We had the perfect example of male bonding one day, when my lil boy was one. He had been quietly playing in the evening when the door bell rang. He ran to the door expectantly. The first to enter was his grand mother followed by his grand father. Though it is his grandma who looks after him while we go out to work, he literally pushed his poor grandmom aside and ran straight for his grandfather!!!
We all burst out laughing!!! He has spent most of his life around his grandmom. Yet the one person he craves to be with is his grandfather! If there was ever a doubt in my mind about male bonding, they have all vanished after today evening.
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"What inexhaustible food for speculation do the streets of London afford! We have not the slightest commiseration for the man who can not take up his hat and stick, and walk from Covent-garden to St. Paul's Churchyard, and back into the bargain, without deriving some amusement - we had almost said instruction - from his perambulation"
Charles Dickens - Sketches by Boz Well said Mr Dickens. In the middle of the covent garden piazza lies the famous market designed in 1632 by Inigo Jones. But the history of the place is overshadowed by the vitality and life of the market. The shops, stalls, street performers and singers galore give a different vibe to the place. It feels like there is a festival going on, everyday! Sigh! A day spent just walking around Covent garden is a day well spent. One can pass hours just browsing through the stalls in the piazza, and enjoying the acts from the street performers. Be careful! else you might get pulled into their performances as unsuspecting props. My favorite memory of the place is feasting on hot jacket potatoes with beans on the street side, while listening to a performer croon his latest rendition in the middle of the street. Wish I was back there right now! An overtly simplistic description of Astrology is said to be the study of the stars and how their movements affect our life on Earth.
The movement and changes in positions of stars and planets DO NOT affect us. What we see in the stars and the motion of the planets is a reflection of what is actually happening on Earth. There are many cycles in our lives, from the daily rotation of the planet, to the yearly revolution around the Sun, to even larger cycles. These are reflected in the planets and stars as well. It would be more accurate to say that these movements are reflective of the cycles that are happening, on Earth and throughout the Universe. And, they don’t predict specific events as much as they show us the influences that are happening around us. The energies that influence the movements of other ‘heavenly bodies’ in the universe also impact the humans residing on earth. So a better definition of astrology is: The study of the motions of the planets and stars and how they reflect the influences of forces and energies on our lives. Personally, I believe one should not discard this tool as freely as just some gibberish. It is an important tool that can help us chart the life path better. On the other hand one cannot allow just astrology to guide us. It can be a factor in helping us understand what influences are impacting our lives at a given time, and make informed decisions. In the end, you have to use your own better judgment to make decisions in your life. From the looks of it, a world heritage city, and a beautiful historical structure. It is a mix of higgeledy piggeledy towers, each built in a different era, conforming to the architectural norms of the period. The tower of london may appear a romantic castle, but is prison, with a very horrific and bloody history.
The history of the british monarchy is filled with stories of murder, betyrayal, beheadings and what not. Each tower with many tales of horror. Personally I find the tale of two little princes to be the most horrific one. The story of the murder of the two little princes. King Edward V (Age 13) and his little brother Richard, Duke of York who were Political prisoners in the tower. Quite shaken after that story, the tower lost its charm to me ... Read more about the gory history of the tower and the two little princes here. Princes in the Tower (First published in Aug 2007, London towers have seen it all, and now a world pandemic. They are still standing, and the stories are still gory.) Thats Trafalgar square for me. The simple reason for this is not only its location near other tourist spots, but also for its liveliness.
If you look at it, its only a square in front of the galleries with some fountains and a historic memorial. But for a stranger to the city, not plugged into the London life, this place is buzzing with activity always. A couple of weeks ago, had gone there without any agenda in mind. And lo and behold, the whole place was turned into a musical melee. With steel orchestras from all over the place performing enthralling music pieces one after the other. my favorite, of course was the Croydon steel orchestra. Then a few weeks after that the India festival was kicked off in the square. Each place of interest in London has its own plus points. Trafalgar square's plus point is ... Life. (First posted in August 2007, post Covid, London's heart is still beating strong!) Each life starts almost the same. We are born, we learn things to get around in the world. We form plans on how we would like our life to pan out; and thats the clincher...
Most often, our life plans are based on the law of averages. So like an average person, we plan to get a job/make a living, get married, have kids and so on. But when has THAT happened. Each life deviates from this straight and narrow line of job, marriage and kids. Unfortunately, everytime the life story deviates from this plan, we end up feeling like losers. Perhaps we should be teaching our kids that there is no perfect life. And the average life is a illusion. No life is true to it. Each life has its own twists and turns. So take each twist and turn as it comes, and chuck the planning out the window. Its the plans for future that really ruin our enjoying our life. Wot say? Pure bliss, something that even the books have stopped writing about… as the world grows more jaded, one dare not even believe that such a thing exists…pure happiness… Realists might say, that there is no such thing. But it does exist. It exists in the moment when a child lovingly wraps his arms around his mother…or when a lover gives a hug or a love message out of the blue…
I have come to realize that happiness is like a snowflake. Its amazing and wonderful as it exists, but it doesnt exist forever. So enjoy that moment of pure bliss, and cherish its memory forever. |
RichaMy many labels include mom, daughter, friend and a corporate leader. In truth, I am a woman, who dealt with everything life has thrown her way, and will keep on dealing till the end. ArchivesCategories |