XXXII - Beauty, Knowledge, Time

Yesterday I was watching a movie called "Norma Jean and Marilyn". This was so sad and it made me contemplate, once again, on beauty and mankind's obsession with it. Subconsciously every single one of us is affected by this. Women have been tortured by this for centuries. 

Don't get me wrong. Men have been targeted as well at certain points of history, but women have been its constant victims, regardless of place, culture or race. So as usual, just as I sat on my bed to call it a night, inspiration struck me and here I present the result of traversing the labyrinth in my mind.

Beauty fades, while Knowledge only grows.

This is why it is better to invest in the latter.
Trying to hold on to your beauty is like trying to stop a child from growing.
Doing so won’t stop the inevitable.
It will instead destroy what might have been a smooth and natural transformation,
Causing the process to result only in retardation and abnormality.

On the other hand, Time is a welcome guest in the house of Knowledge.
The longer Time is around, the more opportunity Knowledge has of expanding its domain.
Unlike Beauty, who only wishes for Time to stand still,
Knowledge would desire nothing more than for Time to continue on its course.
The movement of Time can only benefit Knowledge,
Who learns and slowly renovates its modest house into a spectacular building.

Thus, we see that even Time, like the people it affects, has two faces.
One of a cruel torturer, slowly draining away one’s existence.
Cold and unfeeling, it continues its abuse no matter how much you beg it to stop.
The other is that of a benefactor, kindly nurturing one into more than what one is.
Its support is constant and all one hopes is for a long lasting friendship.
The side we choose is the side we’ll see, like every other decision, and regret, in our lives.

I hope that you enjoyed it and will return to take in some of my thoughts that I am offering so freely.

'Till next time then.

xoxox

XXXI - This is Sikkim; My home

If you find yourself on the plains of Siliguri, look to the north.
In the distance you will see dark monstrous formations disappearing halfway up into the clouds.
These are the hills of Sikkim.
Well perhaps not the Sikkim one finds on the maps today, but the Sikkim as it once was.
A peaceful kingdom that soon lost its freedom, due to its ideal location,
To any party looking for power in the himalayan region.

This is my home.
To experience it one needs to step into the heart of its green thicket.
What looks wild at first, will soon reveal itself for just what it really is - a gentle giant.
Its suddenly elevated slopes mixes one with a sense of fear and wonder, while its foliage will provide open arms and almost hug you into comfort.

The roaring rivers below offer the subtle bass-line to a beautiful orchestra of sounds only nature can provide:
the birds, the bees,
the rustling trees.
When it rains one can only find solace in the fresh smell of soil while the lightening and thunder frighten away all the negativity that may threaten the day.

What appeared to be clouds from the plains of Siliguri, turn into fog and mist on the these slopes.
You find that after every few meters, behind every cover of white is a new scenery.
Across and in the distance ahead one can find hill tops appearing and disappearing and sometimes appearing simply suspended in mid nothing.
It is magical.
It is paradise.

This is Sikkim.

I'm home and so glad to be back. There are things I miss about London, especially the people who made my life there, but its still good to be back.

Hope you liked that little (non)ode to my wonderful homeland.

'Till next time then.

xoxox

XXX - Things I'll miss about the UK #1

Well the count down begins. 

I have exactly a week before I fly out and leave London behind.

Its strange. Nothing happened like I had thought it would. In fact I'm even leaving much earlier than I had initially planned. Its not like I didn't like it here or anything, it all just worked out that way. 

So I've decided to make a list of all the things I'll miss about life here in the UK. Its not in any order because most of them cannot be compared to each other, but they are things that I won't get back home in India (regardless of the state). 

#1

The amazing baked goodies!

So India has its few bakeries that do very well. In fact in my own hometown of Gangtok I can get amazing plain cake (its much more appetising than the name suggests, believe me) from a local bakery called Tripti's. This establishment has been filling my life with milky, soft, pineapple goodness since childhood, and continues to do so.
However, unlike the UK, you can't go to a supermarket in India and pick up a pack of muffins and expect them to taste as good as the freshly baked ones. Back home most of these things can be sold for months at a stretch.
Not like here where even store goods seem to be refreshed ever so often. I mean the first time I had a Sainsbury double chocolate chip muffin I couldn't believe my taste buds! Well done my friends, well done. *sigh*

#2
Walking
You know, before I left for the UK, I had been warned plenty of times about the amount I would have to walk. After a conference I attended for new students going to the UK, I got so frightened by what they said that I carried two big tubes of iodex with me. Safe to say that I survived.
The walking here is a lot more than what it is back home. Those people weren't exaggerating that, but what they failed to mention was that it would be fun to walk here. In the UK there are spacious pavements for people to walk. The weather is far cooler. The cars actually slow down when they see a person crossing/about to cross a road. Besides that there are traffic signals for pedestrians.
In fact, forget pedestrians. Once I saw a signal specifically for horse-riders. There was a special sign with a silhouette of a person on a horse and was placed at a height that would be comfortable for a rider. I know this might be mainly for the police officers one can see riding around town sometimes, but that doesn't reduce the coolness of the situation.
Imagine having such signals for elephant riders or camel riders in India...I think not.

#3
The lightening fast Internet
So back home, especially on the monstrous hills of Gangtok, using the internet isn't the best means of passing the time. Having a fast connection there is like getting to watch a falling star - its beautiful when it happens, it happens very rarely and it lasts only for a brief moment.
I do not exaggerate. Its not surprising that televisions are still a must here and one can find plenty of people who are technologically challenged.
Using the internet can be such an ordeal. I would sit on the computer for hours at a stretch, mainly because each page would take at least 5 complete minutes to open. As for any videos, just forget about it. You'll probably finish preparing, cooking and then enjoying a meal by the time a single episode has loaded (and many times even not then, as you'll find that the connection got lost along the way and now you need to load it ALL OVER AGAIN).
Of course, this would usually lead me to stay up all night, since it was only past 12 or 1am that the speed would become bearable. This being due to the fact that by then the rest of the world (who had a life to lead the next day) would have gone off to sleep. One can find themselves in the company of only a desperate few who are patiently waiting for their virtual life to take wing, or are waiting for the new Game of Thrones episode to load. You can take you pick.

#4
Information on almost everything is online!
Is it a day when you have nothing to do, but you want to do something and you just can't think of anything? Or are you in a strange new place with no company and still wish to explore it freely without getting lost? Or do you need to make an appointment with a doctor/make a reservation at a restaurant/book a cab/buy air or train or bus tickets/buy cheap tickets for any sort of entertainment? Well then simply google that shit out!
I was surprised by how easy it was to get around if one had a decent phone with internet. Google maps to the rescue!
Every event had its advertisements online. Every restaurant had a website. Every organisation had its info online. There was so much one could do without being too lost. All you had to do was look.

#5
No time limits
As a girl living in Delhi, I was very used to restricting my timings. When it would start becoming dark, especially if I had to travel alone, I'd start becoming very nervous. Going out at night even with a group of girls was stressful. I found myself crashing at a friend's quite often. If I wasn't being dropped home by a trusted friend I would usually dress in the most conservative way possible so that the cab/auto ride home wasn't too awkward.
So after years of that I was surprised by how much freedom a woman had here in London. I remember feeling like a boss every time I either took a bus alone around midnight, or even walked it home. There were a few places that one had to avoid, but this was easily be done. From all the things, I think it's this that I'll miss the most.

Anyway, I have a few more to add, but that'll be for the next post I guess. Don't want to make this too long.

'Till next time then.

xoxox