Still single

Lionel came back in September and left again in October.

Sigh!

Married, yet single

First let me start with my wedding day.

It was the most wonderful day of my life. The ambience, the people, the food, the praises. Wow! Amazing. I would definitely recommend marriage to all my friends. Its an amazing feeling to stand at the altar on a beautiful sunny day, looking angel-like in white, standing next to an incredibly handsome man and saying 'I do'.
I loved every single moment of the entire ceremony and the reception.

The honeymoon was in Andamans.

It was the perfect destination. Beautiful ocean, brilliant skies, stunning marine life and absolutely none of the Colva multitudes. In fact, Asia's best beach had just Lionel, me and a couple of dogs for the better part of the day!

We started our life together in Chennai. But for barely 2 months - February, March. I travelled to Goa for some Consultancy work with my previous Company for a couple of weeks. And then Lionel left for London in mid April.

So I'm in Goa since then, and will be till September.

Married, yet single.

Just a note to say

I love you Lord.

Depression

One of my friends is depressed.

Apparently depression is a disease. Its not something you can just snap out of. Its got to be treated like any other disease.

That's the starting point. But then what?

My friend has been depressed for years. There are moments when she is perfectly normal. Almost too perfect, too normal. And then there are days and days of utter agony - when - in her words - life's just too hard, can't take it anymore.

Depression stems out of something. Like any disease, it has a virus at the core. My friend's had a rough life. Father walking out, mother entering her next life a little too soon, difficult work place. But I believe her virus is loneliness. Living alone in a house, day in and day out, with no one to talk to, except maybe the annoying neighbour or a character on TV, would drive any normal person insane. And it doesn't take much to figure out that my friend would fare far worse.

I hope getting married would solve her problems. But I fear.

You gotta be content wherever you are, in whatever circumstances. Right here, right now. You cannot wait for your circumstances to change and then be happy. Your circumstances may change for the better. But contentment lies in recognising the joys in each moment of today, with a desire for a better tomorrow. And that can come only if you genuinely believe that God will give you only the best.

But, inspite of my fears, I believe marriage would help her. Since it would ease her loneliness. Dear Lord - Please consider.

At the end of the day

9/11 - America's worst nightmare come true. 5 years on.

Is there peace?

Will there ever be peace?

I quote one verse from a poem by W. H. Auden.

All I have is a voice
To undo the folded lie,
The romantic lie in the brain
Of the sensual man-in-the-street
And the lie of Authority
Whose buildings grope the sky:
There is no such thing as the State
And no one exists alone;
Hunger allows no choice
To the citizen or the police;
We must love one another or die..

The Final pit stop

You prepare yourself. He's almost 38, its inevitable. It will happen someday soon.

But still, on September 9, 2006, when Michael Schumacher announced his retirement, it was a shock. How does one watch a race without Michael? I cannot even begin to imagine.

In one way, its a relief. Passion is a consuming fire. Both Michael and as his fans have been burned enough by this fire. Its time to recuperate now.

But Michael will be sorely missed. Tainted career, cheater, whatever... No one can ever take his place. He has left his rubber marks on every circuit.

I will always remember him as a passionate formula one racer and a passionate football fan. He gave me many many moments of pure exhiliration.

The mother-in-law's pet - I wish you good days ahead!

I'm getting married!

Wow! I never thought I would be excited. But I am. :-))

Its a long way off - in January, but I'm already looking forward to it.

I'm going to be married to the most wonderful man. He's very nice and he's very strong as well!

I thank God for small mercies and big ones!

:-)

Love

Its tough to resist temptation. Sometimes you think - let's just succumb this time, and later I'll repent and ask for forgiveness.
But the problem with that is - if you play with fire, you get burned. There are no two ways about that. And sometimes the scars take a long long time to disappear.

What does it take to resist temptation? There's only one answer. Love.

I once heard a sermon where the preacher said Love is a person. His name is Jesus Christ. While I didn't understand it then, I do now. As I meander through this earthly life, I've realized that it is very hard to love. Family - yes, that's very easy. Friends - maybe some of them. But the rest of 'em all - oh dear!

What about loving God so much that for His sake we refuse to yield to temptation?

Is that possible?

Yes, but only if you accept that person who is love - Jesus Christ.

Lord, grant us grace that we may love You, through Your Son.