The story of an NGO called ItsMyDuty

The employees and alumni of QBurst have a good virtual hangout, a perfect place for junks and craps!

In late October, a mail which claimed to be 'non-entertainment' in its subject line has proved it was serious once opened. Anooj was asking about helping needies in the city and neighborhood by accumulating cash from those who are interested. Many of us welcomed it and after a couple of days' discussion it was named `it's my duty.`

Many of us were interested in charity or working with some NGOs. Many of us were thinking about such moves. So this idea was hugely applauded.

In the beginning of the month volunteers collect cash from the members, only those who are interested need to donate. Activities are planned during weekdays in the virtual world, because we are spread over three offices and execute them in the weekends or public holidays.

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Getting offended as an irrational emotion

This post can be generalized. But narrowing it down to offense and sympathy, for those who think anyone else is offensive and find solace in compassion. Mostly, when one has to choose between confidence and ego(t)ism or self interest/respect and selfishness, its difficult and subjective.

Someone else is always blamed when anyone got offended. The fact is some external elements and influencers can offend anyone only if they are allowed to do so. Many people are concerned about the thickness of thin things. I am no different, some other times I am quite able to kill it. Personally, I know of a few who aren't this kind.

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What The Alchemist and Paulo Coelho told you?

Everybody talk about 'The Alchemist' anytime the conversation comes to books. The Alchemist was not a motivating book nor a fascinating story, to me. More of a good time-pass read. Just another fictional work and there may be plenty of such. The author sometimes talks about inner calling and omens. I don't know what the author thinks about it, to follow or not, even after completing the book. The shepherd boy forgot Merchant's daughter when he is back. He may forget Fatima in the same way on his way back to her if the author didn't stop telling the story where he did. The shepherd boy is unable to make decisions. And he use external influences for that. I remembered Howard Roark's question - "If you can't decide for yourself, how can you trust someone else doing it for you?" Howard is a man with high self-interest, not selfishness (The fountainhead by Ayn Rand). Most of the people aren't too motivated or have a genuine interest in self. It's just another work of fiction, to me. Plus, Paulo Coelho's approach towards writing is a bit boring and obsolete? :P

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Pencil Sketch of Josie Maran

I am back, in a week, again... Well, I must say I am not happy this time. But I thought to reveal it now, as there is no plan for me to work on this in the future. A perfectly finished drawing has never impressed me so much. All the hours (about 15) spent on this, I was doing it against will to make it that way, so tired now, gave up.

Any time I was in trouble, or if cops were around my way, or if there any new race in the city, she called me! Wished me best of luck. Her name is Mia, in NFS-most-wanted.


This is done with graphite pencils of 6B and HB. One of my friends gifted me some artists' pencils, eraser, sharpener and a drawing book! This picture is captured with my webcam, if I click a high quality picture or scan her in high resolution, I'll update here later.

Glad to know you're reading my blog, thanks for that! :-)

Charcoal sketch of Edward Cullen

This is my first attempt with charcoal. It was like coding with slate and pencil. :-)

It wasn't so easy, but I always like the high contrast in sketch that I don't usually do with graphite pencils. More of a learning process to me, I'll get better, hopefully.

I did like the vegetarian 'glampire', I'll be sort of one once I'm done here. I mean, the vegetarian part of him. :D

"I dreamed I was missing, you were so scared
But no one would listen 'cause no one else cared"

PS: I am drawing a girl (with graphite pencils) who always reminds me to wear seat belt and drive safely on the streets whenever I rev up for a race. You know her. Keep checking out, see you back soon!

My day at Ananthashayi

He was the most happy boy among them. He always says Aaro Vannu (somebody has come) every time somebody passed by, like he by-hearted it from someone else. Kids learn things quickly. He is only three years old and everybody there was happy watching after him. He dances with songs and tunes on others’ mobile phones, they are happy to play it for him. He called me and my friend uncle and got friendly with my friend in no time. Great to see him dance. Who can resist the sincere smile of a playful little boy.

His name is Jeevan, I am talking about a boy I met last Sunday at Ananthashayi Balasadanam. There are some boys, Jeevan is the youngest of them, and the eldest of the boys is around 16.

It was another boring Sunday when my friend called me to join him to visit Balasadanam. I was excited to to go. Because I was thinking about it for some time - but never did. I thought to have some good time with them, but it wasn’t so easy. I felt sorry about them. It took some time for me to get back to the state what I thought I’d be in. Thanks to Jeevan for that. He can stretch your lips wide, easily.

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How Pman got kissed, got a life and got divorced

After a couple of weeks of contemplation, I resigned from my job. It wasn't an end of anything, nor was it a new beginning. As usual I was in the cafe, browsing and checking mails. There was a mail from Vanila, Kochi. They were looking for some one like me, and asked me to appear for online exam. Good, I made a quick search and got no results for sample questions. Less than an hour, done! I signed off and left the cafe.

I got a call next day, I was asked to appear for an interview at Infopark Campus. Cool, I was happy. I had gone there once when I was a student, I caught an auto from Kakkanad to Vanila, opened the door, and seated in a big cushioned chair. A man with a thick beard came out from the cabin I was sitting square with and called me . Just a face to face interview, he asked why I left last employer and so and so questions. Once it seemed over, he said,

"You have to appear for another test here"

"Okay", I said, obviously they don't know who wrote it in the cafe.

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Kargil martyr remembered by Kupwara girl

Today is the Independence Day of India, I just remembered the story of a modern freedom fighter, who sacrificed everything for India. it's a true story...

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He may be no more, but for 16 year old Rukhsana from a remote villege in Kashmir, Vir Chakra recipient and Kargil martyr Captain Vijayant Thapar is still alive. The student of std IX in Kupwara district of north Kashmir, fondly remembers this "messiah" as "a tall man with whom she played on school premises and who gave her handful of chocolates."

While braving the intruders on the icy heights of Knoll and Three-Pimples Drass sub-sectorin Kargil, 22 year old Captain Thapar in his last letter to his family asked them to continue Rs.50 to a girl in Kupwara. He wrote, "By the time you get this letter, I''ll be observing you all from the sky enjoying the hospitality of apsaras (angels)... donate some money to an orphanage, and keep giving Rs.50 to Rukhsana a month."

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Some thoughts about absolute Truth and Right

I just thought to write about the reality of Truth, after a discussion, where people have different opinion. And that different opinion itself spells the meaning of right is ambiguous, like anything else. The interesting thing is, almost everyone has a feeling of being in righteousness in ourselves.

Crowly, the most dangerous gunman in New York, he killed people at the drop of a feather( as Dale Carnegie said ), when caught by police after hours of fight, said 'Under my coat is a weary heart, but a kind one - one that would do nobody any harm', Bin Laden believes and lives in his righteousness, and of course his followers too. Everyone of us can justify our deeds. We all live in the belief of our righteousness. Personally, I've a belief that Dalai Lama is morally justified, because his peace in whatever he does, and Beijing never sees it. They are right in their own territory.

What is right to you, may make no sense to me. Obviously, how often we've heard of a consensus! Whatever we figure out is an outcome of our thought, thoughts are processes of our mind, which needs an input to function. In another context, we cannot contemplate on anything that is null or nothing. And when we judge anything, the input to our thought is the action/object/entity that we want to figure out. Usually, what we perceive is dependent on our previous experiences. In that way that leads to our thoughts. So our justifications are all about our past experiences, broadly speaking.

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The effect of a transcendental music and lyrics of Atma Shatakam

I was so tired, since three weeks I had no rest at all. As I joined a new firm at T'puram, shifting to there, getting familiar with new workplace, people, environment. It was interesting and I was excited that I could meet new people and it was nice talk to them. What screwed me up was, last few days I had to stay office till 10 in the night. And last three weekends, I was either traveling to home or my old place. Sometimes no serious work in office, but I won't be able to leave. And that was a Thursday, around 10:30pm, I came back to my room, where I stay with my friends.

I know only one of my mates for years, but this time after a couple of years, we are together again. He was on his computer when I came in with my slumped shoulders and downward face, I never wanted to know what are they doing. But I could not ignore the transcendental music, from his desktop. He is a spiritual guy. To me spirituality was a religious thing until I spoke with him. He told me how to go spiritual with my works that I consider purely materialistic. He asked me to listen the music video. I did and that is why I write now. I just watched it, and replayed it!

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A journey in the train...

It was 5:30 in the morning. I had to leave, my friend was sleeping inside the room. And morning was cool. I closed the door and started walking down the street slowly, with a humming in my mind..
dawn is breaking its early morn
taxi’s waiting he is blowing his horn
already I’m so lonesome.. I could die.. No. I wasn’t feeling so lonely, anyway.

Well, I was heading home from Bangalore, have to catch the Intercity Express to Cochin. I had no reservation, no hope of getting even a seat at all. But it was a cool morning, fresh and crispy, always enjoyed a journey in the early morning. We were three, two of us got reservation, and the other one was myself. My immediate visit could not ensure a berth for me, I had to take the general tickets for the 12 hours journey. He was waving his hand when I reached the platform, I didn’t see him until I came to a few feet closer to him. I was thinking of something or my mind was elsewhere.

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