Music video featuring me!!

Couldn't have been a more perfect time to start blogging again. I went for a flash mob last Saturday at San Francisco that was published into a music video. Take a look!!!! I start dancing (the one in green on your right) starting at around 3:38 when the flash mob joins in, and then again at the ending of the video. My friend-cum-roommate Amruta makes a cameo at 3:14 .. sitting on a picnic blanket.

The song is Magic Door by artist Marissa Guzman (album Joy Road). The rest of the song is also shot in the streets of the beautiful city SFO.

Since we knew this was going to be shot in a video, it involved driving all the way to SFO city for rehearsals before the d-day, and meeting other folks dancing in it. This is one of the truly exciting things I've done in a long time... and I plan to keep the trend goin.. ;)

Its surreal ..

Like any other day, I stepped out in the morning to get into my car and drive to work. There was a light wind blowing, but strong enough to ruffle the delicate white spring blossoms on the trees. And the petals blew in the soft wind strokes and landed on the windshield of my car :-)

It was surreal and beautiful as I admired the small, white petals resting ephemerally on the glass, before being lifted off by another stroke. Like a painter making brush strokes of white across a big canvas.. like an orchestra conductor composing a symphony with the movements of his arms. And the white petals lined the pavement as I drove by...

Take a moment to stop and stare at the small things around us.. I promise you'll begin your day like me..with a wide admiring smile!

P.S. I dint click this picture myself, but surely searched a bit, optimizing my search strings, to bring you an image as close to how it was.
(Picture courtesy Thanny Young via Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/thanny/3416345459/)

Why we love?

Its been quite a while since my last post. Tch tch to myself. I've been slacking on my recent goal to blog regularly. Oh well, when someone like me who has a lot of expectations from oneself, things can be overwhelming at times. I guess the trick is to find purpose in what you do.

That serves as a segway to my main thought for the post. What is the purpose of love in this world? At almost a lot of times in the day, your mind thinks about love in some form. It can be the camaraderie shared with friends, where you sense you will go out of way or vice versa to be there for them. It can be the attachment you develop for the people you see and are surrounded by each day - college classmates for student folks and company teammates for the office-goers. I'm not saying you love all these people, but when lives collide, there is bound to be a potential difference leading to flow of stories and perspectives that make you learn and grow incessantly. (Not to sound like Dr. Sheldon Cooper!) Love is the feeling of warmth, comfort, encouragement, respect, admiration and dreams..to name a few.

And then there is the conventional notion of love towards someone special. As there are so many unique people in this world, there are many unique ways in which we perceive and want love. Some want love to fight loneliness, some others to find an anchor in an otherwise chaotic social circle. Some want love as a means of distraction from everyday mundane ordeals, some others as a new life mode they wish to incorporate in their lives. Some want love to gain emotional support and some others want love to provide emotional support if that is what empowers them. After all, loving IS empowering yourself... to put yourself in a position to plunge headfirst into new experiences. To figure out if these experiences make you a better person in the end..

I have had an interesting conversation with a rather cynical minded friend about love being nothing but "maya" - a mere illusion of happiness that traps you. And no, this is not because of some disgruntled showdown after unsatisfactory relationships. Its true that love is not meant for everyone, either it's probably too difficult to find or if found, one doesn't appreciate its value enough - the two most commonly encountered situations. So be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it all.. and it may turn out to be a love that you hadn't hoped or prepared for..

Love liberates you, gives you the confidence you need to tackle the other obstacles in life head-on, and hits you with the blissful liberation that you are able to leave your own selfish desires aside for the happiness of someone else. But at the same time can bind you to the tenet of faithfulness. How difficult is it to build and maintain this faith and trust in one another? Have you realized at some point in time, that you can trust that person more than you can trust yourself....? Its a strange eye-opening feeling..and probably the pinnacle in love..

What do you want out of love? I would like to hear your views and comments..