A Blood Curdling Dance: BLACK SWAN

About twice a year, you come across a story that leaves you absolutely awestruck. Last night, I watched Black Swan, a motion picture based on the timeless classic ballet Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky, and I am still haunted by the silent music that drifts through my being.
Black Swan is the story of the young, beautiful and talented ballerina, Nina, whose passion and dedication to dance has opened up the curtains of opportunity. The leading role of the Swan Queen in the dance company’s enactment of Swan Lake is within her grasp, but to realize her dreams she must fight hard, amidst her sister dancers’ envious treachery, and defeat the inner demons that plague her. Shy and anxious, she is vulnerable at the hands of the maestro and her wild and haughty competitor, Lily. Plunging into a sea of confusion and carnal lust, she ‘loses herself’ in the dance of her life. As her struggle for perfection overcomes her, she splits from sanity and delves into a darkness only she understands, bringing the tragic desperation of the swan queen alive, in her own being.
This captivating and hauntingly vivid portrayal of passion and defeat, Black Swan, is a dark and lustful experiment of psychology.

Things To Do Before I Die

courtesy www.bucketquiz.com

• Throw a huge party and invite every one of your friends.
• Swim with a dolphin.
• Skydive.
• Have your portrait painted.
• Learn to speak a foreign language and make sure you use it.
• Go skinny-dipping at midnight in the South of France.
• Be an extra in a film.
• Tell someone the story of your life, sparing no details.
• Make love on a forest floor.
• Make love on a train.
• Learn to roller blade. DONE 
• Own a room with a view.
• Brew your own beer/wine.
• Buy a round-the-world air ticket and a rucksack, and run away.
• Go and buy your mother flowers.
• Send a message in a bottle.
• Ride a camel into the desert.
• Plant a tree. DONE 
• Write a fan letter to your all-time favorite hero or heroine.
• Enjoy the sight of the Taj Mahal under a full moon.
• Fall deeply in love -- helplessly and unconditionally. DONE Oh, I am...
• Ride the Trans-Siberian Express across Asia.
• Write the novel you know you have inside you.
• Go to Walden Pond and read Thoreau while drifting in a canoe.
• Drink beer at Oktoberfest in Munich.
• Shower in a waterfall. DONE 
• Learn to play a musical instrument with some degree of skill. in the process 
• Teach someone illiterate to read.
• Write down your personal mission statement, follow it, and revise it from time to time.
• See a lunar eclipse. DONE Definitely want to do it again...
• Spend New Year's in an exotic location. DONE My home is exotic!
• Get passionate about a cause and spend time helping it, instead of just thinking about it.
• Experience weightlessness.
• Sing/play a great song in front of an audience.
• Drive across America from coast to coast.
• Make a complete and utter fool of yourself.
• Write your will.
• Sleep under the stars.
• Take a ride on the highest roller coaster in the country.
• Go wild in Rio during Carnival.
• Spend a whole day reading a great novel. DONE that's what I do as a hobby
• Forgive your parents.
• Learn to juggle with three balls.
• Drive the Autobahn.
• Find a job you love.
• Spend Christmas on the beach drinking pina coladas.
• Overcome your fear of failure.
• Raft through the Grand Canyon.
• Donate money and put your name on something: a college scholarship, a bench in the park.
• Buy your own house and then spend time making it into exactly what you want.
• Grow a garden.
• Spend three months getting your body into optimum shape.
• Drive a convertible with the top down and music blaring.
• Accept yourself for who you are.
• Learn to use a microphone and give a speech in public.
• Scuba dive off Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
• Go up in a hot-air balloon.
• Attend one really huge rock concert.
• Give to a charity -- anonymously. DONE 
• Let someone feed you peeled, seedless grapes. DONE Amma...
• Fart in a crowded space.
• Make love on the kitchen floor.
•  Visit Alaska.
• Create your own web site. DONE
• Visit the Holy Land. DONE Earth is the Holy Land
• Run to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
• Ski.
• Go to Wacken.
• Run a marathon.
• Look into your child's eyes, see yourself, and smile.

Hacking a Menu

A few months ago, my friend Nirmani and I had a lunch disaster! We cooked pasta and potatoes in the same white sauce and had no gravy to go with it. We made the mistake of cooking two different starchy staple foods. We figured that our meal didn't look as appetizing as we had hoped and made our second mistake- we BAKED BOTH dishes in the microwave oven.
The situation was much worse than it sounds. We were left with big white lumps of starch that we really had to struggle to swallow. Recently I remembered this incident and thought about what had gone wrong- we had cooked a meal without a menu!
Yes, a menu is definitely more important than the amateur cook would imagine. Even if you cook a dozen delicious dishes, but have no menu, a theme that binds the different items of the meal together, the final result will not be filling.
Coming up with a menu is not complicated at all and requires only a little creative thinking. You just need to pay attention to the following three points: GOD

• The Guests

The number of people is important for two different reasons. First and foremost, you need to prepare not only the food but also space, utensils and napkins etc. for the number of people you are going to host. You also need to decide which items can be efficiently prepared, considering the cost as well as  time for preparation. Additionally, you need to consider the preferences of your guests. For example, there might be vegetarians or kids who don't like too much of spice. So your menu will need to match your Guests.

• The Occasion

So what's cooking? Is it breakfast, lunch or dinner? How is the mood of the diners? Will everyone be hungry or will some small nibbles do? What is the weather like? Where and how will the food be served? Will it be a full-blown buffet, a simple TV dinner or a snack on-the-go?

• The Dishes

Unity is what holds the dishes in a menu together. And here are two simple tips to avoid disharmony:

• DO NOT REPEAT ingredients

Tomato soup, Pasta with tomato sauce and a tomato salad as a side dish is a bad idea.

• DO NOT REPEAT cooking techniques

There are so many techniques to choose from- stir fry, deep fry,grill, bake, roast, stew, boil, steam, saute, poach etc. Add some variety!
With G.O.D. you just can't go wrong!!!

The Maestro Of Comedy: George Carlin

George Carlin

When George Carlin teamed up with Jack Burns for a small performance in a coffee house in Fort Worth, TX, his life had been far from jolly. He was born in 1937, in Manhattan. In his later years he would frequently refer to his memories of the 'white harlem' and his Irish Catholic upbringing. His mother had run away from his father when he was only two months old and Carlin had had a difficult childhood growing up with his mother and elder brother. After leaving high school he had begun training as a radar technician for the US Air Force and had been sent to Louisiana. It was here that he tried his luck in the arena of stand-up comedy. Over the years, he evolved into a unique icon, shunned by some for his blunt nihilism but loved by most for his honesty, insight and enlightening philosophies of life. Today, he is remembered as one of the greatest and most influential comedians.

When Vimukthi first showed me an act performed by Carlin,what struck me was his persona. A man in black, speaking the bitter truth and using humor to give life to the fears that we cloak in a conscious attempt to prove that humanity has achieved greatness. He forces his audiences to analyze religion, commerce and life itself and see beyond the cliched ideals we hold.

A Slice of the World

Man has a strange desire for order based on hierarchy. The notions of an omnipotent God and a democratic government stem from this same thirst for self-discipline and moral order. However, these desired outcomes have been far from achieved after millenia of human struggle. Quite on the contrary, often times the methods employed have resulted in the exact opposite- war and disharmony. Religions that were supposed to liberate people from the bonds of suffering and unite them in brotherhood have cause more death and destruction than any other human invention. For religion in the hands of a fool is more dangerous than a thousand nuclear bombs. But I see a silver lining on this cloud of nuclear waste. Certain other things have precipitated through such turmoil. Man has created complex social systems in the forms of culture and religion. I have come to believe that, if I am willing to look carefully, I can find a glimpse of inspiration, a shred of wisdom in the strangest of human cultures.

Just for fun

I believe that religion is merely a facet of a culture, similar to dress, cuisine and language. It cannot be defined or understood as a separate entity, for it has no existence of its own. Every time a religion has crossed a border and entered a foreign soul, as a result of war, trade or diplomacy, it has undergone an evolution. It has seeped in and merged with the traditions and ways of the people. And with the passage of time, this practice of faith forms a separateness from the original form from whence it came. Even if the fundamental teachings remained unchanged, the practice of religion as a whole transforms to suit the geography and the people.


When I first became interested in Neo-paganism and Wicca, I understood that following the footsteps of existent  traditions like Gardenian, Alexandrian or Dianic would not serve my purpose. I believe that Wicca calls for an individual spiritual journey, where each person is actively engaged in an eternal process of learning, from the past and from the moment, through the means of study, thought and prayer.
Led by my instincts and interests, I decided to delve deeper into the world we live in. And my findings have mesmerized me! And some of those I have decided to share here- my tabula rasa.

Braces are ON!

My appointment was at 7.45 am and was to last two hours. I was a bit nervous, specially since I was also having a bad flu. My doctor was very understanding, and even reduced the air conditioning!
It was an absolutely painless procedure. To tell the truth, I didn't feel the time pass. All the gadgets he shuffled around and the Toy Story movie playing on a screen above kept me entertained.
I have been wearing my braces for a little over 24 hours and there's little pain, only discomfort. I took ibuprofen twice yesterday and that was it. All that I have to do now is get used to it and brush, brush, brush. =)

The Fear of the Swine

Pretty Pig

I started the New Year with a big sneeze and a terrible headache was my companion on the first of January. Over the next two days I developed a full-blown flu. Being a natural hypochondriac, I speculated the worst: I’ve got the Flu of the Swine, the terrible A H1N1 virus!
As the first step of a self-diagnosis I Googled the symptoms of this disease:

• Fever (sometimes absent)
• chills
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Cough
• Sore and itchy throat
• Headache
• Diarrhea and/or vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue and body ache

I scored yes to 8/9! So, I decided to go to my family doctor, a.s.a.p. But this was not my only concern: I was supposed to get my braces the next day. My orthodontist insisted I do not postpone but take amoxicillin and Piriton, and go ahead with my treatment.
My family doctor did vaguely mention the possibility of Swine Flu. I think he did not want to create an unnecessary panic. He told me that amoxicillin was not needed and prescribed some basic flu aid.

But this experience got me thinking….

What is Swine Flu?
The swine influenza is a respiratory disease that affected pigs, and occasionally humans, like farmers who came into direct contact with pigs. However, this changed in 2009 when the virus evolved into a form that is spread from human to human. This new genetic form of the virus was previously unknown to humans, therefore we lacked the immunity and the medical knowledge to fight it.

What makes it SO dangerous?
For many this flu is just another seasonal flu that requires little medical attention. In most cases a little bed rest would do.
But this is different for people who are suffering from weakened immune systems, heart disease, blood, kidney and liver disorders, chronic lung diseases, neurological and neuromuscular diseases, diabetes and cancer. Anyone under the age of 5 or above the age of 65, as well as pregnant women need to take extra care. For them medical attention is vital as the disease could be fatal.

What can you do?
Stay at home. Rest and Sleep. Drink plenty of water.
If you have any of the complications mentioned above, go to a doctor.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and I am merely paraphrasing what I have read elsewhere. To quote Matt Stone and Trey Parker, “This should not be viewed by anyone”!

Resolutions '11

I have had a habit of writing down a plethora of resolutions at the glorious beginning of every year, and forgetting them in a month's time. Everything from 'being a better daughter' to 'drinking more water' and 'partying more' has made it to my list during my adolescent years. However, this year I'm going to keep it crisp and simple-

New Years Resolutions 2011

1. Figure things out.

(My list goes a step further by clearly defining what falls under the abstract term things.)

Things

• Life
• Love
• The Past
• The Present
• The Moment
• The Universe
• My Place in it
• My Path,
• From a spiritual perspective
• From a worldly perspective

  etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.

Well, it's not that I do not realize the gravity of my undertaking. After all, I am trying to solve problems that humanity as a collective entity has not been able to comprehend throughout all its millennia of existence. But there is clearly no harm, other than busting a few brain cells and heart fibers, in trying.