Wall-E, Wallpapers, and the Viola!

I wanted something artsy. Wall-E and Eva and their uber cute falling in love scene had been on my desktop for ages now. In a moonlit backdrop, Wall-E, the loser that he was, was gazing dreamily at eva’s beautiful and hearty laugh, which could distinctly be seen in a little detail such as the squint and upward curl of her roboty eyes. I had often looked at both of them, and smiled. They represent an adorable and unique romance, and this particular picture had captured one of my favorite moments of their love story. When I began taking this scene on my desktop for granted, rushing to open firefox, overlooking the love for Eva in Wall-E’s eyes, I knew it was time to change my desktop.

I wanted something artsy. I looked through some of my favorite artists’ work to find the perfect fit for my desktop, something to inspire me each day. I gave up on trying to find some “classic art” show piece. I realized who I take inspiration from quite often...umm.. every night 11:30 to 12:30, religiously!

Carry Bradshaw, from Sex and the City, now sits fabulously on my screen. She looks simply marvelous. Her skin glows of youthful aging, for she gets old while living her life each day. Her gorgeous soft curls spread their layers away from her face, freeing her eyes to capture your gaze. These eyes have seen plenty, they are constantly trying to observe keenly, and most precious of all, these eyes still have hopes and dreams. And don’t let her heels deceive you ladies and gentlemen! They may seem delicate, but she is about to knock your socks off with her powerful stride. A single woman in her 40s, fabulous, glamorous,...simply magnificent..aaaand artsy!

Carry Bradshaw, it’s an honor to have you here ;-)

…as long as you love me, baby..

…as long as you love me, baby..

I listened to this song in the car today, and it brought back all those romantic feelings you feel about the feeling of “being in love”. I couldn’t help but wonder.. ;-)..are these feelings really more fantastic than romantic? Perhaps being in love is a feeling that we simply fantasize about, and that is as romantic as love really gets. When we think we’re in love, are we really? Or are we just fantasizing about something that seems like the “in love” we have seen in movies. I am pretty sure that the “loving” exists; I’m just not sure about the “in love”.

I think in most relationships, I have seen that couples, siblings, friends really do love each other, but I have not seen a couple that is really “in love”, except in movies and songs. The fact that romantic movies and heartfelt songs can invoke such emotions within us suggests that these emotions do exist. Or does it really suggest that we can imagine a lot more than there is?

Perhaps how I feel about the existence of God. Do we, humans, really exaggerate and fantasize about everything? No doubt, that is the gift of imagination we do have. Nevertheless, there comes a point when one must decide whether this imagination or fantasy, the thing we dream about, is it really something we want to give up our reality for? I don’t know about God, and I believe all religion is an amplification of humanity, a higher goal to reach for. But when that belief becomes so strong that we begin to forget what we DO know best (Humanity, that is!), that is when I stop and reassess. I am quite decisive and content with my “belief” in God now. Not sure about this love-like stuff.

This is what I do know:
I just had a customer come in today who told me she was looking for a dress, and in further conversation, she told me how the dress she needs has to fit certain guidelines because she is to see her friend in an “institution”. At first, I wondered if she was dressing up for a guy at the mental institution, or perhaps just for her brother or female friend. Then, knowing girls, I realized that her wanting to look this cute couldn’t just be for a mere friend. As she looked at herself in the mirror, and examined further, she mentioned how “the prison” is really strict about the dress code of visitors. And here, for a second, I couldn’t help but judge a bit. I thought, wow she’s all excited to go see a boyfriend that is perhaps a criminal? I realize that I can be completely off in all my assumptions. If, nevertheless, any of my assumptions are true, and while I can judge her for many other things, I chose to really admire how excited she was! It is just how I would be for a guy I wanted to impress. We can have different tastes, and be completely different human beings, but her excitement, and her actual effort for this meeting in the prison, left me with pleasant feelings.

We all want love, and we all really do love. We make that leap…the leap Hitch talks about…and we hope to God that we’ll fly…! We have seen failures in every relationship, every single one, but we always think ours will fly. This hope, this belief, is so so preciosa! I have leapt before, and failed miserably. I know others have leapt for me, and I have ended up hurting them. But I also know, the satisfaction of leaping, the contentment that results from the capability to feel such emotions from someone, is simply worth it. We fail every time more or less, but that leap, we never forget.

The leap tells you. It speaks loud and clear that you love someone. It also shows how you want to fall in love. It is simply a fall that we are willing to take.

My customer also mentioned (when she warmed up to me, of course) that the last time she visited him, she wore jeans the whole time, and he told her not to wear jeans because he cannot feel her legs ;-). Now, I know this can bring about dirty connotations and take my blog to another level of interest, but let me focus on the main point here. It made me smile when she said that, and I could not help but think it was cute! Methods might be different, but trust me, we all be in da saaaame boat!

And… I ask you to follow my train of thought just a bit here… remember how I mentioned that people forget about humanity and focus on the amplification of it? Well, I think we amplify love. We wait for a movie love, we wait for that perfect fall in love, when really we feel love every day. Hmm..let’s see…we want love…they want love…then uh..the problem is...?

Here we are, we merely have to reach out and feel all the cuteness and happiness that loving and being loved brings! because...really now..who knows if there will ever be an “in love”. What we know is what we know right now. So go meet the man in prison if you love him, don’t wait for the guy that WILL BE. Make that leap =)

Love -because I'm worth it! ;-)

May 21st, 2009 Jagjit Singh Concert

I just came back from a Jagjit Singh Concert. When we were buying tickets, I felt it would be nice to share this experience with my mom, and I should go even if I know very little about Jagjit Singh. After all, I’ve gone to concerts with friends in which I knew nothing about the artist, and Jagjit Singh at least has the deep voice that I already knew I liked.
Jagjit Singh is known for his ghazals. I had expected to find this evening to be quite boring, and full of sad overemotional sad music. Somehow, I was pleasantly surprised. I realized what a difference it is to watch concerts, and listen to music collectively. There are genres of music that you simply do not want to listen to alone, and others still that are understood best in solitude. My new discovery about ghazals comes with a deep appreciation for the ability of ghazals to be heard comfortably at home, and also nostalgically with friends.
In any case, I realized today how poetic ghazals truly are, what “older people” like about them, and why people are fanatics about ghazals! I see why my dad liked them so much! There is a level of maturity to the lyrics and a certain finesse about the music. I loved the lyrics right away, and the music was so traditionally Indian that it definitely strung the right cords for me. Still, the most endearing part of the concert was the collective emotion.
I can only begin to describe the beauty of it. To see and hear people around us beginning to clap excitedly when they hear a song they know, and to hear them then sing along, despite not being great singers, is simply an adorable scene to witness. And it just makes you smile. You hear these people get nostalgic, you hear their hearts jump at different parts of the song, and you wonder what brought this song so close to their heart, and specifically why they sang this particular line with such intensity. No one knows each other, but there is a connection. No one is an exceptional singer in the audience, but you want them to continue singing. The fact of the matter is, we are all here, in this auditorium, reminiscing about our past, perhaps thinking of our future, or just plain enjoying the music. One person sings, and the other joins. Despite our distinct thoughts, different experiences, and the varied range of emotions, there is a common ecstasy. I believe the root of any such concert experience lies in being able to share your sheer pleasure and sentiments from the song with so many others in the room.