faint sounds of laughter
Fond memories of yore
The harder you try and seek them
You end up missing them even more

You wonder where it all got lost
You wonder where it all went
An hour of trying and remembering
Leaves you feeling nothing but spent

Just one more day of school
Just one more day of scolding
Just one more day of making up
And laughing and crying

You feel penniless
In spite of earning dollars
You cant help but feel blue
Wandering amidst a sea of white collars

A break from all the tensions
To just run care-free and wild
A peaceful moment of silence
In the company of caring arms by your side

What you want is affection
A kind word
A familiar face
But no one turns around
To make you feel at home
In this human albeit rat-race

This is how you'll grow old
This is how your bones will rust
You hope that someone remembers you
Before you vanish in a cloud of dust

You knew you could get up late,
Throw tantrums, of things you just can't relate,
Lie blissfully and then hope to mend your ways,
Cause those were the days.

You could go downstairs, to see the table laid,
Not even bother if you made your bed,
Find warm milk, a toast and a pack of your favorite Lays,
Cause those were the days.

You could shed that tear, or laugh unfazed,
Or snuggle up to your mom to get a fright erased,
See everyone run behind you to get you dressed,
Not a thought ever passed to see them washed and pressed,

You could decide which place to go to picnic or to dine,
Or storm off and shut your door when things don't go fine.
No matter how and where and what you are,
You always knew that you will be the star,
People miss your antics when you go a little far,
And come to pick you up in your favorite car.
And when you then show back your angelic face,
You get presents all with ribbon and lace.
"Oh how tall has he grown", "How smart he is", is what everyone says,
Cause after all, those were the days.

But now everything is different, all has changed,
Time has flown by, taking away the things of old,
You are now big, and alone and no one bothers much,
You got no one, no one to help you as such.

No one wakes you up, or gets you ready for the day,
Whether it is for a workday or a holiday.
No one buys you anything or takes you out,
There is no one to reprimand or punish or to just shout.

Your mistake earlier bought you another chance,
But now, it just means you got fired with no advance.
No one compliments you on a new bag, shoe or dress.
It is no longer cool to cheat to win a game of chess.

There are no weekends or summer holidays to look forward to,
No theme parties, night outs, celebrations, decorations to do.
A bruised knee, lots of tears, a band-aid, a smile,
All this just hasn't happened in a long long while.

Stealing mangoes and flowers and other fruit,
Playing hide and seek, cricket or game of toot-toot.
Ringing your neighbors doorbell and running afar,
May now just lead up to a mighty war.

Being called cute and adorable by any aunt and uncle,
Get goosebumps when your crush smiles at you with a twinkle.
All this stuff just doesn't happen anymore.
What happened? Wheres all the innocence I had in my core?

I guess I know the answer when I think of the yore.
That I am just not thirteen anymore.
I miss those days those nights those time.
Life was beautiful and my world was so small.
I know it that I am short of words when my lines fail to rhyme,
But those were just the best days of my life, if I may call.

(inspired after watching 13 going on 30)

Suddenly out of nowhere,
it begins to form there.
Suddenly, I feel heavy,
as if the whole world’s weight bears down on me.

That choking feeling I get,
a cloud of emotions all crammed up.
There is no more space left.
yes, it's filled upto the brim of the cup.

Yet it keeps expanding itself,
pressurizing all my boundaries.
Forcing me to open my flood gates,
reminding me of the weight that it carries.

My defenses are crumbling,
my resistance is weakening.
I want to say so much, to express it all,
while proving that I am not weak at all.

Am I happy, am I sad? In either case,
the feeling is the same you see.
But then something happens, all of a sudden,
unexpected, unforeseen, undefeatable by me.

Kind words, small moist doleful eyes,
a look of ‘I am with you no matter what’.
Two arms, pull me into an embrace,
I give up, knowing very well that I have lost.

A moment elapses,
the last of my defenses raise their white flags.
And like summer tempest they come rushing,
easing the tension, freeing up all the clogs.

The choking feeling gets erased, peace overcomes.
Those little drops of pearls,
they did it for me.
TEARS, we call them affectionately.