Explore... Dream... Discover

Came across these few lines that I thought was really inspiring...
"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."-Mark Twain

Come Alive with The Sound of Music

COME ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUSIC

“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens;
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens;
Brown paper packages tied up with strings;
These are a few of my favorite things.
When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favourite things
And then I don’t feel so bad…”

Whenever I am down in the dumps or feeling miserable I simply hum these lines and lo! It makes me feel so much better! These revitalizing lines are from the movie Sound of Music - a movie that is such an important part of my childhood memories. Sound of Music is my ‘feel good movie’. Just watching the movie or even humming its songs can do wonders to my mood.

Set in the backdrop of World War – II the story is about Maria who is training to be a nun. However suspecting that her real call lies beyond the walls of the Abbey, Mother Superior asks her to go out and experience the outside world for sometime. She is sent to the house of a retired navy captain Von Trapp to be a governess to seven children. Maria is both excited and tensed at the prospect. On one hand, she has to deal with Captain, who ever since the death of his wife, runs his house like a dictator – ‘as if he were on one of his warships’! While on the other are bunch of seven naughty children deprived of love and enjoyment. The story that follows is that of how Maria captures the hearts of the children and Captain alike through music and her enchanting ways.

Sound of Music captures Austria at its best; you are left wanting more of the breathtaking views of the Austrian landscape. And you will love the lush locations, glimpses of the baroque city of Salzburg and not to forget the palatial house of Captain Von Trapp (which has now been converted into a museum!).

The character of Maria has been etched out so beautifully. I am a big fan of Maria! As the song sung by the nuns at the Abbey goes, “How do you solve a problem like Maria… how do you catch a cloud and pin it down…. How do you find a word that means Maria…???” To describe Maria in one word would be just next to impossible - frank, honest, sincere, loving, lively. She speaks her mind, stands up to her words and likes to live life on her terms. She detests rules that do not make sense or restrain your freedom. In contrast to that Captain Von Trapp is calm, rigid, restrained and elegant.

The movie has been interspersed with moments of fun and laughter… these include the pranks played by the kids on Maria – the frog jumping out of Maria’s pocket, Maria’s entry at the dinning table, she checks her mattress for spiders or Maria’s blunt remarks like “the poor wouldn’t take them…., (were you this much trouble at the Abbey) oh! Much more…, only during thunderstorms Captain”. Among the children it’s the younger boy, Kurt who adds most to the humour element.

So many scenes just touch your heart… one such scene is when Maria is taking the children out for shopping to Salzburg and Gretel, the youngest child drops a tomato, how Maria through her gestures tells her that she need not be sorry. The evolving relationship between Maria and the eldest daughter Liesel is so beautifully depicted. The film also shows various emotions and dilemmas that a teenager passes through. Infact the movie appeals to people of all ages - children, teenagers, parents everybody can relate to the movie.

The movie has music that elevates you and touches your soul. Most of the songs fill you with positivity and cheer. You really want to sing every song you hear. ‘The hills are alive’ makes your heart want to, beat like the wings of the birds, to laugh like a brook when it trips and falls over stones on its way, sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray!

“I have confidence…” will pump in loads of confidence for you to take on the world. Do-re-mi is the light, fun song that you can always teach your young cousins with actions et al and they are bound to love it! Other lovely songs include the soothing Edelweiss, the endearing puppet show and goodbye ‘cuckoo’ song. You also get to see some enthralling dance sequences at Ball Dance and in the chirpy romantic number ‘You are sixteen’!

The last one hour of the movie is comparatively grim and depicts tensions during the World War. The strong sense of patriotism of Captain forces him to leave his own beloved Austria instead of bowing down before the invading Germans. The last scenes of the movie have moments of tension when you wonder what would be the fate of the Von Trapp family if caught by the Germans. Even the background score has been used effectively to create the required mood.

Produced by Robert Wise, the movie has brilliant acting especially by the lead actors Julie Andrews, as Maria, Christopher Plummer as Captain Von Trapp and Peggy Wood as Mother Abbess. The movie won many Academy Awards in 1965.

However as a child there were certain portions of the movie that I felt dragged a bit – when Captain Von Trapp, Uncle Max and Baroness Schroeder are driving down to Salsburg, the long chat between Captain von Trapp and the Baroness as they stroll in the garden and the scenes where Captain and Maria confess their love for each other. However today when I understand those dialogues, with more patience to pay attention to them, I have begun to appreciate the same!

Overall Sound of music is a movie that exudes optimism and inspires you to ‘Climb every Mountain till you find your dream’! It fills into your heart and mind the strong belief that ‘When the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window’!

The beautiful story of how Maria brings back music and happiness into the lives of the Von Trapp family, Sound of music is and will always be my all-time favourite!

“I go to the hills when my heart is lonely,
I know I will hear what I've heard before.
My heart will be blessed with the sound of music
And I'll sing once more.”

Why I write...

I write to express my opinions, feelings and desires. I can express my joy and share both happiness and sorrow through writing. I write to voice my dissatisfaction, angst and frustration and to express pain or disbelief.

I write to record significant experiences; experiences that touch me or events that move me. I can then come back to events or interesting moments, days, months or years after they occurred. I write to forget unpleasant people, situations or things.

I write to capture and pin down fleeting ideas before they vanish from my mind. I write to let my mind travel freely and come up with crazy ideas. I write to refine ideas. Writing gives shape to and helps mould my ideas and thoughts. I write to visualise my dreams and wrench out my hidden fears. I write to face issues I have been avoiding. I write when in doubt and when I am seeking answers or to search my soul. I write when I want to be sure of my words and to ensure that I use the appropriate words.

I write to ask for forgiveness when I have made a mistake or hurt someone intentionally or unintentionally. I write to thank those who have made a difference. I write to appreciate beauty around me. I write to raise concerns and applaud achievements. I write to admire and acknowledge brilliance and virtue and to deplore vices around me and within me.

I write to keep in touch with touch with old friends and relatives and to make new acquaintances. I write to communicate at work with colleagues, clients, suppliers and the media. I write to share information and to ask for information. I write when I want to reach out to many people at the same time.

I write to comment on happenings around the world and to contemplate on life. I write to celebrate the joy of living. I write to ridicule the irony of life. I write to express and share the joys of travelling and discovering new places, people, cultures and cuisines.

I write to improvise my writing skills. And yes of course, I write for the sheer pleasure of writing!

dil ki udaan

mera yeh dil deewana
jaane hai kaise rukta na
iski udaan..

manoo hai koi panchi yeh
ude hai jo gagan mein yeh
phaila ke pankh

armaan iske haaroon zalakte boli mein
ghule hai jaise rang saare holi mein

(just keyed in somethin tht came to my mind... may keep refining it.. :)

I am finally done with the Fountainhead (Better late than never..) well but I am not going to review the book here or comment on my opinion about it... just am quoting some of her brilliant evocative, lines ..

"The people has come to witness a sensational case, to see celebrities, to get material for consversation, to be seen, to kill time. They would return to unwanted jobs, unloved families, unchosen friends, to drawing rooms, evening clothes, cocktail glasses and movies, to unadmitted pain, murdered hope, desire left unreached, left hanging silently over a path on which no step was taken, to days of effort not to think, not to say, to forget and give in and give up.

But each of them had known some unforgotten moment - a morning when nothing happened, a piece of music heard suddenly and never heard in the same way again, a stranger's face seen in a bus - a moment when each had known in a different sesnse of living. And each remembered other moments, on a sleepless night, on a afternoon of steady rain, in a church, in an empty street at sunset, when each had wondered why there was so much suffering and ugliness in the world. They had not tried to find the answer and they had gone on living as if no answer were necessary. But each had known a moment when, in lonely, naked honesty, he had felt the need of an answer."

All Girl Squad

Here's an interesting article that I found on BBC World... Kudos to the All Girl Squad from India!!! I wish them all the best in their endeavor to establish peace!!!


ALL GIRL SQUAD!
This World meets the first all-female unit of United Nations peacekeepers, who have been based in Liberia for six months

Do women make better soldiers, especially in war torn countries? As a trial, the UN recently deployed a unit of Indian women to be the first ever all-female peacekeeping force in the West African country in Liberia. The women are part of India's Central Reserve Police Force, and were hand picked from across the country for this mission. They are experts in crowd control and veterans of many conflicts in India, including Kashmir and fighting in the north-east of India.
Conflict in LiberiaLiberia is recovering from 14 years of civil war during which child soldiers roamed the streets and sexual violence was common. Today the presence of thousands of peacekeepers keeps it stable, but rape is still a major problem.The UN is experimenting with all female units because female soldiers are seen as less threatening and more approachable in post conflict situations, where populations are recovering from years of violence and fear. In Liberia this is of particular importance because the country has experienced an epidemic of sexual violence against women. But will the presence of armed Indian women patrolling the streets empower local women, or will the culture shock the Indian women face - in their first visit out of India - stop them from interacting with local Liberians? This World accompanies the women on their mission. If they are a success, they could be the first of many women soldiers to wear the famous UN blue helmets.

My sister called me up this evening and said that Benazir Bhutto was dead, she was killed… I was shocked, and my immediate reaction was of disbelief. By the time I could ask how, when, who?? my sister had hung up. I rushed home and joined Dad and Mom who were glued to news channels. For once, Mom too had sacrificed her serials!!!
Allegations of corruptions apart, Benazir was a woman I admired as a truly charismatic leader. I still remember my school days when I would keenly pay attention to the smart, young, fearless lady addressing rallies and promising to lead Pakistan. She in fact that went on to become a woman Prime Minister of a hard core Islamic nation (that too one with a mind of her own, not a mere puppet!). Whenever she spoke, whether to the large masses in rallies or in interviews on Television, she was always confident and poised. A truly charismatic leader! She spoke with conviction and dignity.
Another fact that I admired about her was that she was well-educated (learnt today that she went to Harvard and Oxford) and often spoke of the need to improve the deplorable state of women in Islamic nations. A moderate Islamist, she was one of the best options that Pakistan had in a scenario where one was trying to establish democracy.
She didn’t lose heart, inspite of having had to face a troubled personal life, with her father Zulfikar Bhutto being executed and her brothers assassinated.
Her assassination was totally unexpected, especially at this point in time, when there were signs of democracy being restored in Pakistan. Just when India and rest of the world thought that the storm in Pakistan was finally beginning to settle, the nation is caught up in yet another turmoil. This incident will have strong repercussions not only on Pakistan’s efforts to bring in peace and order and on Indo-Pak relations, but also on the global war against terrorism...