Controversies of the Cults- PART I

The longer that I stayed away from my blog, the easier it was to stay away, if you know what I mean. With hell lot of serious writing happening 8-10 hours a day at work, its was not very hard to stay away from my beloved blog. What can I say? Words just refused to flow. But its time to get back into the groove and pick up where I left. A lots happened in the past few months to write about which I shall try to cover in the days to come. First and foremost is my research and in-depth reading on the cults! There's a whole new weird world out there, I tell you! Crazy, weird yet thought provoking! Makes one wonder how human minds work.. Psychosis - is what I would call it. What makes one desperate enough to turn towards cults that only mess up the already messed-up mind? Surprisingly, many of the followers and disciples being accomplished psychotherapists, VIP's and artists!

Few main cult leaders that caught my attention were Osho, Ma Ananda Sheela, Jim Jones of Jonestown Massacre, U J Krishnamurthy( not a cult but a godsman (???) )Swami Nithyananda (godsman again). I intend to write about all these so called enlightened ones ..

Rajneesh a.k.a OSHO:

"Sex should lead man to his soul. The goal is from lust to light." Rajneesh broke the taboo on sex. The Indian born guru was a controversial figure in the eyes of many without any doubt. He mesmerized thousands with his words and logic.No spiritual person ever spoke about sex so openly as Osho did. But was Rajneesh really enlightened, given his scandals and disastrous public image?

Osho's seen it all. Love, hate, trust, suspicion, fame,allegations.The flow of disciples had become a flood in the early 1970's. 'Sex Guru' in 1980's and his 'sannyasins'  as they were referred to, left for Oregon USA to build their own town of Rajneeshpuram.[ I wasn't even born then! Its hard to believe at those times Rajneesh advocated sex so openly!] In Oregon he set up the commune, Rajneeshpuram in making himself the ultimate dictator of Rajneeshpuram..Maroon-robed men and women, mainly foreigners, streaming in and out of the gates. Osho  got into controversy because of his elite lifestyle

Osho driving by in his Rolls Royce while disciples wait for his glimpse at Oregon

Take a look at the video to see how prosperous the small ranch became in just 3 years after the disciples built it with their own hands, and how Rajneesh led a life of a king with his subjects blindly worshipping him in the land of free sex.

Oregon was a community completely created, and managed by his rich disciples which included a five star hotel, huge recreational centers, and also an aerodrome. Osho had some 99 Rolls Royce, diamond-studded Swiss watches and an aircraft of his own. He also got into controversy by calling Pope a homosexual, Jesus an unfertilized egg.. To add to it, Ma Anada Sheela the mouth piece and  personal secretary of Rajneesh took over and in a power stupor brought on chaos and murder plots into the commune.. Rajneesh used people, spoke out of both sides of his mouth, and betrayed the trust of his own disciples Heres a short video of Ma anada Sheela in an interview.. Judge for yourself! More on Ma Ananda Sheela in the coming days to be posted..

So what was really going on with Osho and psychedelics? He approved of ingestion of high doses of charas, ecstacy in rituals, nitrous oxide, LSD's ! Speculations are rife that Rajneesh used "hypnosis" to manipulate his disciples.For a man who portrayed himself as the world's smartest and greatest soul,  his drug use had destroyed the quality of his mind. Notoriety continued to surround Rajneesh with sanyasins contracting AIDS, trying to poison residents of Oregon in an attempt to take over and expand Rajneeshpuram. Towards his end Osho even got paranoid and erratic in his behavior.. perhaps the drug abuse took its toll??

Controversy obviously has not died with Osho. The Ashram still has numerous followers seeking what? Free Sex...? I only wonder, can people really be foolish enough to fall into traps of such phony men??

Must watch Sitcoms of all times!

What's the best way to de-stress? Well, watch a comedy show! Nothing like a funny sitcom to crack me up after a long day's work!These are my picks from the mighty ocean of "Funny Sitcoms".

Bewitched- This 60's sitcom has been my all time favourite. The plot of this fantasy themed sitcom is set around Samantha the witch married to a human trying to live a " normal" life .Absolutely Magical! The first season was actually in Black and white! Another confession- Elizabeth Montgomery is the only actress I have truly admired . ( Its always the male actors who attract my attention ahem!)

Friends - The list is incomplete without mentioning this one! Who hasn't watched this sitcom?  Even after the sitcom ended the reruns never ceased to broadcast. Even after watching it a zillion times( you bet! ) and memorizing the punch lines this sitcom still puts a smile on my face.



Seinfeld- This show is practically about nothing. Just 4 friends with their weird idiosyncracies. Kramer being my favourite!

7th Heaven - A family drama. Not belonging to the comedy genre this one has a special place in my heart. Watched this one a couple of years ago while in Singapore ( unemployed days) .Young  Jessica Beal looked so angelic( unlike herself) and the whole cast has a certain unexplainable charm. A complete family must watch! All the little ones grew up to be married and have kids in the sitcom!


Everybody loves Raymond : This one kept me in stitches..For obvious reasons...

The Big Bang Theory - A nerdy comedy show, yet hilarious and entertaining.

Wonder years - A classic comedy drama. You have to see it for yourself!

Frasier - Once again a sitcom with witty one liners.I must confess as a teenager I quite didn't understand the humor, but now find it amusing. A great cast, great performances. Most importantly love the dog!

How I met your mother - A brilliant comedy show which needs no mention yet again! Barnie, I so love you!

My wife and kids - The Kyle family and their outstanding comedy! Wayans stole my heart!

My name is Earl - The Karma themed sitcom is just so hilarious!

The Nanny - A girly show! Story revolves around the widower and his 3 kids and ofcourse the Nanny!

I Dream of jeannie - My personal favourite. Another classic magic- themed sitcom. Captain Nelson- droooool!






Now that the television focus has shifted more towards reality shows it's time to watch the sitcoms from the past!

In my to watch-list:
The Addams Family
That 70's show
Hot in Cleaveland
King of Queens
Outsourced
Hope & Faith and more...

 Escape from the serious crap called 'life'! Watch a Sitcom and smile away your miseries!

Metamorphosis..of The Inner Self

Exactly an year ago this blog transformed and so did I. This page got an identity with a unique header created by 'MOI'. A cartoon resembling 'moi' gave the blog a personalised touch.

Today this blog is no more a journal. It is much more than Rantings and Ramblings of an unlikely wife. In a year this space of mine has transformed. And I hope it continues to..

Today I resurrect this blog once again by creating a new header which would be more appropriate and add life to it. A little zing to make it more dynamic and vibrant! A pictorial description of me.

A web of Facebookers !

Social outcast, reject of civilization, loner, even an alien being - Thats what you are if you are not on Facebook :)  I was a girl with no identity- on FACEBOOK! Of course I wasn't an anti-social or a misanthrop! But ofcourse I was not known because I was not tagged in someone else's album or was 'liked' in my status or being 'poked' by someone .Mine was a tragic existence ( lol). To the outside world I was non-existant. ( ofcourse I had my reasons , I just dont like trouble makers)

I stuck to my guns and resisted all forces that have been luring me to sign up into this web weaved by humans.(pun intended)  The only agenda behind not joining the crowd was not having to login to that hell of a site on an addictive, daily basis.Thinking of all the productivity wasted being nosy and lurking into someones profile and pictures.  Also to stand out from the rest of the crowd even if it means to be an outcast! Well, the day has finally come when I succumbed to the forces and surrendered to the mighty web. It was like a conspiracy of the nature against me to create a series of events around me such that I voluntarily( happily ) signed up in FB!

In the past 2-3 weeks of Facebooking experience I have positive and ofcourse negative opinions about it.Its a good networking site and a ego boosting site for attention seekers like me ( lol again). I just love the 'like' button! Yet I still find FB a little overrated.My aim is mainly professional networking ofcourse can be done through linkedin too ,like a friend suggested. But all in good time!

 I have classified different types of people on this virtual web community as per my views:

Attention Seekers:
These are the FBers who crave for attention. You will find them uploading a lot of photos . Need I say who belongs to this category?

Lurkers or Peeping-toms:
These are the FBers who just click away from one friends profile to another, keeping tabs on whats happening in others life. ( mostly house-wives and teenagers)

Virtual FBers:
They have FB accounts but they seldom update pics or statuses.They are just 'observers'. The idle account is to just to observe the other FBers and not be branded as an outcast. Name-sake FBer.

The Friend-Collectors:
They add anyone and everyone they fancy online. Unknown and faceless people. I dont understand what drives them to do it. Chatting online expanding the so-called "Friends list". Maybe a sense of achievement?

Two glorious weeks and I am enjoying every minute yet feeling guilty of the time spent which could otherwise be spent being creative on the blog or even watch a movie! At the same time it has gotten me closer to friends and family without having to call them, being in touch and without fail(damn memory!) wishing on their birthdays!

P.S : This is just my way of categorizing. No intentions to offend anyone.

The Blame Game

I didn't do it. He/She/They did it!  
- In short the blame game.We do it at home, at work , between friends, colleagues or even couples. Even when you ask a child why he didnt drink his milk, he will say the cat drank it. Blame the family cat! What about me you say?  Am no saint, believe me! I have my share of wrong-doings and blaming the next person I can find.. Hopefully this blog is making the better person out of me  :)

I have categorized it into 4 according to my views and perceptions:

Egoistic blamers:
Mostly people donot want to own up to their mistakes because of their mighty ego. They just donot want to be on the wrong side even when they know they are. Even when they know the sky is blue and it is the universal truth, they will argue that its anything BUT blue. It can be harmful in the long run. Sometimes to portray yourself as a perfectionist you end up doing just the opposite.

Pathological blamers:
They blame for nothing.. They just look for people to blame . Lose your job? Blame that you are jinxed . Lost your gold watch , because saw your face first thing in the morning...etc etc..

Insecure Blamers:
This usually happens at work place. You blame other team members or department for the failure or slow perfomance of a project. Look for a scape goat. This is usually because noone wants to be seen as an incapable or inefficient employee for the risk of being shown the exit door.

Harmless Blamers:
Speaks for itself. No description required. Late to class? Blame the traffic or the bus driver who arrived late and drove slowly all thew way! Having a tough day? Blame God :)

If you can think of any more categories of Blamers please add on to my list.

The lousiest and lamest blame-lines I have ever heard:

1. I have lost weight because of you! (heard this between a couple)
2. You dint get a job because you dint pray to God and go to church regularly! ( Really?? My heart goes out to you my friend - you know who you are and you are reading this ☻ )
3. Oh! My luck is so bad, since I married you.. ( hahaha a classy one...)
4. You got a baby girl because you didnot pray to God with pure heart ( Another real person I know - Pathological blaming).

Point a Finger at someone and 4 will point you back.. I heard this as a little girl... So true. Hope this will be a lesson for me to mend my ways too :)

A Survey on Facebook.

Social Media. Do I need to say anything? Everyone knows and is a part of it.Several people use it for several reasons. Friends, Marketing and so on.. And thats what I want to know. The reasons that keeps them hooked and addicted to it. If you ask 5 different people  probably you will get 5 different answers. So I set out with this project to find out why people are on Facebook. The ones who are not on FB are practically non-existent on the face of earth- like me. Whenever I am asked for my FB username and when I reply that I dont have any, you must see the expressions on the peoples face! I am an outcast! And only because I belong to no community in FB!

Here is the result of my 2 days long survey (75 Facebook Users)

Question: What's the first thing that comes to your mind when I say "FACEBOOK" ? Answer in 1 word only.
Answers:
    Friends
    Technology
    Home
    Revolution
    Updates
    Social Media
    connection
    gossip
    Timepass
    Waste of Time         (not 1 word yet received a lot as answer so including it...)
    Michael Zuckerber  (  ? ) founder..
    Stalk!
    Notification
    Trace
    Photographs
    Information
    Spy
    games
    profile

Sometimes surveys like this can be an eye-opener. The kind of answer people come up with! Its simply amazing. Theres so much creativity and imagination and people dont even know it! Of course you can judge a person by the answer he gives too. A psychological twist there. A serious kinda person answers- Technology, a career- oriented person would say - connection etc..

All said and done, am I now going to be a part of FB you ask? Not in the near future..

French French French!

Have you ever wondered why French words are used by us in our daily life? Right from havin ' Cafe'  early morning - there ! I used a french word already! The English language borrows several such words. A list which would not fit in here.. So why do we do it? Why use French, Spanish, Italian languages? Why not Polish, Thai or Danish? Thats because French language for example oozes grace, elegance and class! 

Sure, it might be chic and classy.Definitely would look good on a resume under language skills.  Yet very challenging.Its funny how you enjoy a hobby which gives pleasure yet when hobby becomes a compulsion it becomes stressful . I love to learn this god spoken language(at least I think so, God must speak French :) ) but its been stressful to learn the grammar and not to mention the accent! 

A hardcore fan of the FRIENDS series, I stumbled upon this video of the sitcom where Joey , tries to learn French.I laugh till I fall out of my chair everytime I watch it!!

 I wonder how I must sound to my French professor who is a native French speaker... )

Now here's another funny video of how a French man tries learn the English language. This clip is from the movie -  The Pink Panther, a hilarious movie and a must watch!

So learning a language is not that simple. Mastering any language be it Kannada, Hindi or any foreign language is an achievement in itself!

 ENJOY the videos while I go back to my French text books  and try not to be like Joey..

A Picture is worth a thousand words...

A View of Marina Bay Sands on a moonlit night...

Help! I need to name my Laptop....

Need some help people!!!  I need to name my precious laptop and I've narrowed down to few names.I would appreciate any suggestions for the same..Consider this as a discussion forum   :)And ofcourse am looking for female names..


ILAJNA--------------> Spelled backwards its my name :)
PANDORA----------> cause everytime I open it havoc is released on the world.
MINERVA----------->the Roman God of knowledge.
HERMIONE--------->Also inspired by Harry Potter character / Greek name derived from the name of the god Hermes.

Cant think of anymore.. So lets do some brain-storming from different locations :) Contribute your ideas!

LOOKING FORWARD TO THE 2010!

New year is just around the corner ...I'm a little bit older, a little bit wiser(?), a little bit thinner(!) in just a year!!2009 has been a good year... learnt a lot about life... A LEARNING EXPERIENCE...
The New Year is a time to reflect on the changes we want or need to make in our lives... I've made resolutions before which dint even last for a couple of hours :).This year I intend to keep them .Here they are
Become more assertive
Get a Better Job
Eat Right
Save Money
Reduce Stress
scrap ,scrap and scrap
Take a Trip
Be more independent
Learn something NEW
Be Less Grumpy
continue learning French
Join some dance or guitar class during weekends
save money for buying a photo printer, a guitar
anger management
Pamper myself.Buy myself goodies from time to time
BLOG MORE OFTEN

2010 is going to be ABOUT ME.. The main focus will be ME.All about getting my confidence and my self esteem back.
The list of resolutions in New Year never ends. Different people come up with thousands of innovative resolutions every year.
Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.2010 here I come....

REAL OR REEL....

Reality shows....I'd call it rather unrealistic..! Simply creating an illusion of reality.. Reality Shows have found their popularity in the past few years..

Abnormal "situations" are fabricated or scripted previously to create sensation among the viewers!!What I cannot digest is the viewers accept the drama and actually enjoy it!!!Everything, well almost everything is a fake!!They enjoy the cat fights and conflicts ,the back
stabbing and the demeaning behavior and not to mention the filthy language on screen[everything is pre-meditated of course] Where is the world going to???

Reality shows are as 'real' as you can get when you take 1 + days (depending on the show) and EDIT them down to 30 minutes to an hour...!!Now thats reality for you.. I think the only way to have a reality show is to hide a camera somewhere so no one knows what is going on. Any time people are in a room and they know there is a camera on them, they are going to act different. Turning on a camera changes the reality. They always are aware of the camera and want to be seen by the viewers to get maximum exposure..Wheres reality in that?

Reality shows can be misleading too.. Sometimes the audio and the videos from different situations are combined and edited and the whole situation is manhandled, manipulated to create drama and conflicts...Always the contestants in the confessionals say something to provoke a rivalry or "ignite the flame". Some participants of reality shows have also stated
afterwards that they altered their behavior to appear more crazy or emotional in order to get more camera time(Rakhi Sawant, Kashmira Shah)Contestants love to defame themselves to get attention..STAY IN THE NEWS FOR GOOD REASONS OR BAD is their motto..

Just to increase the TRP's & to generate advertising profits channels come up with wacky ideas!! Rakhi ka Swayamwar??? Big Boss,Mujhe is jungle se bachao... Now again does that ring a bell??They are not even original!!!

I must confess it does have its merits...Ordinary people can become celebrities too!!Some of the reality shows that involves bringing out new talents like the American/Indian idol helps in nurturing the new-found talents of commoners and overnight you are a celebrity!!!

Some have claimed that the success of reality television is due to its ability to satisfy the desire of viewers to see others humiliated. "Do we watch reality television for precious insight into the human condition .We watch for those awkward scenes that make us feel good about our own boring uninteresting lives.Human psychology... We find amusement in others humiliation. Am not talking about any reality show in particular..Generally they are all made up and fake and what disappoints me more is that viewers believe it and follow it up more than their own personal lives...! They sit wide eyed in front of their idiot-boxes with popcorn savoring every abuse, humiliation and disgusting challenges.Then again there are some humorous situations (pre-meditated???I dont know..)Some of the shows are not even for family viewing considering the language used (Splitsvilla, Mtv Roadies to name a few)

If you ask me...the movie "lord of the rings" is more real than reality tv :-)