Treasure Island by R. L. Stevenson

Here it is: yet another great story of adventure! A fun filled, action packed plot which I am sure children will love it! Yes, I said children; because had I read this when I was a kid, I would have found it amazing! I came across a lot of "Aye! Aye! Cap'n". Oh yes! This story has pirates - lots of them! You will certainly learn the way of the pirates, what happens before the mast and also the most commonly used words, especially Jolly Roger and Davy Jones. I loved the character of Long John Silver. His ways of switching sides between the good & the bad with his infamous quote: "You may lay to that!" Now don't be surprised if this book reminded me of the film series Pirates of the Caribbean. Because it certainly did! It reminded of Cap'n Jack Sparrow and his shipmates. So, there you have it. It is a free public domain book. Grab yourself a copy and have an enjoyable read!

On the Asylum show yet again!

Yay! I will be featured yet again on the Asylum show yet again tonight. This time, Ken will be doing the spoken word of my poems. It came as a pleasant surprise to me when he tagged me in tonight's show announcement on Facebook. I am thankful to him for his encouragement and support! I am sure you will also enjoy great poetry by my fellow poet friends Zo-Alonzo and Wendy Smale, and awesome music by few great artists! This show is certainly a platform to showcase talents from all over the world! Way yo to go Ken!

Tune in to WiStle Radio 102.7 FM tonight (that is on Tuesday, 9PM EST). Click here to know your time zone. 

See you on the show! Cheers!

A Walk in the Meadows

From a deep and dark hole, I rose to elope,
Stepping out with a great sense of new hope.
I finally walked out of the gloomy shadows,
Relishing the incense of freedom in the meadows.

Up above, a dark blanket swept the sky,
Why isn't there a moon, or a star to be seen?
A gush of memories flooded my inner eye,
I discovered about my life; how it had been.

I saw a mother sitting all alone, heartbroken;
Silent tears seeped in the memory of her lost son,
While staring blankly towards the endless horizon,
She lamented the loss of her beloved husband.

A revelation struck me like a deadly disease:
I walked through walls and closed doors freely,
Like a departed soul which did not rest in peace.
I am a ghost, one among them, flying over me.

All alone, I lingered on empty streets for many days,
Without even being able to feel the touch of dust.
I still thank the Supreme One who opened the ways
For me; I finally said goodbye to the love I trust.

As my warm wishes to her were lost in the echoes,
I remember it happened in these very meadows.
Death had caught me at the end of a bitter brawl,
While I was saving a soul - dearest of them all.

I felt a tender touch of fingers, trying to hold my hand,
Such a delightful sight! My eyes could barely withstand.
It was my son; I held him up and embraced him warmly,
He managed to smile and fondly called me: "Daddy!"

June 2013

The Hobby - My Passionate Thoughts

Hobbies are meant to unleash inner self, to provide recreation to ourselves and to discover our hidden talents. And I must say - the pleasure they give us - its priceless! A pleasure worth more than anything else. A hobby can also become a passion where you to continue to excel in it. A passion that makes your mind restless and you become desperate to free yourself from your routine.

A routine - what is that? A means to survive. A job at hand which earns you money for your livelihood. A work where your are forced to do irrespective of whether you like it or not. I don't know how many people agree but its a monotonous thing to do no matter how good you are at it. I, being an employee of a company, don't give a damn about my work. Who cares to which company I work for? Or what I do for living? Ultimately what matters at the end of the day is whether salary is credited to my bank account. Because I don't own the company, there is no pride in it. And my employer is only bothered whether I have delivered the goods correctly or not. I have switched companies three times to seek job satisfaction. The meaning of the word "satisfaction" for human beings is not finite. Frankly speaking, six years and I am already sick of seeking it. I got few "Top Performer" awards at work. The happiness lasted only for couple of hours. Then I begin to wonder "What is so special about it? I just did my job. That's all." There is pride where there is heartfelt happiness. And happiness is felt at heart when I do it out of my interest; when my heart is in it.

Well this is not the same with hobby. Not only I own it, I give life to it. I cannot be more happier or prouder than anything. Hobby is the very purpose of my existence and it is the very reason for my birth. I can openly showcase my skill. The pleasure is something really different and overwhelming! The kind of happiness it gives me is no match for any kind of recognition I get for my job at work. This one lasts forever. When the result of my hobby gets recognized and appreciated even by handful number of people, it gives me tremendous joy. Because I know I have put my heart and soul into it to bring it out nice and slick. Even if it doesn't get attention, I can proudly say "This is my child."

Now I don't mean any disrespect for those who are really enjoying their profession. Double thumbs up to them! This reminds me of a quote shared by Joel Goldman - a writer, author and active member of Google+ - which said:

It's a beautiful thing when a career and a passion come together

This quote is so simple and yet it says a lot! I feel all of us must have hobbies. It keeps our minds busy and protects us from drowning. I can never imagine how volatile our minds are! Its possible of doing deadly things if not used constructively or if its not doing anything. There is one more thing that I would like to throw some light on. Based on my personal experiences I have seen that when money starts meddling in any relationship (especially between loved ones - friends, children and parents or relatives) then the relationship will be on a brink of disaster. It won't survive for long. To me, the same rule applies to hobbies. If I decide to make my hobby as my money making machine, then I won't be doing it with interest or passion. Writing is one of my hobbies and I love it. So, if I write for the sake of earning money, my writing might not have the natural ideas I really want to express. I am forcing my brain to work on ideas which aren't original although my heart is reluctant to comply with me. What's the bottom line? I am carelessly insulting my hobby by rating it by money rather than by its integrity. I won't let that happen!

You should see my father. He is crazy about gardening. He treats plants and trees with great love. He  pampers them and nurtures them. You will no doubt find my house extremely beautiful. He is in his 60's now and yet he maintains our garden single handedly. Its not his strength but his passion for gardening that's driving him. My mother hates him for spending more time in the mud hole. Yet she wants our house to be admired by everyone in the neighborhood. How ironic! My mother is into literature. I guess its her blood that is flowing in me.

Well, all these thoughts came to me when I was talking to my friend and he said "You know, you should make money from your blog." I said "No, I don't want price tags attached to it. That will happen only when writing becomes my profession!"

April 2013