Right Brain, Left Brain, God, Energy, Peace, Love and Nirvana ...

I have no idea if the brain is physically organized as left and right brains. Some doctor friends disagree with that. Is it just a conceptual or a logical seperation then? Who knows!

I came across this video by accident ... after I watched it, I knew it was no accident...it was a synchronocity. It is 18 minutes long. Has a slow start but is very very effective. I found it very powerful ... and moving.

http://blog.ted.com/2008/03/jill_bolte_tayl.php

...woh baarish ka pani...

isn't it always amazing how we miss the past? there are times when i miss those days when we were all together ... i mean my family was all together. we were a large family. four girls and a boy. i wonder how my mom put up with us. our tantrums, our fights, our wishes, our wants.

i remember lots of fun times together. when the rains would fall in summer. in bengal, where we lived then, it was a daily ritual for rains to fall in the afternoons during the hot summers. the thunder and lightning was scary - every single time i would think - this is it - the world is coming to an end. such was the ferocity of the winds, the loudness of the thunder, the strike of lightning. trees fell. leaves fell. flowers fell. pollen flew. after the storm came the calm. silent and peaceful. and beautiful. mom would make hot hot pakodas or bajjis or the like and we would sit in the verandah enjoying the rain and the stillness after.

i would give anything to have those days back. those blissful days. simple. uncomplicated. ignorant of life. of life's surprises. i would give anything to have my dad back in my life. i wouldn't fight with him anymore. i wouldn't argue with him anymore. i would take back every single nasty word i might have spoken. if i could only touch him and be able to call him "naana" and hear him call my name in his own special way.

What changed?

Three families meet for dinner one Saturday evening. There are three children - a brother and sister aged 3 and 6 respectively and another little girl about 1.5. The two girls are more outgoing and enjoy themselves running around, playing with each other and inventing of new games.
The little boy, a shy little thing, stays with either parent closely for the better part of the evning refusing to mingle, hiding his face in the crux of a parent's shoulder, refusing to look at anyone. His parents dont know what to do. They apologize for their son saying he is too shy and he is always like this. At home, of course, he is different. The adults in the room agree that he is very shy and playfully enjoy a laugh. This is not happening for the first time. The families have met many a time before and the little boy's behavior has been consistent. Even when he played with the other girls, he wore a face of reluctance and boredom.
Dinner is served. Conversationally, the mother of the little boy says that he refused to come when he was told they were going to P Auntie's place for dinner. Even before she completes her sentence, her son starts wailing - continues for about 10 mins. The mother is frustrated and scolds her son with dire results. The crying does not stop. It just gets longer and shriller. Realizing that the boy is not enjoying being the center of attention, the adults divert their attention to the other two kids and change the topic of conversation. Not long after, the boy stops crying.
Dinner is over and dessert is over. A lady in the group sings a wonderful Carnatic song. Everyone appreciates her. There is clapping. The six year old girl bouyed by the enthusiasm and the appreciation volunteers to sing next. An English song. She looks at eveyone as if asking if that is ok. Of course. So what if it is English? Everyone is looking at the six year old waiting for her to sing. She runs numerous tunes through her head trying to figure out what to sing. Her voice is soft and low but she sings beautifully. Praise flows. Claps follow...encouragement and appreciation.
The little boy is watching everyone. There is a visible change in his energy. He no longer is looking shy. He no longer is hiding his face. He joins his sister and sings along with her. His voice is slightly louder and firmer. They sing some lines from Thomas the Tank Engine. The boy continues to sing the same lines over and over again. He knows he does not know the whole song but he is singing. More claps. More praise. More encouragement. More appreciation. More motivation.
It is time to leave. The guests start to leave. Everyone is happy and waving good byes. Including the little boy. He waves his hand. He says good bye. He looks at people straight.
On earlier occasions, the little boy would hide his face in his father's shoulder holding on to him tightly as if he was surrounded by hostile aliens and would have refused to look at anyone. He would refuse to say good byes or talk.
What changed?

Say cheese...

We were travelling this past week. NYC. Washington. In-laws are visiting us. One trip to Niagara Falls and we can tick our list of to do's and must see's.
Vacationing is fun, when you dont have to do the dishes, worry about what to cook next, what to wear to work, what to do at work...
Email anxiety, no - when hotels charge you for internet access ... but if access was free, we would be on the net every minute acting like important CEOs whose companies are on the verge of a crisis. Checking email an umpteen number of times so as not miss anything important... and if there were no mails it was good reason to whine because it obviously meant that nobody cared for you enough ...
Photo anxiety, yes. My husband loves taking pictures. Not just taking them - for him it is an art. The lighting, the background, the angle, the distance, the sun, the grins ... smiles are not good enough. You have to stand there till he gets everything right and you should not forget to smile, I forget, grin ... All that is well enough except that he never is part of the pictures because he is so passionate about taking them. The rest of us want our revenge so we force him to be part of some. We take pictures of him but he is not very pleased ... because they dont come as well as when he takes them! I dont seem to have the patience or the judgment - for me taking a picture is Focus, Say Cheese, Click...that's it...and as long as I have not cut people's heads off, I am pleased with my work...