Laugh a little more

I caught myself rolling my eyes at a bunch of kids laughing at lame jokes today... Till I remembered I used to do the same.

Do you remember laughing at this...

What kind of fish can't swim ?
Dead ones !

Or this...

What is heavier, a full moon or a half moon ?
The full moon because it's lighter !

There was a time when I would be holding my tummy in pain, laughing at jokes like this.. Now at a max, I can get a grin, or maybe a chuckle if I am drunk.

The other day I cracked a rare joke at work and my workmate laughed. He said to me that he couldn't remember the last time he laughed like that. Why is it that its only the teens on a train that are having fun and laughing? Why do we all sit besides each other with serious expressions on our faces. Why do we think its weird if we are smiled at by a stranger? When did we stop laughing? Why does being an adult need to be so boring?

Love

G.

Good luck India... We love you

My dearest Indian friends,

A lot has been reported in the media against our country... The Commonwealth Games has been declared a disaster even before it starts..

Pictures of stained toilets and stagnant water stare at us from the TV screen in our homes.

Allegations of corruption and ignorant comments about devils mock us in the face.

Everyone who hates India is screaming their lungs out while we Indian's have been hanging our heads in shame.

True India is not entirely innocent. True our politicians need to be held accountable for the embarrassment this has caused.

But this is the time when our country, our India needs us the most.

We need to stand together to defend India's reputation. We need to believe that India will deliver on its promise.

I believe the games will be a success. I believe that the world will see India's beauty when the time comes. I believe that the organisers will redeem themselves. I believe that a lot of good will come out of this. I believe in India.

Let's stand together for now. Let's have confidence in the best of India. Indian's who have stepped in over the last few weeks and have taken charge. Let's cheer for them. Let's encourage them to give the games their all and to show the world that India is better than what they believe it is...

Love

G.

How much do we really care about the environment?

I had a mini moment of awakening yesterday..

Every time there is an earthquake, a war, a volcanic eruption, a natural or unnatural disaster which affects human beings we all get our wallets out to help.. Several major organisations promise Dollar for Dollar contributions..

I am surrounded by vegetarians (those who can't eat meat cuz they can't bear the thought of an animal being killed!), by people who have pets (and thus claim they love animals), by people like me (that think we are doing enough by recycling milk bottles).. People who have turned their nose up and blamed BP for one of the greatest Oil Spill in history.. And all along we have been watching the news and shaking our heads saying BP should be made to pay...

However it never occurred to me until yesterday that if we really cared about the environment we would all be sharing the blame..

Luv

G.

They are more than just "Boat People"

I do not know if the term "Boat People" is officially considered a racial slur. Probably not, as I hear it spoken and written everywhere...

But I cringe every time I hear it..

Call them refugees if you feel generous... Or illegal immigrants if you do not want to accept them.. But they are more than just "Boat people".. They are human beings, men, women and children, who have been through immense stress..

I think they are brave to have risked all on such a journey.. They obviously think they are better off risking their lives and bearing the humiliation of being social rejects than to remain in their own country.. We do not know their circumstances... We have no clue what they have been through.. But we can be sure they are not here for a joy ride...

Anyway, this is not a debate about immigration policy.. Being a legal migrant myself I acknowledge the need for a system.. However, I do think we need to be more sympathetic... The least we can do is call them something decent.. Something better than "boat people".. Something that describes what they really are...

Luv

G.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

I can't believe I am writing my second post of the day! This is what happens to me when I have too much time on hand!

Anyways, I just saw Julie & Julia. And I loved it loved it loved it loved it and loved it. Well I can't cook that well. But I surely love to cook and I love food.

What I am excited about is that my husband, my dear dear loving sweetheart of a husband, anticipated that I would want the book after watching the movie and bought it for me!

Yes, I am now a proud owner of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Child.

Bon Appétit

Love

G.

Don't change MJ

Why does my heart ache everytime I see MJ on the screen? Why do the tears come rushing?

I was never his biggest fan. I never knew the lyrics to his songs. I never tried the moonwalk. And I never defended him when everyone called him Wacko.

But deep down, I think I always loved MJ. I just didn't realise it till he was gone. And then I felt shock. And I felt anger. All of a sudden I couldn't bear to hear the term Wacko Jacko. I hated it when they played a show focussing on him as a crazy paedophile. I kept thinking who are we to judge another human being. And how can we accuse someone who can't defend himself anymore?

I started to read about MJ. I read everything I could find with his name on it. Saw all the tributes, saw his interviews and saw This Is It.

I may be so wrong but I am convinced of his innocence. When you hear him speak he sounds like a child. Those tears that Brooke shed on the screen were genuine tears shed for someone she believed in and loved. My heart broke when his little girl said "Ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you can ever imagine." He had to be a good person! He compared himself to Peter Pan - the boy who never grew up. And spent a fortune on a play ground. His songs spoke about humanity and love. He gave generously. He loved children. He thought he was one of them. He doesn't deny sleeping with children in his bed. But he deny's touching them sexually. I believe MJ when he says that. Anyways I am not writing this to defend him. I am just trying to understand why so many of us believed he was in the wrong.

So what if he did a million plastic surgeries. Why should it concern us? If anything I feel pity for the man. I wish he had someone who could hold him tight and look him in the eye and tell him that he looks beautiful. Someone who would tell him that he was loved the way he his. That he should stay the same. That he shouldn't change. He was so lonely. Can you imagine being so full of love and having noone to share that love with?

He was a talented, hard working, genius who gave so much to the world. Surely there is more good to him than bad. Then why do so many of us love to hate him? Why do we find it easier to find faults than to see good? Wouldn't it make the world a better place if we saw the goodness in people more clearly than their faults? I think it would. And that is what I am going to try to do.

Love

G.