This was a tough one! Bad luck doesn’t always make for great pictures – or so I thought! Turns out I was wrong. Of course 😛 We have some fantastic pictures on the site…a blend of concepts and techniques that make for fascinating viewing! As always the process of learning continues.
So of course I was thinking about Luck and what it really means. Some people believe Luck is being prepared and ready to seize an opportunity as it arises. Some people, and I must include myself in this category, use it to define events, good and bad, over which we seemingly have no control. Perhaps the lack of control is an illusion? A question of perception? But when I think how minuscule we are, how ruled by circumstance, how reliant on the judgement and skill of others like us, in most situations, then I have to believe in some mechanism or underlying unifying force/aura/energy, call it what you will, that nudges the Universe in any one given direction. Of course our choices have power! They can sway the Universe too, I just feel that ever so often they are acting in conjunction with the ‘Unknown’! Or perhaps that’s just me indulging my dramatic side and my penchant for the mysterious, for Fantasy 😉 Whatever the reason, I do believe. Coz how else can you explain why one person wins the million-dollar life-changing lottery, while others spend millions of dollars on lottery tickets that don’t win them a penny?! I think Luck adds a fun dimension to what might otherwise be a humdrum existence…being prepared all the time is very wise indeed but I’m not sure it’s much fun 😛 Well not for me anyway – I’m much to instinctive to ever be prepared; but I’m prepared at all times to be instinctive 😉
And on that very confusing and rather silly note, lets just get to the pictures shall we? 😀 I know, I know – I ramble…it’s what happens when adult interaction is at the minimum 😛 The first things that I thought of were ‘black cats’ and ‘salt spills’ and in the absence of real, live cats, I decided to practice my photoshop skills and superimpose a stock image of one on to a picture of the Moon I had taken recently. Then in the same vein, I added some text to my picture of spilled salt which I had carefully arranged to spell Luck. Although I liked the way they turned out, none of them seemed right. Then I thought of the Snakes & Ladders game that is a current favourite with Junior and since Luck and games are so closely linked in our psyches, I decided to go with that. I used my Macro lens (it has become quite a favourite of mine even when I’m not actually shooting Macro), and clicked away! I quite liked the result. Let me know what you think, will ya? 😀
Unlucky Moon?
Salty Luck 😛
It’s all in the Roll of the Dice!
And here is the picture I took for the Challenge…
Here’s to a Lucky Weekend People!
May the Luck of the Draw be always in your favour 🙂Â
Here’s the thing…Maura, my friend of the sharp wit and ‘pregnatress’ (Yoohoo! I’ve saved a word and used it too! Here’s how.), of her excellent blog 36 x 37, has tagged me in an online version of the ancient game of Tag. Yes, they have online versions of everything now, and so I have 8 questions to answer and 8 people to tag in turn. Thanks Maura 🙂 I am honored, happy and saved, ‘coz I was down with a bit of writer’s block after an exhausting festival season, or maybe it’s just the dullness of routine. Shouldn’t last long…my boy restarts play-school on Monday and then Life will be anything but dull…loud and teary is more like it!
This Tag business got me thinking about being IT. As a kid, I was not very sporty but I did play my fair share of Tag and Hide and Seek. I hated being IT. I have no clear recollection as to why, but probably ‘coz it meant being alone while everyone else was together, or maybe even then I was a hider not a seeker. Certainly as an adult I crave solitude like some people crave chocolate. I also crave gin & tonic…but that’s another post 😉 Back to being IT…I still haven’t got over that ‘Itsy’ feeling from my childhood. Some days it sweeps over me like a raging storm and I despair of being alone (figuratively speaking of course! Alone-ness is not a luxury I have in real life…sigh.) & ever making it through, while on others, it’s a flowing stream that’s gently refreshing, and I bask in its quietness, renewing my spirit. Those are the days when Ishaan is being an angel 🙂
Ever since the day Ishaan entered my life, I’ve been IT. No sick days, no holidays, no i’ll-just-be-in-my-room-reading days, no ‘Do Not Disturb’ days, just continuous, ‘Mommie’ days…where I’m IT, the ‘One’! I’m not complaining, just stating facts! Yes, I have help and an incredible support system and access to resources that many don’t, but that doesn’t alter the fact that the ball ends with me…I’m IT and always will be! And while that brings me boundless joy, it is the scariest feeling, ‘coz who shall I tag! Not a soul, that’s who! While I love the feeling of being the ‘One’ he turns to in sickness and health, in happiness and tears, along with it comes the immense responsibility of raising him right, keeping him safe and making him happy. And so that brings me to the first question…superpowers, ‘coz lord knows ‘parenting’ is hard enough even with all those I already have 😉
1. If you could have any superpower, which one would you have and why?
I have to say this, ‘coz it’s the first thing I thought…just one? No fair! It’s a tough call though…I think I’ll settle for being able to read minds or mind actually…Ishaan’s. So I know what devilry he’s planning when he’s giving me that ‘look’, deceptively innocent yet potent enough to floor every damsel from here to eternity (I jest, I jest, I’m a Mom!). Also, I’m thinking this power will prove invaluable when he’s a teen and not saying anything much at all! Although the thought of reading minds in general is rather interesting, I don’t really want to be Mel Gibson in What Women Want! Don’t think I could handle that kind of chaos!
2. Who is your style icon?
At the moment, my style consists of throwing on anything that is comfy, loose and preferably stretchable 😉 I like old-world style, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelley, Julie Andrews, Jackie Onassis and Audrey Hepburn…my favorite. Simple, elegant, classic!
3. What is your favorite quote?
There are many…but all time favorites are “Happiness is a Journey…not a Destination” – Souza. And the poem Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou. And then there are the funny ones like, “Wherever there is a will, I want to be in it!” and because I’m immersed in the world of Tolkien at the moment and am living most of my days happily in Middle-earth, I want to include this one, “All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”
4. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?
I’ve received my fair share over the years…but those that compliment my son & my writing, in that order, are closest to my heart 🙂
5. What playlist/cd is in your CD player/iPod right now?
A mix of Bollywood, Celine Dion, The Beatles, The Beegees, Mariah Carey, Queen, Tina Turner, Michael Buble and music that my brother played on his keyboard. I like music to be musical…no Hard Rock & Heavy Metal, although Bon Jovi is a well-loved companion 🙂 This is Queen…singing one of my favorites 🙂
6. Are you a night owl or a morning person?
An owl I am, An owl I’ll stay,
Always, forever, in every way.
My wisdom belies my tender years,
Silently I hunt my fears!
I thought that up all by myself! Sorry, couldn’t resist 😛
7. Do you prefer dogs or cats?
Dogs, Dogs, Dogs….except for this fella…
8. What is the meaning behind your blog name?
Well rather self-explanatory really…H is for Happiness. My name Harsha, means Happiness and so H is for Harsha and H is for Happiness J I started this blog to get back to writing, a hobby that fell by the wayside while studying medicine and other stuff. I’m happy to say, it has done that and so much more…I’ve found like-minded friends, fantastic writers and a constant stream of Happiness to keep me going. I’m enjoying the journey and hope it’ll be a long one 🙂
So, here’s to you Maura, for tagging me, getting me out of my rut and introducing me to some very fine blogs like Herding Cats in Hammond River, which I must confess confused me initially because I actually thought it had to do with herding cats! Blame it on my rut or on my mind-numbing Aragorn obsession…I’m not usually this stupid! I must confess, rather shamefacedly that I don’t have 8 people to tag, but I’m working on that. So I’m tagging a dear friend, someone I know will enjoy this exercise and have witty answers, Aarti @ Indigo Violet’s Blog
As for the rest, anyone who comes by, consider yourself Tagged!
H is for Happiness 