My first long drive in snow ...

Its winter time with the festivities around the corner and the time for winter break... Last two years were spent in my motherland with my loved ones in the mix of warm and cold weathers of plains and Dhauladhar mountains...

Coming back to this year, warm weather is no where in sight but the warmth of the loved ones is very much there with a special someone who is much much closer than the others.... So it all started with the desire to be with that special someone ....

Weather was checked and a road trip to Indiana was set ... It all went fine with little hiccups while going .. though the real adventure turned out to be on my trip back to stl.

It was my first time driving in snow, i had heard people talk about driving in snow, breaking, accelerating skidding and all that comes along with it...

A drive from west Lafayette to Saint Louis, which takes about five hours take into account the time difference of one hour and the one where i would drive at the speed of 70 on average turned out to be little different in snow. My GPS went out of satellite coverage, car started skidding the speed reduced to 40-45-50... Hands were shaking.. the car chevy aveo was being drifted by winds as much as it possibly could and i saw few cars and small trailors which were upside down... freaked me out more ...at such a time, i felt amma was with me calming me down and letting me focus on driving ...or may be actually taking over the driving..

At such a time, the only thing i could focus on was amma and her bhajans on one CD, which might have played atleast 10 times today was my only source of strength and my only prayer at that moment was to reach home safely...

Once that stretch of bad weather was passed, i was all fine... back on the speed of 70 driving on 70W.. so slowly n steadily with amma's grace i made it and here i am sharing this experience with all of you out there..

Today's incidence reminds me yet again that we are nothing but the puppets at the hand of god and we don't know whats enstored for us at the very next moment and we still hold grudges, hatred and other negative things while we should be surrendering at the feet of almighty and develop love for all...

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu ...

Fall graduation 2009

19th Dec'09 attended the fall graduation...

One of my very good friend graduated, i was there for her... though i also witnessed the graduation of many other people whom i don't know at all .. some of them i have seen in my classes, been their TA , some with whom i have exchanged smiles or a hi in school ..

Though one man who caught my attention and i would say everyone's attention was a 86 year old Master's in History. It was a moment, chancellor recognized him with a introduction and there was this huge wave of clapping followed by standing ovation..

what a graduation and at this age..

Inspiring really inspiring ...

people follow their dreams .. no body can stop them ..

not even the age in this case ...

Hope i will be able to make my dream come true too ..
got to work hard for it ...

May 2010 is my target !

come away with me --norah jones

Come away with me in the night
Come away with me
And I will write you a song

Come away with me on a bus
Come away where they can't tempt us
With their lies

I want to walk with you
On a cloudy day
In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high
So won't you try to come

Come away with me and we'll kiss
On a mountaintop
Come away with me
And I'll never stop loving you

And I want to wake up with the rain
Falling on a tin roof
While I'm safe there in your arms
So all I ask is for you
To come away with me in the night
Come away with me

.........

All conditioned things
are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows,
like dew drops and a lightning flash:
contemplate them thus.

---The Buddha---