15 Questions?????

Many times in life we realize that we are loosing the direction. 15 Questions to ask yourself.


1) What do you want in life?
2) What bothers you?
3) What do you expect to gain from this world?
4) What will make you happy?
5) When will you be happy?
6) What do you take responsibility for?
7) What do you not take responsibility for?
8) When did you come to this planet?
9) How long did you propose to stay here?
10) What do you intend to do?
11) Why are you here?
12) Where are you?
13) What are you?
14) What will give you fulfillment in life?
15) What have you done to bring diving quality in others?

Life is too FAST, slow down and enjoy your ride...

Harry Bernstein's "The Invisible Wall"

I got this book from one dollar shop in San Francisco. But it took me more than one year to start reading the book. It was unnoticed because of other books I was having. Before started reading the book I read about the author. It was dazed to see that the author is 96 and this is his first book. During the initial pages, I always read some sentences again and again because I have a strong feeling that he might have committed some mistakes. But slowly slowly I started liking the book. By the end I became real fan of him.

The book starts with his early life in a street in England. He is a Jew. He is having 4 siblings. The name of the book depicts the invisible wall between Jews and Christians who were living on both sides of the street. The main soul of the book is the love between his elder sister Lily and Arthur who is a Christan. But they got married overcoming this wall. The book also shows about his mother's struggles to make two ends meet. His father was a rude man, who once drag his sister Lily to the tailoring shop and restricting her to go to college. He has never show any kind of love he has to his father in the book. Through out his book he has shown his devotion to his mother. Very heart touching. I recommend this book who all want to feel good about your past. He is shows how the poverty hit them. Standing below the stairs, she used to call at her kids to throw their cloths down. Then all of them throw their cloths down. Out of that few she catches and rest fall down. In his words,

“Some she managed to catch with her open arms, others rained down on her head, hit her in the face, or scattered on the floor around her feet,” he writes. “After gathering them, she sewed and mended and washed under the gaslight until late in the night.”

He also talks about his brother who dreamed about being a journalist but cannot only because he is a Jew.

At the age of 12 his family moved to USA. Later on he came to know that his sister has died because of a heart disease, 5 years after her marriage with Arthur. And Arthur also died after 2 years. Their child Jimmy was killed by war.

This memoir has contents which has shaken me emotionally. The author has lot of experience and power for that.

After 40 years he came back to his old street in England with his wife Ruby. Whatever he sees there is entirely different. There were no one whom he knows except one lady. What he can hear from her is the story of his neighbors who had fled or died because of the war.

AT the end he is saying he is missing his wife, whom he has married for 67 years. She died at 91 and the loneliness makes him write this book. There is a second book from him called The Dream. He is saying,
"There is lot more to come. I m working on my 3rd book. I may never finish that. But as usual I will try"

Suwon, South Korea

Its Not Just a Kiss

Yesterday night I was coming from my friends room around 2 AM. I saw a boy and a girl, may be they are in their early twenties. The were kissing. It not just a kiss. They were doing it with such a passion. It was something special. I can understand, at this moment, they cannot exist as two. The way they were holding each other makes me feel they are one. Even though I saw them only for few seconds, I really feels good about the moment. I cannot see his or her face because it had been embedded into each others face and more over they were wearing warm clothes. I thought about the feeling they were undergoing... That makes me feel happy, and really I felt like I am missing someone... I acknowledge myself once again that this world is really awesome. Nature and its feelings... Haah... Feels good to live in this beautiful earth... I wonder... Will there be some other world like this in our universe.

Suwon, South korea

My Brother -- Kunjon

There are around 3 and half years of difference between my younger brother and I. I often fought with him. He was there always with me, whatever I do, certain things even if he doesn't like, he does for me. But most of the time I will be unkind to him. When we have many friends to play, especially when our cousins come to our house or we go to their house, I had always tried to put him down. I enjoy teasing him. But he never does that back to me. Even if I do all these injustice to him, I always want him near me. May be I want to dominate on somebody, but.. I don't know... .. I Love him...
Whenever he reference me to somebody, he always add an adjective "my". "my brother" "ente chettan". I still remembered cricket played in our backyard, often games turned into fight, resumes sometimes later. Sometimes we shout bad words each other, always he exhausted of words before me because he has less vocabulary in this case. Most of the time if our mother heard this, she intervenes and scolds.

I was always better in school than he was. Studies was little tough for him, he lacks interest. But I am sure that he is very clever than me. He got a sharp memory. In our home he is like a directory, he knows where exactly the every things are. So whenever I cant find anything I ask him. His replies are most of the time correct. His observation of nature. I really admire... I feel jealousy of him. I always felt why I cant find it with my senses. I remember he saying that one bird cries like "BJP BJP". When I listen it afterward, ya its true.. He taught me how to climb a tree. After coming from school I used to have his training of climbing a arracknut tree or a coconut tree. I remember he saying to me " The wish of flying made me to learn myself this art of climbing" :-)

He is lazy in reading story books also. He will take some page and push to me to read it aloud so that he can lie down hearing the story. He always want to put one leg on top of me while listening and even I enjoyed that weight on me. Our grandmother used to give money on some special occasions, my share will be over soon. But he preserves his part. But I borrow it by promising him that I will give you back when I get a job, and apparently he is very confident on that deal. He really trust me!!!!.... He is the most trust worthy person for me in this world..... to whom I can say anything... anytime.... anywhere... I am lucky to have him. As Khaled Hossieni said in kite runner "there is a brotherhood between people who had fed from the same breast, a kinship that not even time could break".

Birthday Memories

I was annoyed by a call from my friend which wakes me up at 11:55 yesterday. I am thinking what the HELL she want at this mid-night. I pick the call on the second ring, the voice only said HAPPY BDAY, and a Gud Nite. Then I realise its my Birthday.
Birthdays are those special days which loose their value when the count increases. I remember my mother used to give me a kiss on my forehead, wake me up in the morning to wish me a bday. But this time even she forget that its my bday. It happens.... I dont think her mother remembers her bday.
I can remember my bdays in school. The day I am like a prince. I am the only person wearing color dress. All the students even the kids who doesn't like me will be very friendly with me, because I will be distributing sweets. Teachers will excuse me even if i didn't answer the questions. Then when I was in college, my girlfriend waits till 11:59pm and call me because she what to be the first person to wish me. And the memories goes on...................
Its my B'day TODAY..... :-)

Alcatraz Island

I visited an island which was a prison, which stop functioning on 1963 because of difficulties in maintainability. Visit was heart touching. It is an island which is a mile and a quarter away from the SanFranciso Down Town.

"You Are Entitled To Food, Clothing, Shelter, And Medical Attention, Anything Else You Get Is A Privilege". This is one of the rules and regulations of the Alcatraz prison which started on 1934. The cells are made of cement walls and steel frames. Even though everyone has a separate cell, there is no privacy. The man in the cell across can see you sleep, shave and use the toilet.

Before I entered the prison, they gave me a audio device which has keypad to play, pause and change the volume. The audio tour guided me through the entire prison till the exit. It was such a great experience, I can remember the prison as if I was an inmate once. It has a lot to tell me about the escape attempts, fights and frustrations of the inmates during its 29 years of existence.

One escape attempt in 1962 by 3 men, out of that two were brothers. They made a hole on the wall with the spoon. It is estimated that it took almost 1 year of effort to dig the hole. They kept cardboard on that to hide the hole. And on the day of escape, dummy heads made of soap were left in their beds as if they were sleeping. They were never seen again.

There were total of 14 escape attempts happened and all the convicts were shot dead or captured back except two attempts. The escape was not going to be easy. The freezing water (14 degree Celsius) and strong current of Bay cause the inmate to reconsider escape attempts.

There is a library. But is not allowed for everyone. It is a privilege and not a right. It is assumed that some of the inmates read 70-100 books an year.

Man was never intended to be a caged animal. He will seek for the freedom. While coming back in the cruise i thought of the escaped inmates. Even though I know they are criminals, i want to be on their side and i like to believe that they might have reached the mainland safely.

Capital Punishment

Law of capital punishment is justifiable if you think philosophically.
Most of the religion and philosophy says that the cycle of birth and rebirth are for enlightenment. Knowing others is called wisdom and knowing yourself is called enlightenment. For prevailing in peace you have to control your 5 senses.

People who has done a crime which result in capital punishment is no longer eligible to live anymore. Because it is the worst thing to do in a life. So actually law is helping him to die and rebirth again, instead of wasting more time in this incarnation.

So apparently the law of capital punishment are written based on religion and philosophy.