A wonderful hike and an even better view -Riyam

What is the real reward of climbing a hill or a mountain top?

A view to die for? Then going across to the other side of the hill, forgetting your aching bones, which have been steadily at it for the last one hour?

All of which has been uphill...

Then getting to see the beautiful harbour at Twilight.

I did this one last Thursday, and would do it..again..and again..and again.

For the best was yet to come,

The day as it turned to night..when all I could se was the vast expanse all around me, the sea and the  twinkling lights

Or was it really, A slice of heaven?

Random thoughts-Clouds in the sky

We frequently talk of the beauty of nature, topping the list of which are usually sunrises, or sunsets.

Sometimes, parks and gardens, or then hills and mountains.

But we never talk of the beauty of clouds. For they are usually considered to be 'regular everyday happenings'. Those that we take in our stride, for they are always, but always there.

I confess to being guilty of the same sin, until the day  I came across this sight.

Tell me if you will ever look the same way at clouds again.
Or maybe this might help you change your mind as well?
.

The Sheer joy of watching real live action

We all love action movies. That's basically because we can feel the pace and the excitement that accompanies what we are watching on the screen.

But watching real live action is far more exciting, for one can actually feel the pulse of what is unfolding. And that was exactly what we had the opportunity to see today.

The action was the grand finale of the Tour of Oman by  of the worlds best cyclists.Having spent six days and covered 700 kms within the Sultanate, today marked the completion of the event.

Heart pounding action, minute to minute thrills and the sheer fact of being there, right in the thick of the action.With weather that was tailor made to boot...

Could there be a better way to spend a weekend? 

Terror in Pune and what happens next?

Pune-13th Feb 10, Saturday evening.


The week-end, when people normally head out for an evening of fun and frolic.
To put the travails of the working week behind them and get a well deseved break.

And then in the most unexpected way, terror strikes, catching them unwares.
A bomb blast that ripped through Pune's landmark, the famous  German Bakery, where a waiter had just picked up and opened an unidentified bag.

Someone's wife dead, a brother and sister dying.All combined with the sounds of sheer panic and pandemonium.Sirens of ambulances covered up by those of people running in fear, not knowing what would hit them next.

Such were the gut wrenching images that we saw late at night on our TV screens, and which were telecast worldwide.Scenes that brought home the realisation that 'Terror' an insidious, nameless, faceless entity had struck yet again.

The worrying thought uppermost in our minds-When and where would it strike next?

Then today, there were new developments.We clearly saw the terror threats that had been issued by a key member of Pakistan's Jamat Ul Daawa(JUD)exactly ten days ago, when Pune had been mentioned by name.

So what do we conclude? Should we continue with the TV docu-dramas such as Aman Ki Aasha and others like it? Continue our effort to promote cultural excahanges between the two countries?

Or do we need to take a firm stand and decide that until there is a complete cessation of these dastardly acts, we will have nothing whatsoever to talk about?

Very difficult decisions, but ones that will just have to be made.So that there can actually be a real solution to this ticking time bomb and those which will set a precedent for what lies ahead.

The Beauty of the Sea, at different times in a day

What could be lovelier or calming than standing by/overlooking the sea from a height?

Very little else, I am convinced.

So on this particular day,I headed to one of my favourite spots when it was still bright( about 330 pm), having packed my evening tea and snack, "to go"

Then I watched the day turn to twilight and on to sundown..

Watching the myriad hues and colurs I realised (yet again,) that only in Nature lies 'true and everlasting beauty'.

And looking at the sea at different times in the day, only reinforces this particular feeling...

So much so that I'm am sharing this great experience, with all.

Listen to the falling rain...

Today was one of those days..when it rained..And then it rained some more..

Till the roads were flooded,and the traffic jams endless.

And even though I had a tough time going about my day's business, there was a constant refrain in my mind and head.

That of Jose Feliciano's song-."Listen to the falling rain, listen to it fall..."

Which made it oh so easy,as did these snaps.

Maybe tomorrow will be more of the same.But we will just have have to wait,watch and see....

Tharoor Muscat Meetup-5/2/10

He came, he spoke and he didn't hesitate.
Even when tough questions were thrown at him.
All answered with wit, brevity and total honesty.Pretty much as we had expected.

About 40 Muscat Tweeps had the opportunity to have an exclusive session with Dr Shashi Tharoor,where there was a free flowing exchange of information at  a very interesting Tweet/Meet up this evening and one with a clear difference.

Some highlights- he advised a Class 11 student to choose Facebook/Twitter, (only one)as he was fairly convinced that the young man had lots more to do in his real vs.his online life....

To my Question- How easy/embarrasing was it for Tweeters to deal with the real/potential backlash that follows a deliberate misunderstanding/misinterpretation of a Tweet... he was candid.

All one had to do was to be prepared to take the good with the bad.He was sure that the majority of his 650,000 followers wouldn't deliberately misunderstand, as for those who did, he just had to make them understand that there were no real bad intentions.More often than not, it was in the translation to various regional languages that the response got twisted, resulting in the misunderstanding( at all).

All in all,a  great evening and apparently the first Tweet Meetup with Dr. Tharoor outside India.Here's  looking forward to many more such meetings.

World Cancer Day-4th Feb 2010, and some basic facts.

Today, 4th of February, is World Cancer Day.

To remind us of what that day means, the NACA( National Association for Cancer Awareness) held a formal Dinner, where some very enlightening as well as heartening facts emerged.

"Cancer can be prevented too", is a Global campaign launched by the International Union against Cancer, to increase public awareness and how a number of simple steps can significantly reduce the risk of developing cancer later on in life.

Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of cancer.

Alcohol consumption increasaes the risks of cancer,of the throat, mouth and voice box, along with that of the breast, bowel and liver.

Physical inactivity is estd. to be the main cause of about 25% of breast and colon cancer globally.

A healthy diet and a healthy weight through appropriate degree of physical activity may significantly reduce the cancer from developing.

Exposure to the sun, another worrying factor, and cause for concern..

I believe that being 'informed' is being aware.
All that follows thereafter is a series of choices that we make.

That of living as healthily as we can make it.
Or deliberately setting out to "fast forward" our end...

Where do we go from here?

Sometimes we stand back and look at where we are.
From the outside, or then if you would, from the inside out.
To evaluate where we would like to go next.

This can happen at any age, or at any point in time, and  can really be a good thing.
For it can serve as a major turning point....
Or then help us in getting better, stronger, happier at what we are doing at this particular point in time.

Taking me back to a book that I bought years ago and love to read, then re-read every now and then. Called 'The Book of Questions' by Dr Gregory Stock, one of the questions I've tried to ponder upon, is very simply this

What do you most strive for in your life-accomplishment, security, love, power, excitement, knowledge or then something else?...


Many years later, I'm still pondering...:):)

Twilight, a time for reflection

There is that particular  time of the day, Twilight, when the hues and colours of the day are at their very best. When one can look around in any direction and see only sheer beauty reflected all around...

A time to reflect on all that has been done that day, and possibly in the years left behind.
But even more than that, my take is that these are the moments of sheer 'being'.
Sometimes by oneself, or at other times with a partner, friend or even one's pet.

And once those quiet and reflective moments are over, time to move on and ahead...
To a brand new day