The procession of life...

is in your eyes.
the eyes of the mind take stock of all events but scrutinize the ones that are revered by the heart. Thinking back, my tableau vivant, solely due to the fact that its etched in me and seems to be a constant mind companion. The value of whom only grows by the day. The pain of them not being around right here, right now make the memories more fond.  Don't have a day that goes by without the celebration in my head. The celebration of loss, gain, joy, loneliness and all that.

The rush in my head of the memories makes me feel the after life. is it? is it not? I wonder why. The kiss of life, the eternal sunshine in my mind, the sight of darkness and the hovering mist - the chapters of my brain are not in any order, infact just float around, pegging at times.

I often wonder if the sun shines, burns, warms, or lights up the darkness. Wonder why we are conditioned to wait for day after every night. Is it the color blue over the black or the sight blinding light sources that we have invented. I wonder what. I wonder why. The most important things are always the hardest to say. 

Life as it happens

i could juxtapose my mind and my life, happens quite often in my case, i can see it run all so smooth at times. The restricted regime of my body dosen't quite agree with this parallel though. No, it's not a problem of depression or loneliness, its a happy mind. I can run happy in my mind no matter where I am.

The memories of the past create a foundation for life. Its the strenght that adds bricks and motar as we move. The person that I am, my ability to think, decide, rationalise, be independent, get angry, cry, run, cook, talk, emote and everything else is a part of my growing up days. the shape it is gaining gains completion with life.

How does a mind work such that a gratitude is always better recognised for something after it ages. I always think i just missed the bus of thanks....Only if

Is there a thoughtful me looking over the stupid me?

Puerto Rico

Puerrrto Rrico; stress and roll the r's as much as you can. The beautiful Puerto Rico is so different from it controller nation, the US of A. From the non-English speaking, to the not so evident fast food regulars - the McDonalds, Taco Bells, the Panda Express. The territory is suprisingly low  on agriculture even around the lush rainforests!

Puerto Rico

Few pointers:

• SpanishHH. yes, make sure you have a few words you need in your kitty. Not many speak English and you'll be pleasantly surprised with how Spanish is spoken with everyone at first glance.
• Vegetarian food is far and few. If you are OK to not eat local, then there are a few subway's. But there is a veggie version of local specialities - Mofongo, Tostones (plantain chips), risotto (not found everywhere but yes it makes an appearance). 
• In the San Juan neighborhood, there are vegan options, like Ocean Park, Pura Vida, Bebo's, and in Old San Juan Cafe Berlin (priced on the higher end). For the regular veggie food there are the cheese pizzas, found at pizzerias. 
• In Vieques Trade Winds, Belly Button have some veg and vegan options too. The smaller the citi the lesser the veg food options. For example, Fajardo, but here you have McDonald, Taco Bell, Burger King and Subway.



Trade Winds in Vieques

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• Make sure you have a map of the Old San Juan before you start. Plan to walk. The streets are narrow and clogged by single lane car traffic. Donna Pella is a downtown parking lot in Old San Juan close to the ferry for parking. There are people who rule the streets around the parking lot and allow parking for a fee - park at your own risk here. 

Old San Juan on Thanksgiving day

• Note the gas stations expect payment first at the booth inside and then they enable the gas dispenser number where you can refuel.
• Make sure you check if cards are accepted before you start. This is at any place you go!
• Carry water. Not many drinking fountains around.
• GPS or maps are not very reliable. They are not updated. There were times when we found restaurants and directions and went round and round and landed at empty plots. The locals go by land marks in the city limits for directions and outside the city limits they use the mile marker.
• Ensure you are aware that both KMs and Miles as they are used without discretion. 
• Everything is marked in Spanish in majority of places

Ice Cream shop in old San Juan

• The direction boards inside buildings are very confusing. It does not always denote what you are seeing.
• There are many bakeries with sweet meats. They are not as sugar filled as in the US. 
• Be aware of your surroundings when you are in the outskirts. There are place which are sparsely inhabited and have no mobile signal. We did not have a lot of issues with AT&T; worked for most parts.
• The Kiosks at Loquillo is not a great option for vegetarian food. Even otherwise it did not impress me much. The happiest part was finding coco-frio (tender coconut). The cooling coconut water made up for the hot day. You find a lot of fried food and pork in the kiosks. The are called kiosks and they are a row of small eateries usually identified by a number.
• Make sure you book your cabs in advance. There can be delays in them arriving.
• A lot depends on the weather, the kayaking activities, the trekking the bio bay tours. THey can cancel it at the last moment if they think its not great weather (even though you think otherwise). We did not have a great experience with out Bio- Bay tour, the whole experience was just OK. 
• Bio-luminescence is an amazing thing. But its about the survival mechanism of micro-organisms that emit the light and its not something that is like an illumination in the water. 
• A few attraction around PR - Ziplining (Roqui and Jamar of yzapr are amazing guides), kayaking, trekking in the rain forest, eating mofongo, walking around, and don't forget the beaches

Sierra de Luquillo - beautiful drive up the mountain

beach at Loquillo

Ziplining in El Yunque

THE functional specification

Wonder what the requirement specification was for creating a human being. And the options for configuration. Phew one hell of a job!  

Wonder if we humans are the result of a job well done or a job gone wrong.

Can I be?

Yes, I can but won’t be allowed to. It’s a question I have always asked myself and wondered. The impossibility of the implausible hypocrisy of the religious, cultured, educated Indian is the stark reality that stands out.

We search for and create godmen. The same we go ahead and find faults in our creation. Question the sanctity of the unbelievable acts of godmanship. We pride in our ability to isolate the bad. But, all this from the same individual we catapulted to the sanctum sanctorum? The sights in life and my living is evident of the invasion of the human being by the mind of the lifeless madness.

What is life? A race towards death or the celebration of birth? We, or let me not generalise, rather say most ofus live the years with no sight of our final goal and create an expectation of endless journey. 

The little things

The beautiful song that you listen to on repeat mode for a few days

The chaat you ate on a gloomy day

The hello you heard from a person who matters on a dull morning

The surprise gift one nice day

The habit you give up for someone you care

The wonderful meal you were pining to eat on traffic-ridden drive back…is now hot on your dining table

Mom’s call when you are down and low

The one last mint you find after a onion-filled Indian meal just before you enter the meeting

The long drive for a small cuppa

The surprise on meeting the bully of your class who is now a beautiful person

The wonderful tender coconut seller on a long hot stretch on a road trip

The sweet nothings from a friend

The sparrow you spot on a Sunday morning in Bangalore

The traffic-less streets on a Bundh day in Bangalore

The small eats you find at an eatery that you indulged in as a kid

The petrichor on summer day

The early morning lush green clear sight after a bout of heavy rain the previous night

The surprise of a beautiful pleasant early morning for the non morning person

The smell of coffee on a rainy day

The bottle of cola, at the perfect temperature, on a sunny, hot, sweaty day

The dusty jean you find after a decade and it still fits!

The beauty of plain ceiling on a lazy day with no disturbance but for the occasional noise on TV or the loo breaks

The crispy white shirt, neatly laundered, found at the end of the week when everything seems like it was just out of the cow’s mouth

The bubbling burst of  joy in your mind as you hear the stupidity from the person who is a show off and you hate

The flash of brilliance that makes you feel intelligent and want to go get it for the next 2 minutes

Do I? Do I?

The statements I have heard from people about me, makes me wonder: Do I really ask too many questions? Do I ? J

Wondering…In the making of a human, is there a clause that indicates the number of words that one can use in a life time? I wonder, if it was the case. Acknowledging the fact that I have lots to talk, my quota would have run out two times.  The creator is being grateful by giving me the bonus or so I’d want to think. But then what happens to the ones who don’t use it? Does it have a validity? Or a no use penalty akin to our credit cards policies. So everyone is on the same boat as me. Or they are stingy and selfish. 

I have been part of conversations in a group and in a dialogue and have swayed away, as far as Paris sometimes. Talking to people is boring. It’s not something that interests or rather I can hold on my attention to for more than a few minutes. It depends on the person or the group. It more than often happens that I leave the conversation and drift away. I like my space, my ability to travel virtually and stay afloat with the conversation in reality. The people who matter, it’s mutual by the way, always manage to hear you, respond and make time for abruptness or the deadly rambles that goes on – be it intelligent, foolish or even the paucities. So, Do I? ahem ahem…

I would, in my world, brand the yes ‘ers’ as aliens in my world – the nuisances that make an appearance once in a while.  And who don’t matter except for a study of the kinds.

My ability to question and retort with an answer to it is a gift, I’d want to think. It’s the ability to ensure that the others listening are in conformity to the question’s essence. If they have in anyways misunderstood, that happens often. Considering this life is time bound, I have no time to understand an answer or even want to have to rephrase my question. I question in many ways, could be to start a conversation, end a conversation, interject in a conversation or simply to ensure there is some noise among two people. Questioning is only a quick way to get a response rather than cajole the user into telling you, after 100 of words that have fallen out without much meaning. But then, when there is an equation between people, does it matter if it’s a question, answer or a statement? If it still sounds like noise, in my world these beings would then become part of the UFO that hovers my world.

But then, sometimes I prefer the world of silence. When people are not interesting, it’s better to deal with the chaos of though in silence, rather than chaos in your head and outside. In retrospect, think about it, my rambling might seem annoying, as you don’t like me or my company. Its mutual. Totally agree. In this world of worlds I could be an alien in your world.

I am as I am. I will be as I am. If my talk kills you, your silence kills me. So, the aliens to my world, stay away.