Lost Purpose

We live in this most advanced ,complex world

Tall glass buildings,grand fly overs & fancy cars

Yet, we fail to notice the hungry homeless

Begging for our attention to get by each day

IPods, iPads, iphones in every street corner

We are busy browsing our smart gadgets

Live tweets, facebook updates to the world

Yet, we don’t stop and say hello to our neighbor



We Spend hours surfing and chatting online

Catching up with long lost high school friends

Yet, we don’t ask our spouse how her/his day is

Watching reality shows, singing competitions

And dancing stars are our new pass times

Yet, we don’t see the wars in our own back yards

To take care the jobless, helpless & the addicted



We champion the freedom to speak, demonstrate

As a human right, yet we accept the dictators

Around the world as it is their norm, culture

We live in a society every wants to be famous

Yet, no one wants to work hard to achieve it



We live in a place where we make dishwashing liquid

Using environmentally friendly, organic real lemons

Yet, lemonade for kids with artificial flavors & sugars

We shed millions on supplements and diet programs

Yet, fail to include fresh fruits and veggies to our diet



Isn’t that long a go we cut own grass, walked the dogs

Grew our vegetable garden, milked our own cows

Attended church every Sunday and prayed for world peace?

We live in a such a world that we embrace new technology

To divide us over land, race, skin color,politics and religions

We have forgotten the ultimate truth of existence

All things must die, regardless of their purpose

Life is a chance..

Life is a chance, take it now or never

Life is a challenge, face it with courage

Life is gift, unwrap it and enjoy what is inside

Life is a tragedy; give it time , sorrows will heal

Life is pain, one must suffer to undersatnd it

Life is lonely, have faith, you will find your soul mate

Life is full of frustration, let it go, answers will come

Life is a mystery, pay attention, you will miss out

Life is love, feel it and spread it around

Life is a puzzle, can snap you wide awake

Life is struggle, hope is there to life your spirit

Life is full of unexpected; it can grab you any time

Life is depressing, can wake you from your sleep

Life is tears,need to cry out loud to let go of the pain

Life is trust, easy to loose harder to earn

Life is just a tease, don’t take it too seriously.

Life is awesome, see it, feel it embrace it

Life is precious; don’t let anyone take it from you

Life is beautiful, cheer up; it’s yours to play with

Life is fun, feel the music, dance to the beat

Life is whatever you think of it. And everything you think of it

Life is what you make of it and what you say of it.

Life is all about you and how you treat it

You like it, you hate it. Well, it’s all up to you

Life is you so be careful how you describe it

A friend is ...

A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are.

We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone.” ---Orson Welles ---

Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose.---Tennessee Williams --

Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.----Albert Camus---

Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one-- C.S. Lewis---

The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch swing with, never say a word, then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation that you ever had


You are the same today that you are going to be in five years from now except for two things: the people with whom you associate and the books you read.----Charles Jones---


One measure of friendship consists not in the number of things friends can discuss, but in the number of things they need no longer mention.--Clifton Fadiman---


Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it's all over.---Gloria Naylor---


Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.----Elie Wiese---


You learn to like someone when you find out what makes them laugh, but you can never truly love someone until you find out what makes them cry


Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget


A hug is worth a thousand words. A friend is worth more.




Best friends are there for you even if you refuse to talk to them. Because they know, deep down, the silence is killing you



Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things.



Things change and friends leave and life doesn't stop for anybody.


Friendship must never be buried under the weight of misunderstanding



Friendship is like a glass ornament; once it is broken it can rarely be put back together exactly the same way.  

In Life...

In your life, you meet people. Some you never think about again. Some, you wonder what happened to them. There are some that you wonder if they ever think about you. And then there are some you wish you never had to think about again. But you do.

To My Brown Eyed Friend

Beautiful brown eyes with a funky hair

Pretty smile & squeaky voice is there

It’s so hard to ignore your cute stare

You're very rare friend to spare.....

Always have a nutrition find to share

Gluten free & no MSG food you prepare

You’re Sweet, sensitive, caring & funny

It’s your gentle, loving and kind ways

Gives me the utter joy to be freinds..

It’s your laid back style & optimism

Reminds me of the good times are ahead

I may be too young to offer you comfort

But I will tell you this my sweet friend

When ever you’re sad or feeling blue

I swear to God, I'll be here for you.

To hold your hand and give you hugs

I hope these stormy days will go away

Many more happy times are on the way

I just wrote this poem to lift your day

Now, may I have my smoothie coconut free?

Away from me

I close my eyes

To find in a dream

To be with you

For a while

Beautiful memories

About our past,

Just like the blue sky

Will be there always

In my mind..

For as long as I live

My love for you

I always feel

In my heart

Will never say

You are away from me . 



I wish I can be like the ocean..

I wish I can be like the ocean

Constant waves go up & down

Whistling sounds pleasant to hear

It sings ,screams, cries and growls

All at once.. yet, no one complains..

It gives birth, nourishes and carries life

Far away places I can only imagine..

Takes all in.. good, bad and the ugly

no judgments passed or questions asked

Fearless, adventurous & carefree

Ocean.. ..please take me with you

I want to float to a land of hope

Where There’s no hate, hurt or in-justice

on Judgement

My dearest mother

                        

You’ve given me life

You’ve shown me kindness

You’ve taught me compassion

You’ve proven me resilience

Above all you taught me love

Because of you

I am who I am today

It’s your sacrifices

Made me strong

It’s your courage

Made me think

It’s your dream

I live today

I hope it’s worth it

Things you did not do

Places you did not go

People you did not spend time

I know its all for me

We fight, we yell

We forgive, we make up

I hope you know

How grateful I am

To have you in my life

I hope you know

I love you forever and always



Class Room Memories

 

I was the happy clown who made every one laugh

I was the tomboy who did not care for the boys

I was the brave who stood up to mean girls

I was the fool who got punished for helping the weak

I was the curious who asked the weird questions

I was the poet who got picked on for being creative

I was the observer who always sat in the last raw

Time has flown by I am still the same cheerful clown

Putting a smile to the people who struggle through life

Spring Love!!!

Humming bird sings in the dawn

Cool breeze caressing my ears

Dandling daffodils...Peeping tulips

I smell the roses... hear the bees…

At last!! Spring is here to stay..
I wonder... do you care to notice?

Melting snow ...run off rivers

I feel the warmth ...glorious sun

Sweet cherries ..melt in my mouth

Dashing blue sky ..stare at the face

I wonder... do you care to notice?

Dancing squirrels ..in the woods

Pretty butterflies...Shining colors

Happy lovers... holding hands

Cheerful kids...giggling loud

Glimpse of hope... blossoming in

I see now... true magic of spring

I wonder... do you care to notice?

Green grass ...bursting trees

Bringing new life, yearning love

Rain drops ..tears upon my face

Past is gone ..just like the dark winter

I let you go… to sulk, frown and ponder

I wonder... do you care to notice?

I cry ...happy tears. ....Thank you spring

I am free...no debts .. no deeds

Once again... my heart is full of desires

Dare to dream ...ready to conquer

I found the one...Worthy of my soul
I wonder... do you even care at all?

The POWER of FORGIVENESS

I came across this beautifully written piece about the power of Forgiveness and Buddhism by Anh-Huong. Anh-Huong is a Buddhist teacher and author. She has taught Mindfulness Practices in workshops and retreats across the United States since 1988. In 1998 she and her husband founded the Mindfulness Practice Center of Fairfax where they offer daily practices, classes, and retreats on the art of mindful living.

My family escaped from Vietnam in a very small boat in 1979. We spent 10 months in a refugee camp in Malaysia before coming to the United States. It was said that half us boat people died at sea. The other half arrived to the shores in Southeast Asia, but even then

we were still not safe.

There were many young girls among the boat people who were raped by sea pirates. Even though the United Nations and many individual countries tried to help the government of Thailand prevent that kind of piracy, the pirates continued to inflict much suffering on us refugees. When I was staying at Pulau Bidong Island, the biggest refugee camp in Malaysia at that time, I saw so many teen age girls and young women being carried from their boats into the camp upon their arrival. They were weeping, sometimes screaming with tremors. They had been raped by sea pirates. There was a story about a 12 year-old girl on a small boat who was raped by a Thai pirate who jumped into the ocean and drowned herself. There was another story of a father who was thrown into the ocean in the middle of the night because he was trying to stop the pirates from taking his teen-age daughter away from their fishing boat. There were so many heart-breaking stories like these.

 When we see that our suffering, our hatred and our fear are organic, we don’t try to run away from them. Through the practice of calming, resting and deep looking taught by the Buddha, we can transform our loneliness, hate, fear and despair into elements of understanding which can nourish our compassion, happiness and well-being. We don’t feel the need to fight against our fear or anger anymore, because we see that our anger and fear are a genuine part of ourselves. So we try to handle them in the most tender,non-violent way. We take care of our anger and fear in the way that best gives them the chance to turn into understanding, love and compassion.

It’s so important to train ourselves to look in a non-dualistic way. We know from our own experience that if the other person is not happy, it’s very difficult for us to be happy.The other person may be our daughter, our partner, our friend, our mother, our son, our

father, or our neighbor. The other person may be the Christian community, the Jewish community, the Buddhist community, or the Islamic community. Because we know that safety and peace aren’t individual matters, we will naturally act for the collective good.

The practice of forgiveness is the practice of understanding and compassion. Understanding is the substance of true love and true compassion. If love is in our heart, every thought, word, and action can bring about a miracle.

More random Pics from Galle,Sri Lanka

Galle, Sri Lanka



Light House Hotel, Galle, Sri Lanka





Beautiful sunset over the ocean



The opposite to love is not hate, but judgement.

When we judge another as a threat to our needs and desires, we fear that person.
We see them not as they are, but through our interpretations.
We separate ourselves from them.
And when we judge another as the answer to our needs and desires, we think we 'love' them.
But we only love their behaviour and their form.
We see them not as they are, in their essence, but through our interpretations.
And again we separate ourselves from them.
We judge another to prove we are more worthy.
We judge because we are afraid to meet another as an equal.
We judge, lest in seeing others to be what they truly are, we feel we are not who we truly are.
Yet any judgement is but a judgement of oneself.
It is an admission that I am not what I truly may be knowing that what I see in the other is also in me.
When I know who I am, I know who other people are, and judgement is no longer necessary.
No judgement can be given of the being of another, and my being needs make no judgement.
When we see another as they are, without any judgement of how they are, then we see them through the eyes of compassion.

This is true love.

A wise physician...

I need to know If you're my true friend...

Being happy ....

“Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.”

“When life knocks you down you have two choices- stay down or get up.” - Tom Krause


“What we seek we shall find; what we flee from flees from us.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson


“Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option”
 “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.” -Lord Budda


“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson


“The diamond cannot be polished without friction, nor the man perfected without trials.”

What Really Matters in Life?

A vacationing American businessman was standing on the pier of a quaint coastal fishing village in southern Mexico when a small boat with just one young fisherman pulled into the dock. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.
"How long did it take you to catch them?" the American casually asked.
"Oh, a few hours," the Mexican replied.
"Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" the American businessman then asked.
The Mexican warmly replied, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."
The businessman then became serious, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
Responding with a smile, the Mexican fisherman answered, "I sleep late, play with my children, watch ballgames, and take siesta with my wife. Sometimes in the evenings I take a stroll into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, sing a few songs..."
The American businessman impatiently interrupted, "Look, I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help you to be more profitable. You can start by fishing several hours longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra money, you can buy a bigger boat. With the additional income that larger boat will bring, you can then buy a second boat, a third one, and so on, until you have an entire fleet of fishing boats.
"Then, instead of selling your catch to a middleman you'll be able to sell your fish directly to the processor, or even open your own cannery. Eventually, you could control the product, processing and distribution. You could leave this tiny coastal village and move to Mexico City, or possibly even LA or New York City, where you could even further expand your enterprise."
Having never thought of such things, the Mexican fisherman asked, "But how long will all this take?"
After a rapid mental calculation, the businessman pronounced, "Probably about 15-20 years, maybe less if you work really hard."
"And then what, senor?" asked the fisherman.
"Why, that's the best part!" answered the businessman with a laugh. "When the time is right, you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions."
"Millions? Really? What could I do with it all?" asked the young fisherman in disbelief.
The businessman boasted, "Then you could happily retire with all the money you've made. You could move to a quaint coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, play with your grandchildren, watch ballgames, take siesta with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could play the guitar and sing with your friends all you want."


The moral of the story is: Know what really matters in life, and you may find that it is already much closer than you think।

George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realise that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16!
And then the greatest day of your life . . . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There is no fun now, you're Just a sour dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 andMAKE it to 60. You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT!

You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtimeAnd it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become alittle kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1.. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctorsworry about them. That is why you pay"them"

2. Keep only cheerful friends.. The grouches pull you down

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud.. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it'sfamily, pets, keepsakes, music,plants, hobbies, whatever.Your home is your refuge.

8.Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable,improveit. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9 Don't take guilt trips .. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10.Tell the people you lovethat you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breathswe take, but by the momentsthat take our breath away.