Odyssey..

What you will remember..

Money has no memory. Experience has. You will never know what the total cost of your education was, but for a lifetime you will recall and relive the memories of schools and colleges. Few years from now, you will forget the amount you paid to settle the hospitalization bill, but will ever cherish having saved your mother's life or the life you get to live with the just born. You won't remember the cost of your honeymoon, but to the last breath remember the experiences of the bliss of togetherness. Money has no memory. Experience has.

Good times and bad times, times of prosperity and times of poverty, times when the future looked so secure and times when you didn't know from where the tomorrow will come... life has been in one way or the other a roller-coaster ride for everyone. Beyond all that abundance and beyond all that deprivation, what remains is the memory of experiences.

Sometimes the wallet was full... sometimes even the pocket was empty. There was enough and you still had reasons to frown. There wasn't enough and you still had reasons to smile. Today, you can look back with tears of gratitude for all the times you had laughed together, and also look back with a smile at all the times you cried alone. All in all, life filled you with experiences to create a history of your own self, and you alone can remember them all.

The first time you balanced yourself on your cycle without support... The first time she said 'yes' and it was a year since you proposed... The first cry... the first steps... the first word... the first kiss... all of your child... The first gift you bought for your parents and the first gift your daughter gave you... The first award... the first public appreciation... the first stage performance... And the list is endless... Experiences, with timeless memory... No denying that anything that's material cost money, but the fact remains the cost of the experience will be forgotten, but the experience never.

So, what if it's economic recession? Let there not be a recession to the quality of your life. You can still take your parents, if not on a pilgrimage, at least to the local temple. You can still play with your children, if not on an international holiday, at least in the local park. It doesn't cost money to lie down or to take a loved one onto your lap. Nice time to train the employees, create leadership availability and be ready for the wonderful times when they arrive. Aspects like your health, knowledge development and spiritual growth are not economy dependent.

Time will pass... economy will revive... currency will soon be in current... and in all this; I don't want you to look back and realize you did nothing but stayed in gloom. Recession can make you lose out on money. Let it not make you lose out on experiences... If you are not happy with what you have, no matter how much more you have, you will still not be happy.

Make a statement with the way you live your life: How I feel has nothing to do with how much I have.

[Excerpt from an article]

Timeless Moments of my life 1

Juan, Younis and I in Swidwin

Making Rajma Chawal for my friends in Poland

my PEACE buddies!

the handicrafts workshop at school..

Younis and I in Sopot

my CBZ!

All that you can't leave behind?

20 more days and I will be flying to a yet unknown destination, through the clouds, miles and miles away from where I belong. The feeling has not sunk in that I will really be away from here for quite a long time.

I will surely miss the things here, things we always take for granted but well, at a certain level, they are beautiful and interesting and fill you with a kind of nostalgia...

I'm wondering if I will really be leaving behind these streets, the patched roads of my colony, the stray cows on the street, the pani puri vendors and this entire scenery in the next few days? And my family, friends and relatives..? Driving recklessly on the streets - sometimes without speed limits and sometimes stuck in the mad traffic? The hustle-bustle on the streets, the native dialect, the language, the people and of course the food?

Am I really leaving all this behind for a new tomorrow in a few days??

I'm a T-Bird!

I'm officially a T-Bird now. It's a wonderful feeling to be a part of a global school like Thunderbird (my dream school) after being an AIESECer for a span of 2 years.

I look forward to the 2 years of this journey which will provide me a new challenge, help me learn more about myself, take me to a whole new world and give me memories of a lifetime!

I look forward to the 23rd of August, 2008.

Like an Eagle..

From www.tawanawilliams.com:

The eagle is so powerful that it can even soar above an approaching storm. It catches the wind by the tail and then rides the air currents. It does not fear. It does not panic. It only watches and waits until just the right moment and then aligns itself with the coming force of nature. Then it rides, glides, and soars. Just imagine that same eagle without wings...

Without its wings, the eagle would be powerless. It would not be able to soar above the earth, and we would miss the sight of him in flight. It would starve. Without its wings, this magnificent bird of prey would die.

Like that eagle, we have all been created to soar. With outstretched arms, we wait for our chance to catch a wave and soar. But my story is a bit different. I learned to fly, even without wings. I pray that my story will encourage you to live without excuses and even if your wings get broken, make the attempt to fly. I believe that if you will try, then you will live. If you don't, then like the eagle without wings, your dreams will surely die.

Santa introduces Himself!

News from the Positive news network...

After 26 Years Secret Santa Introduces Himself!

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The answer to one of the happiest
mysteries in the Kansas City area is being revealed this year.

A man who has given away millions of dollars and become
known as Secret Santa for handing out Christmas cash to
the needy is allowing his name to be publicized after 26 years.

But the reason for the revelation is an unhappy one. Secret
Santa has cancer. He wants to start speaking to community
groups about his belief in random acts of kindness, but he
can't do that without telling people who he is.

The man who has spread cheer for 26 years is Larry Stewart,
58, of Lee's Summit, who made his millions in cable television
and long-distance telephone service.

Stewart told The Kansas City Star that he was the man who
would walk up to complete strangers, hand them $100 bills,
wish them "Merry Christmas" and walk away, leaving
astonished and grateful people in his wake.

He handed out money throughout the year, but he said it was
the Christmas giving that gave him the most joy.

Now, he wants to inspire others to do the same. He said
he thinks that people should know that he was born poor,
was briefly homeless, dropped out of college, has been fired
from jobs, and once even considered robbery.

But he said every time he hit a low point in his life, someone
gave him money, food and hope, and that's why he has devoted
his life to returning the favors.

Think About This: Even a small gift to a stranger can give you the
same benefits - you don't need to be wealthy to participate - a gift
of your time is always appreciated too!

Nostalgia..

It has been quite long, so many things I have to say about Poland have been left unsaid - about the beauty of the small towns like Luban, Slupca, Swidwin, the amazing warmth and hospitality of the people, the memorable parties and dances, the time spent with PEACE interns, AIESECers and the sessions in schools. It's hard to put these memories here in words coz they can only be felt, and each time I see the pictures (almost 4800) from Poland, I am taken back to those wonderful days, where everything seemed like a dream.

Looking back at those three months, they form a separate chapter in my life - and also the most unforgettable time. I have understood more about the world and about myself through these experiences, something that will stay with me forever.