HOMESICK

Hey there, this is a wee post since I am on holiday. I didn't want my readers to think I have given up. I love blogging, and I will be back with a bigger update soon. I have started feeling homesick, but not as much as I thought I would be. I am nestled in the mountains, adoring my favorite Poets' hometown from the 18th century, Robert Burns. And here is a little bit something from him

The Simple Bard, unbroken by rules of Art,
He pours the wild effusions of his heart, And if inspir'd, tis Nature's powers inspire;
Her's all the melting thrill; her's all the kindling fire.

Robert Burns 1786.

GRAVITY

Okay.. I got to talk about this, not just the movie but everything about the curious questions of the universe. I just got home after watching the movie Gravity. Now here is the thing, am I the only one or do movies make us feel something after it's over. I mean I know, I have heard people say, this movie made me sad or happy or smile or think etc etc..... Movies are realistic views in an entertaining form. And some movies teach us to feel and understand things, also because there is a story attached to it. So I don't think I am the only one. There are couple scenes in the movie that are amazing, makes you want to be there. Oh! did i mention, I watched it 3D, so now you know why I am all head over heels with the universe at the moment. First of all, it was a great movie. I mean the Oscars proved it already, but it also made me a little emotional and believe me, I drove home staring at the moon the whole time. Thank God for no traffic. This movie took me back to my childhood days, and all the questions my parents had to patiently answer. 

A paragraph from Carl Sagan's book Cosmos, 

 "The ancients knew that the world is very old. They sought to look into the distant past. We now know that the Cosmos is far older than they ever imagined. We have examined the universe in space and seen that we live on a mote of dust circling the humdrum star in the remotest corner of an obscure galaxy. And if we are a speck in the immensity of space, we also occupy an instant in the expanse of ages. We now know that the universe or at least it's most recent incarnation- is some fifteen or twenty billion years old. This is the time since the remarkable explosive event called the Big Bang. At the beginning of this universe, there were no galaxies, stars or planets, no life or civilizations, merely a uniform, radiant fireball filling all of space. The passage from the chaos of the Big Bang to the cosmos that we are beginning to know is the most awesome transformation of matter and energy that we have been privileged to glimpse. And until we find more intelligent beings else where, we are ourselves the most spectacular of all transformations- the remote descendants of the Big Bang, dedicated to understanding and further transforming the cosmos from which we spring".

-Carl Sagan from the book COSMOS - Chapter I

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My first question about the universe or cosmos was in 1986, when I was seven years old. I forgot what day it was or month all I remember was, we were on the terrace of my house waiting for Halley's Comet, ( A periodical comet that returns to Earth vicinity every 75 years) and I remember asking my dad what does it look like? And he replied, in the most easiest way a child could understand, and he said "you will see a star with a tail". As we all know, the tail is all the gases that gives it a tail like shape. I remember that night, I was over whelmed with the universe and the stars that blink in the sky every night. I went to sleep with the curtains open, staring at the night sky from my bed. My second time was around the same year, when I saw a shooting star and went running to my dad and asked him if we could get the shooting star that I just saw falling somewhere nearby, and I remember my dad smiling at me and at all the innocent yet curious questions I had. And now, living in Florida makes it ever more exciting because, NASA space center is forty minutes away from where I live and we hear Sonic Booms all the time. And trust me, it really is a BOOM. You better not have a habit of putting your coffee mug on the edge of the coffee table, because you know what's going to happen next....... I heard my first sonic boom 14 years ago when I moved to Florida from Michigan. I was on the road when I heard it, and I almost skid off the road. I was the only one panicking and wondering why are the rest of the Floridians going about doing their business. Well, now we all know right !!  It's a common thing up here. 

  There was a photo on the web that I downloaded few months back, It was a shot taken from Saturn and you can see the Earth. It was so mind boggling to me, I had to download it to my Ipad, so I could show it to my friends that night, I was so humbled with the shot, and mesmerized with the idea of  the word "INFINITE". Below is the shot of Saturn and the tiny blue dot.

The little tiny blue dot is our HOME. Now looking at this image, does it really matter to be a drama queen or king, this was my first question ..... Oh! By the way this question was not directed at me, but others who fit this category :-)  

( Yea I know, I can be eccentric, but I believe in being eccentric or curious than being a zombie who has no idea of existence).

About a month ago, I bought this book called COSMOS by Carl Sagan, and he talks about the universe and etc etc. And in his book I read the quotes by Mark Twain and my favorite Vincent Van Gogh and the quotes are:

We had the sky, up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they were made, or only just happened

~Mark Twain

I have.... a terrible need... shall I say the word?... of religion. Then I go out at night and paint the stars

~Vincent Van Gogh

I always have a telescope ready in one of my viewing rooms. I call it a viewing room, because that's all it's used for. And quite often I glance at the full moon through the lens, and I remember I mentioned in one of my previous blogs, how it feels to be watching this immense, powerful yet silent wonder through the lens. Quite often I get goose bumps, because I respectfully understand what I am staring at. The most serene, quite, cool, celestial body can bring madness if provoked. 

I have often had conversations with my friends or wondered myself, I mean we all have at some point in time, asked the same questions about the universe and how it came about. Some people believe it religiously and some scientifically. Whatever it is, we all know there is no answer to some questions. It's great to create a belief and to justify the question but I think when you create a belief system then you have decided to stop asking. And I know there are things in this world that has no answers but that doesn't mean we have to stop questioning. Nature, Universe, Cosmos whatever you call it, they are very humbling. Always learn to admire things, look up at the sky once in a while and observe the moon or the stars. You never know you might catch a glimpse of something profound. 

Hope you guys like the movie. And just in case, if you are vacationing in Florida and you hear a loud boom, please don't drop your coffee mugs, it's nothing but just a little universal tantrum:-)

IS WAR EVER NECESSARY?

This is the story of my parents, who flee Uganda in 1972 with the rest of the Asians. They were given 90 days to leave the country. My Father a well settled Doctor (General Practitioner) and my Grandfather the Coffee King of Kampala, left everything behind and escaped within 90 days with the rest of the family. More about his escape in his SOON to be Published Memoir called:
                                                           
                                                             "THE DIARY OF A GP"  

              I have the priviledge to share one of the chapters from his book.
                                                           
                              
                                                  BY YASHWANT VIBHAKAR

 SYNOPSIS:

 It's year 1971, Idi Amin, a third president of Uganda takes over. Amins rule was characterized by Human Right's abuse, Political Repression, Ethnic Cleansing, Extrajudicial Killings, Nepotism, Corruption, and Gross Economic mismanagement. The number of people killed as a result of this regime is estimated by International observers and human rights groups to be 100,000 - 500,000. Following the expulsion of Ugandan Asians in 1972, most of whom were of Indian descent, India severed diplomatic relations with Uganda, but at the same time could not take the Indians into the country as most Indians were British Passports and they found refuge in the UK. The same year, as part of his " economic war", Amin broke diplomatic ties with the UK and nationalised eighty five British owned businesses.

~(Wikipedia)

                                           NOTE: Photos not used in the book, only for blog purposes.

 

Some of the victims of the Idi Amin regime recovered by local farmers in the fertile fields of the Luwero Triangle region north of the Ugandan capital of Kampala in 1987

 IS WAR EVER NECESSARY?

CHAPTER 19

"IN PEACE SONS BURY THEIR FATHERS, IN WAR, FATHERS BURY THEIR SONS".

                                                  ~Herodotus

It was a very depressing day, Grey sky was all covered with thick blanket of dark clouds with occassional lightening, flashing whole earth. With powerful lights, it was all depressing and a little scary befitting the prevailing mood of the country.

There was a breaking News on BBC radio that Idi Amin of Uganda, a tyrant with mercurial temperament, violating all human decency had carried a barbarous, inhuman aggression against Tanzania with his usual idiotic obstinacy, claiming Bukoba and Kagera region of Tanzania as parts of Uganda. While Uganda radio was quoted saying the opposite. It was a lame excuse to wage unjust war on Tanzania. The actual pricking thorn in Idi Amin's  mental flesh was the deposed president Milton Obote. One silent, dark night Idi Amin carried a blitz of Mwanza, the second biggest and commercial hub of western Tanzania. The blizzard of destruction halted every morning. There was also a sound of warning sirens in Kampala telling people to stay indoors. As it was, people were suffering and on top of that Idi Amin waged a war to increase more suffering.

I was too tired to think but still sat pondering "Why one should have a war"?

When we all know the outcome of war is nothing but the ruins on both sides? Even the victor is vanquished in the run, when his country incurs lots of debt due to useless war. Millions of innocent people become crippled. There is always an outbreak of killer diseases; hundred of people are under nourished. There is starvation all around and countless children, of no fault of their become orphans. All this suffering due to war. It is all due to mad leaders, pampering and satisfying personal ego and rigid inability to reconcile. Problems of differences between one nation to other could be solved by pursuing human understanding, love and compassion among one another and giving fellow human beings their due dignity. Welfare of people should come first rather their own personal vested interests. Then and then the peace of permanent nature can be established. Long back, I visited one exhibition. There was a pavilion where all the people of the world in their native constumes were shown together. There seemed all pervading unity in diversity. It looked like a symphony of universal connection. And we have United Nations where there is all the time diversity in the so called Unity!! Instead of brotherhood, in this war torn world, peace is shattered to pieces. What world today needs is not killing competition but life saving cooperation. Blessed are those peace makers of the world who are the real peace makers of people at peace. Individuals, the cross section of the society, different nations, world leaders -unanimasously desire world peace and condemn the war mongers and try to make this beautiful earth of ours a place of heaven, a place of worth. At least I would prefer the most unjust peace to the justest-war, because the holocaust it causes. Let everyone of us join in a toast to all weapons of war which are the main culprits destroying the world peace. "MAY THEY (WEAPONS) REST AND RUST IN PEACE AND PIECES" 

There is an immense power in forgiveness, a power available to everyone of us. Love, kindness and compassion are the triad to heal the wounds in your heart and wounds in the world. war is the negotiation of truth and humanity.

During the war with Tanzania, some of the captured POW ( Prisoners of War), as the story goes, naratted to the Tanzanian Authority either to kill them or keep them, as they did not want to go back to Uganda, as long as Idi Amin was ruling the country. Those wounded in war physically, psychologically and also spiritually have after effects of war known as post traumatic stress. Symptoms include explosive anger, depression and flashbacks. They were utterly scared of atrocities carried out by Idi Amin. As he was known to be a cannibal. He as they narrated, whether it had any credibility or truth is just a guess work. If that was true, then Idi Amin was the most shameful spot on the face of civilization. If not then he was spared of that disgrace. It proved what type of genes this cruel dictator may be possessing and it further proves his sick, perverted mentality as to be a Head of a Sovereign State!!

More about his escape and the story of starting over in his soon to be published book on Amazon!!

UCHAGUZI WENGI MNO

                       UCHAGUZI WENGI MNO, is Swahili for TOO MANY CHOICES...

I can't even remember when was the last time I spoke or wrote in Swahili language. And the reason I have my title in Swahili is because I don't ever remember saying this back in Tanzania. Not because we didn't have choices, we had enough to make a decision.....I have reached my patience with choices, choices and too much choices. I do not deprive myself of any comfort or luxury but come on people, how much more do we need? I am questioning myself the same thing... I have laptops and tablets all over the house, enough to open a computer center, TV's installed for convenience in every corner of the room. I was vacuuming the other day, I had the same channel running on all the TV'S in the house, in case I miss my show, and it dawned on me, I can't even vacuum in silence!!! AARGHH!!  The more choices we have, the more we want. We are a society of constant noise and distraction. I am trying to curb that attitude just a bit. I am not saying deprive yourself but this is enough, and that brings me to my next scenario. So here I am shampoo shopping, my usual trip would be "In and Out", but that was not the case this time. I am standing in the shampoo aisle, trying to locate my brand, and Yes! and I see it but now they have two more options on top of the five that already exist, so here I am, reading through labels, and stuck in total confusion. Maybe the new brand is better than what I am using? HMM... I was stuck in that aisle for at least twenty five minutes until my mind gave up and I walked out picking the wrong brand (accidentally). Have you ever been through that situation, It Sucks. Well I guess my hair will have to suck it up as well. My next stop was grocery shopping, I personally hate grocery shopping and you will see why!

Jams of twenty flavors, and I think I spotted three new options.

Orange juice- with pulp, no pulp, with calcium, low pulp, maximum pulp

Bread- Italian, regular, French, cinnamon, garlic, toasted, not toasted

And the worst thing is we have also commercialized WATER!!!! Are we serious!!!

It's called ANALYSIS PARALYSIS. The more options we have, the less we are able to come to a decision. The more we are perplexed and confused.

My friends and I, were vacationing in Punta Cana ( Dominican) few months back, and the resort we were at was fabulous until we hit the buffet area for dinner that night. Now mind that, the buffet area was humongous and lots and lots to eat but not for us, the reason - WE ARE VEGETARIANS- TADA!!!! ( By the way, we are proud of that). So here we were, walking through tables and tables of choices with an empty plate. We kept asking CARNE, CARNE to every Spanish speaking person. Now usually you are supposed to say, NADA DE CARNE ( no meat),  but we didn't want more choices with words either so CARNE was simpler, ( trust me, we can be hilarious). Don't be disappointed, we didn't go hungry, we had enough to survive, and I had enjoyed five days of total choice-less, simple, whatever is in front of you, eat - situation. In fact we all did. That is when we realized, how simple and uncomplicated life can be when we have few options. I have lived in quite a few states, New Jersey being the "most fastest" and "on the go" state ( at least for me) and being a Floridian also has it's advantages. But there is something more relaxing and chilled out in the Islands or small towns. Well so far, I have learned to curb my options, live simple, and trying to be healthy until one day I will be basking in the sun on some deserted Island with a life of few but meaningful choices. I guess till then, I will be standing in the grocery aisles perplexed as always.

ACCIDENTAL BUDDHIST

                                          ~IT'S NOT A RELIGION BUT A WAY OF LIFE....

What do i mean when I say Accidental Buddhist? Well I am not as clear about it yet... But this is what i think it is, ME... Maybe i should say "Wanna Be" Buddhist, because I am not entirely on the path yet. But here is the thing, why do people think of you as a monk when you tell them you are a Buddhist or on a path to becoming one? I mean I don't see Richard Gere as a monk, he still makes movies and lives in LA. But anyway, this is my story....

 Elightment, Buddha nature, Awakening the Buddha, all these words sound too cliche', I think we all have heard these words way too much and it has lost it's value, not because they don't mean anything, but also because they have been spoken in too many contexts and now it's over rated. These words started taking shape in my mind, when I started to slow down a bit with life. We all have the capacity, I don't think there is any Human out there who is not capable of these things. The only difference is Lifestyle. I have moved alot, met a lot of people, evaluated a lot of things, basically i had total freedom of thought and choice. Some choices were great, some were........ and in the last few years, I will say I started carrying this free spirited, bohemian/gypsy, Eco-Friendly, kinda personality. I saw the world as limitless, big, huge, mysterious, amazing things waiting to be discovered. I remember, a friend of mine taught me to observe every petal, it's colors and it's fragrance, taught me to observe the flower on the side of the road that nobody notices.... So what does that have to do with Buddhism? To tell you the truth, to me personally I define my spirituality as all this. I am not a religious person at all, I don't find joy in being one, In fact I grew up religious, but there comes a time in life when your mind takes a total shift and you start seeing things clear, more profound, you end up discovering yourself, that's exactly what happened. I found my freedom, my wandering attitude towards life, my adventurous mind, my free spirited edge, compassion towards mother nature, my love for animals (which has always been there) - through Spirituality and I found Spirituality through Buddhism. People often think when you choose a path in life, you cant do this, you cant do that... Trust me, I still love shopping, I still drink wine, I love my Ipad, Ipod, the only difference is, I see life in everything around me. I take time to observe, I have learned to live in the spirit of everything around me, call it a bird or a moon. It's a great feeling when you are your own master. We are a part of this universe, whether we realize it or not, whether we want to believe it or not, all depends on us. It takes effort every single day to realize that, mind boggling things happen everyday in our lives, you need to open up your pupils behind those eyes to see it. And yes, sometimes you will face days that suck the energy out of you, and that's okay as well. That is a sign that you are alive. This world is too big, too interesting, too much to know and to learn. Possibilities are endless. Live out of the norm. And if you don't know how to do that then go to Zumba Classes :-)

                                              
The Radiant Buddha said: Regard this fleeting world like this: Like star fading and vanishing at dawn, like bubbles on a fast moving stream, like morning dewdrops evaporating on blades of grass, like a candle flickering in a strong wind, echos, mirages, and phantoms, hallucinations and like a dream.
                                    ~PRAJNA PARAMITA SUTRAS


You are the Buddha. You are the truth. Then why do you not know it through and through? Because there is a veil in the way, which is attachment to appearances, such as the belief that you are not Buddha, that you are a separate individual, an ego. If you cannot remove this veil all at once, then it must be dissolved gradually. If you have seen through it totally, even one glimpse, then you can see through it at any time. Wherever you are, whatever presents itself, however things seem to be; simply refer to that ever present, spacious openness and clarity.

                                   ~ KALU RINPOCHE

LONG WAY DOWN

A story about two guys, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, on their bikes, which they rode through 18 countries from Scotland to Cape Town.... This show reflects a sense of being, a connection and wisdom of stepping out of your comfort zone.

 I fell in love with these guys. I am little embarrased to say that i am late catching up with TV shows, actually quite late, it's been quite a few years since this show aired. So anyway, I happened to be watching this show few days ago, and I just totally fell in love with the whole concept. I will be honest shows like these, keep me restless and antsy, and the reason is the thrill of life behind it, the unexpected, the unknown....

I am a travel fanatic, and for me traveling is not just another dot on Facebook App, but it holds a very sacred feeling and understanding. It's not just the thrill of a new place, but the chance to find yourself, to renew yourself, its a chance to grow... Most people travel without thinking much, pick a destination with sun and sand and let's go!!! I mean there is nothing wrong with it. Not for me, I am going to be honest, I have done that before, but i try to have a reason with every place i wish to travel. Watching Ewan and Charley, stop through countries, they mingle with the locals, sometimes they went through little obstacles and still dealt with things patiently, and most of all they both looked as if they have lived a million lives while for some people one life seems unlivable. I mean if you really think about it, people that work long hrs, and long hours again what are they really attaining from it. Everything in life is a necessity, until we stop making it one. You might live with fewer luxuries but the experience is priceless. When you travel you are able to think out of the box. I believe we don't have the answers to everything, so we should keep searching. And the searching starts from far and wide and not your backyard. Every travel experience that I brought back as a souvenieur has left me wondering and wandering more and has left me curious. We all know there is more to life, and this world is unlimited. It's full of explorations, new things to learn. Next time when you travel, leave your curious footprints behind... Till then here are some images from "THE LONG WAY DOWN"

RAINY DAY RAMBLINGS

Are you a puddle jumper? Well I ask this question because i recently had a conversation with a friend of mine regarding season change. I am a Floridian, and unfortunately we don't get to see the changing trees graced with beautiful fall colors, but i love one part of the season and that is RAIN... It oozes romance, just like the movie "ONE FINE DAY".

I think every season has it's moment and sense of enjoyment wrapped mysteriously all you got to do is unwrap it and see the magic. Majority of the times, Summer is most loved season. Life has more options when the sun is out and about. I get a chance to enjoy Summer all year round, so with more outdoor options available, I usually like to chill in outdoor coffee places or Wine bars. I should have blogged about this earlier, as the thought was always lingering somewhere in the back of my mind, but a recent conversation and last week's rainy forecast, i got tempted to talk about it. So getting back to it, what was the effect of  a coffee place under the sun or rain? 

Why i love the rainy season over summer or winter.... First of all, we all love the split splat of the raindrops on the roof, and second you get to see a variety of human responses and emotions. Every person under the same rain, has different responses. Not everyone dances in the rain, or enjoys getting wet, or the ones that always have the umbrella ready, but i have also seen those that do dance in the rain, enjoy getting wet and never carry an umbrella.

I remember sitting in a coffee place one time, observing people and their anxious steps to avoid getting wet, and one thing I noticed was different responses, some cute, some angry, some content, some with whispers of comments to themselves. I guess Humans have some default responses that are Pre-Installed.  And recently I was sitting in my car, and suddenly there was a heavy downpour out of nowhere, I had no choice but to wait it out. It was an amazing feeling,  looking at the wet world hopping about, the reactions, the sounds, the little murmurs of excitement or annoyance, little kids giggling.... I personally think the rain brings out human in us. 

Somebody would surely ask why not summer or winter.... I was pondering on it myself and i came to a conclusion, in summer, everyone has the same walk, look,reactions and so does winter, heavily dressed with an eskimo hat looking down to avoid getting a frosty nose, but Rain is when all the world's philosophy comes out, every little wonder that was either hidden behind the sun or frost, the rain clears the misunderstanding. 

Coffee tastes better, books seem more interesting, the ground flares out the earth fragrance, the leaves look like they enjoy getting wet, the ocean looks serene..... 

I think the best way to capture moments is not in an invisible memory but in photographs. Here are some photo compilations from random photographers that have gripped the memory of the season in their camera lens.