Children....
I was just ruminating after looking at some albums from my schooling days in India..sad as it may sound, I don't have too many fond memories to speak of, after so many years of schooling. I was never really big on the social circle, so I don't have too many friends from those days as well.

Maybe part of it was my fault...but I find upon ruminating, that most of it was the fault of insensitivity in people, who only want to be around super-successful, over-achievers. No one really cares much for the underdog. As adults we learn to swallow the bitter pill of reality with the attitude of the cynic. But the worst affected are little children.

Now I've always had a thing for children...most children that is. I just don't like those kids who grow up too fast and lose their innocence very young, even 3-4 year olds. Shall not pay too much importance to these ill-fated examples, whose domineering, over-ambitious parents make them way too practical and gain-conscious far too early in life.

Lets talk about kids who suffer from poverty, kids who are stamped as mentally challenged and hence considered doomed for life, kids stained by the acts of cheap perverts, shy children who suffocate under the weight of their pushy parents and their overwhelming expectations, kids who just want to be kids but are moulded into becoming something they were never meant to be as kids.

It's a modern day reality. Most children are packed off to play school when they should remain within the security of the home. Perhaps folks these days can't wait for their little ones to grow up and when they do, you have those sentimental yet senile sounding 'he grew up so fast'...like please, excuse any trace of rudeness, but the attitude of parents is quintessential in shaping a child. Yes, luck plays a part in where we reach as adults, but the background of a man reflects on his or her person for the rest of his or her life and traces of a ruined childhood are indelible scars that remain with a person throughout life and in extreme cases rub off on future generations as well.

I am not a parent and will not be becoming one anytime soon, but as someone who has worked closely with kids, I can say that there is no perfect formula. But a dash of faith and tons of love, care, time and patience are the must-haves to avoid the little souls from getting crushed under the pressures of life upon this planet, that is increasingly have little breathing space for tiny souls who simply want to play with their toys, watch cartoons, eat good food and sleep...peacefully.

A moment to remember
So, I've just finished watching "A Walk to Remember" and I think there are very few girls on this planet who won't melt after watching it.
Every girl dreams of being a Jamie and getting her Langdon and living together with him happily ever after.
"Love is like the wind" says Jamie, "You can't see but you can feel it"....I'll add my own to that and say that the gentle touch and the sensation of the wind remains even when it's gone.
The wind has no shape, no mortal form, but it touches the being...more than touching the skin...but not every wind produces the similar sensation and so it is with relationships.
Not every relationship reaches the bottom of your heart and makes you feel where you need to feel the most.
Not every man is the type who will make you cry when he leaves....and don't get me wrong. Every break-up is tearful, but seperating from the one makes your soul cry. But it also has a wierd cathartic effect, in that it makes you weep with a smile, because it teaches you to cherish and realise that beautiful memories are the essence of living.
The one is not a person with whom you share yourself, your home, your bank-account with, rather it's a person who echoes your soul. A twin soul is never a person who shares your soul, but he or she is rather a reflection of your own soul.
So, not everyone will have access to the keys of your heart...but the one can see it without the keys and the bondages.
It is the one you can trust with the piles of old diaries in which you scribbled your deepest thoughts and amatuer poetry, and it doesn't matter if any embarrassing details lie in there.
Least of what matters when it comes to congruent souls is the face.
Yes, it maybe the initial attraction...but only a fool will not look beyond it. God, was very clever when he paired twin souls - so most people who keep failing in their relationships probably don't have the insight to go beyond the trappings of the physical.

A year gone by...yet another
So, like everyone else I'm falling into the rat race and commenting on 2007...which died two days back (died....maybe I haven't learnt my lessons in euphemism).

It was like all other years, with somethings lost and others found..2007...the year of the pig has given way to 2008, the year of the rat...As you can very well make out, I'm into Chinese astrology (any astrology actually) and the prediction for tiger babies (I'm a fire tiger) aren't very blessed this year.

Changes are in store, as I complete my diploma and move on with further education and probably a job...I frankly don't know what the future holds for me and I'm just gonna take a break from all the gancheong-ness of further education, growing up, plans etc. period. At the risk of sounding repetitive, "I don't make plans beyond tommorrow".

There was a time in my life when I loved making New Year resolutions and felt that I could plan my life and my relationships with people. But the past two decades of life, as I now know it, have shown me the futility in it all. It has educated me through experience (the best teacher ever) that one should trust god, trust oneself and keep ones options open.

Gerry Spence once said: "I rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief"...how much truth have I found in this simple line. I know my potential, and I know what I'm capable of, I push myself and keep it open....but tommorrow is beyond the scope of my sphere of influence.

So I'm the least bit aware of what 2008 holds for me. I know that someone up there has been most kind to me in many ways and I've much to thank him/her for. I just hope it's another year of wonderful surprises, of meeting wonderful people, forging meaningful friendships and learning a bit more about myself and what I'm meant to become.

As always: Have a great year ahead, and if it's a bummer..never mind, every dog has its day!