The American Sojourn!

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 5/22/2013 10:06:00 AM

'So it has been a week that I returned from the States and I’m not even close to wearing off the jet lag. Now that I’m actually feeling more like myself, an account is necessary.So where shall I start...Reetika, Richa and I know each other from the time that we went to college at SCMS-UG - around the time that the iPod classic first generation was in vogue. Through three years of gruelling education, living it up in Pune, marking proxy attendance in class, study and sleepover se(...)'

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Words Are Wind.

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 5/20/2013 5:51:00 AM

'Words are easy. They are just the things you say. In a quick moment of passion. In a heated argument. Or in a second of thoughtlessness.  You can talk for hours and when you step out of a room, they may mean nothing. I don't believe in promises. In those who build castles in the air. In dreams that need no foundation. In people who don't think twice before they commit. All it takes to ruin these, is just a whiff of air. A strong breeze. What I can lean (...)'

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Delirium

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 5/13/2013 8:30:00 PM

'An odd sense of delirium sweeps over meI close my eyes and see steaming sewer gratesWhile violins are playing Viva La Vida in my headA quiet ache, with an unknown causeNo known faces among the maddening crowdA familiar place, where you have little to discoverA park bench that will be etched in your memory foreverAn odd sense of delirium. A maze of unconnected dots. '

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Dust, If You Must.

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 5/13/2013 11:25:00 AM

'Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better,to paint a picture or write a letter,bake a cake or plant a seed,ponder the difference between want and need?Dust if you must, but there's not much time,with rivers to swim and mountains to climb,music to hear and books to read, friends tocherish and life to lead.Dust if you must, but the world's out therewith the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair,a flutter of snow, a shower of rain.this day will not come around again.Dust if you mus(...)'

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Winds Of Change...-

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 4/30/2013 1:13:00 PM

'In a recently released Bengali comedy flick, there was a joke about popular culture Bengali music.It said that a 'Bangla Band' was an oxymoron. I think they were being kind.I clearly dislike most of the new age Bengali music, and personally think that its a real tragedy that the state that maestros like the Burmans, Salil Chowdhury and many others belonged to is now parched and running short of talent.But I am happy to say that the condition of the movies seem to be improving. A lit(...)'

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Mantra

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 4/29/2013 9:12:00 AM

'" बगिया बगिया बालक भागेतितली फिर भी हाथ ना लागेइस पगले को कौन बताएढूँढ रहा है जो तू जग मेंकोई जो पाए तोमन मे ही पाए "***Buddha speaks and Javed Akhtar reiterates. It is impossible to be content if you have all the riches in the world but a troubled heart. So that's what we should strive for - to be calm, within.'

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Isla Mujeres

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 4/28/2013 6:37:00 AM

'This little island off the coast of Mexico has been on my radar for a while. Ask me why?Because it is a part of the planet where nature puts up a spectacular display that is not only immensely fascinating, but ethereal. Swimming with whale sharks.That's what these Mexican waters have in store. Before you shake your head thinking that this is one of those things you've seen on Animal Planet (Read: Man in a cage feeding great white sharks), let me tell you, its not even close.&nb(...)'

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Pocket Confectionery

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 4/27/2013 8:10:00 AM

'What does one do when a boring weekend is coming to an end, when there's absolutely nothing to watch on TV and when your favourite football team was defeated 4-0 marking the end of a rather disappointing season?Bake. Of course. I came across this recipe whilst Pinterest-ing and saved it, owing to the sheer simplicity that it promised. Can you thinking of mixing a few ingredients into your regular coffee mug, popping it in the microwave oven for a couple of minutes and voila, yo(...)'

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Cascade

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 4/24/2013 11:46:00 AM

'Seventeen years of living in this country and I haven't experience weather like this.I guess I am overdoing the droplet pictures and the thunderstorm videos. It is so difficult to resist. Roads are blocked. Wadis are overflowing. There is chaos. All because of a night of constant precipitation. At 6 am today, one could easily have mistaken the view out my window as a hill station. I plugged in Advaita's 'Ghir Ghir' on my way to work.While I was walking to the hea(...)'

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लम्हा

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 4/21/2013 9:21:00 AM

'|| कौन कहता है की दूरियों ने कभी है प्यार को बढ़ायायहाँ तोह तन्हाइयों का समा घर कर गयाउम्र भर हमने जो महफ़िल थी सजाईपलक झपकते ही बंजर जहाँ बन गया |||| काश ख़ामोशियों को किसी ने ज़ुबान दी होतीवोह भी दे पाती हमें कोई वजहकी चुप क्यूँ वोह हमेशा रहतीजब आती कोई रूह से सदा |||| की अजीब हैं कितनी ये आँखेन तुम्हारीहर वक़्त सचाई की कहानीफरियाद करें भी तो कब तक हमजब अपनी ज़ुबान ही नही देती साथ तुम्हारी ||'

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May In The Big Apple!

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 4/18/2013 4:01:00 AM

'So, I've refrained from writing about my upcoming trip because I have seen so many such well planned occasions sink into nothingness. But two weeks away from landing into New York City, I think I'm ready. My Google Drive has never had more documents, the WhatsApp icon the phone seldom stops buzzing owing to the group chat and my inbox is spotted with purple stars. Yes, I'm good to go.Air tickets to NYC and back ✓The New York Pass paid for ✓Booked the SA(...)'

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Par Avion!

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 4/17/2013 1:20:00 PM

'I cannot stress enough on how much I miss receiving mail. What would I not give to come to office and have the receptionist hand me something that had travelled across the globe to me. Or even the feeling of anticipation of going to my post box and seeing mail there. It is not always possible to depend on people to make that happen, so I used to indulge in online purchases and often had books or bags or gadgets delivered to me at work!April has been wonderful to me, with t(...)'

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Real Beauty

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 4/16/2013 1:24:00 PM

'I've never been a huge fan of Dove's products, save for a body lotion with sparkle in it (Yes, it can make you feel like a Cullen for while), but I've always followed their 'Real Beauty' social campaign as I knew that Edelman Digital was behind it.But one of their adverts I came across today, made me think about beauty. If you haven't already seen it - here it is:I know so many people, who - to me are absolutely beautiful. Someone's got the perfect jawline, the other the most stunni(...)'

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Skipping Stones

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 4/14/2013 7:22:00 AM

'Sitting by a quiet streamHearing it gurgle while it trips over the pebblesWatching the Sun dip lowerEyes set on the horizonMind fixed onto some distant thoughtLetting go of one worry after another, with each skipping stoneSeeing them bounce away and sink to the depthsNever to come back again.'

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Special Chabbis!

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 4/8/2013 7:30:00 PM

'It's not every day that one turns twenty six. It is also not common for me to have time on hand to write a proper elaborate birthday post. But this year I do, and I thought I would reflect on how lovely April 08 has been for me, over the years.What better way to do it, than with pictures. Through the years, Ma and Baba went out of their way to make the day the most special for me. Presents, parties, and confetti! It makes me smile, thinking of the excitement at not having (...)'

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Rāga Yaman Kalyan

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 4/7/2013 4:00:00 AM

'You know that song that you come across accidentally, then listen to all day, and hum it again at night?I have this vague feeling of deja-vu listening to this rendition by Shriram Iyer, in collaboration with our favourite clarinetist - Shankar Tucker.It reminds me of the times when three days in a week, a harmonium was at my feet and my knowledge of Hindustani classical vocals was seasoned. While I've always been partial towards the Malhar and Khamaj ragas, this Yaman Kalyan is noth(...)'

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JLT

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 4/6/2013 11:09:00 AM

'An airport trip where I had lots of time on hand was the reason behind this post. It was lying in my drafts for months and today, while I was looking at planes fly overhead from the windows in my cubicle, it felt like the right time to publish it. ***Airports stir the most peculiar feelings in me. There are tears, laughter, confusion, fear, excitement and hope with a tinge of the comic thrown in.Flying alone for the last decade has given me the rare opportunity to observe (...)'

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Time Flies

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 4/2/2013 7:18:00 AM

'Seems like just the other day that I was writing about my first day at my new job, and today marks six months of me being here. It has been quite the journey, I must say. I've written things I thought I was never capable of, learned so much about Oman that surprised me, met some really great people at work, attended the most hilarious meetings and felt like quite a boss.Unlike in India, the photograph-taking culture here isn't all that prevalent - so on the&(...)'

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Estrayed

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 3/31/2013 1:13:00 PM

'Another thing I love about India is the fauna that one finds, as a regularity. Apart from domestic rodents, of course - I've loved the fact that I could make friends with the dogs, cats, birds and even pigs and cattle in my surroundings.I'm sure people in first world countries would probably turn up their noses at the mention of the last two animals, but I'm not attempting to filter the truth. In Muscat, I come to terribly miss the three little stray pups whom I watched gr(...)'

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Old Melodies

Author : P.      Blog : An Orange Tree      Date : 3/26/2013 6:40:00 AM

'Just last night, the skies grew dark and bolts of lightning glimmered through the clouds - marking the last rains of the season, and the incoming summer. Perfect time to sit on my rocking chair and hum some of my favourite songs of old, while listening to the low rumbling outside my window. While I grew up, I heard little to none of these songs - wasn't a huge TV culture at home. But once I moved to India, owing to the radio and the age of remixes, it was ensured that I kn(...)'

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