pink

The colour pink, a blend of red and white, or sometimes called lighter red, was "invented" in the 17th century. The word was derived from the flowers of the plant pink, which had light red coloured flowers. Surprisingly pink through the ages, till about the twentieth century had been considered very masculine whereas blue was considered feminine. In 1918, fashion underlined that pink, being a lighter version of red, which was a bold colour, displayed assertiveness and confidence, more masculine traits and hence was widely worn by men. Blue on the other hand was considered dainty and delicate; more feminine. Since when did pink become more feminine?
Pink was used by the Nazis to widely tag homosexuals. Infact when the Jews were forced to wear the yellow stars of David, gay men wore pink triangles and were executed by the Nazis. After the second world war, pink became more "feminine" and dainty...the first picture people associate with pink is infact a small girl with pretty pink dress or a pink flower. Blue displaced its role as a more masculine colour...and jeans, denim and other tough wear came out in blue..
In the 21 st century, fashion has often been determined by the loudness of dressing, pink, again being associated with the growing techno culture, the liberals, the environmentalists and the peace makers. It has slowly creeped back into men's fashion, and in fact personally, I think, a pink shirt once in a while , worn with black jeans, makes a guy look sexy. ;)
whatever be the symbolism, I love pink :)

The Magic of Music.

Music has lifted shades of hue, penetrated souls and sometimes provided an almost meditative experience. But sometimes one is overwhelmed by music and the profound image that it leaves in one's mind is but obvious; like it did an hour ago in me. The feeling arose not due to a spiritual prayer or a meditative chant; it came unexplained propelled by the familiar beats of pop and rock.
As I tuned in to the one of the few channels that I choose to watch in the hundred odd "channelled" idiot box, I came across the live 8 concert being aired live on VH1. Having nothing at hand, I decided to spend my late evening watching the concert....and boy that was one heck of a concert.
Dedicated to HIV+ poverty stricken people all over the world, but mainly in Africa; the concert began with Bob Geldhof giving a brief introduction into what the live 8 was and how it worked. As the concert kick started; images of dying african children flashed onto the screen. People, with hardly any flesh; people for whom the ability to live itself becomes a gift, people who have no food, no nutrition whatsoever; almost fated to be born just to die. The images carried stark messages; almost piercing one's heart, and then music flowed....
Music...I heard Coldplay in the background; and on any other normal day I would have probably joined in the vocals...But today I couldn't; probably because I was already choked. Yellow resonated in my ears as did a lot of other songs by artists as widely reputed as Linkin Park, Snopp Dogg, Robbie Williams, U2, Elton John and some less well known ones. But what really moved me was a performance of Bitter Sweet Symphony The song by itself withheld amazingly soulful orchestra; and today it reverberated with the vocals:
Cos it's a bitter sweet symphony that's life
The electronic rock beats combined with orchestra spun the magic, and seemed to melt my heart as images of the children floated by.
Another performance by Annie Lennox, a solo piano-accompanied track, echoed in the background as more images flashed...this time with numbers..statistics...that every 3 seconds a child does...showing stark contrasts in the ways of our life and that of a malnourished african. It almost felt as if it was sin just to have food when one is hungry..But the message was nailed into my head..Why the heck do we not do anything about it? And it may not be just some unknown poverty stricken tribe in Africa..What about us?.What about our environment? why is it that whatever is available is always taken for granted? And most importantly why the hell are we so selfish?
Madonna came on stage too..Her usually compulsive Music seemed to be providing hidden messages...When she sang Music makes the people come together , for the first time I realized how true that line was...People in Toronto, Philadelphia, Johannesberg, Berlin, London, Paris were all listening to the live concert right then...And then it was so true...that whatever be the background, we all are infact united by the language of music; in the face of common enemies; be it poverty or a deadly disease..Her Like aPrayer literally moved me to tears when the chorus joined in
Just like a prayer
I'll take you there
It's like a dream to me..
And I imagined that it was all after all just a prayer...we all seek resort in our prayers, and extending that resort to unhappy people was a dream come true for them.

MADONNA

To dwelve into the psyche of a woman, who has been at the top for more than twenty years is not going to be easy.Trust me...Especially if she happens to be someone who was worshipped by one's mother... So, it's kinda strange that I actually inherited this fan fever (Genetic buffs, it runs through the X chromosome.lol.) ...But what intrigues me most about Madonna, as a woman, is that she pushes limit. Whether it be her sexuality or motherhood; spirituality or controversy, or even touring or, what does she does best, singing :). Watching clips of her latest tour, The Confessions tour, I could feel the familiar butterflies in my stomach; and yet I feel it everytime she releases a new album, wears a new look or even does a new video. This pop star, going through cycles of reinvention has kept me guessing about her next look, her next album and the next genre of music she would encroach. That is true....one of her best assets (apart from looking like a teen-queen at the age of fifty) is this mantra of reinvention that keeps fans gasping, as they follow her fast-paced life that makes her music "cool" across two decades.
As the stage lights shimmered and a golden disco ball slowly suspended made its way down, I could hear the fans screaming...the stage lit up in a second and music flowed as if from no where..Madonna appeared on stage; holding the mike and the music reached its peak...I could barely hear her...Then the stage transformed..Dancers appeared from nowhere. Three big screens flashed behind her. She was wearing a jockey-dressed-cowgirl look. Her biceps splitt the sleeves and the familiar determined eyes stared directly into the crowd...As the music followed,
I could hear myself singing involuntarily
You're not half the man you think you are
Save your words because you've gone too far...
So what is it that kept her at the top?...She had contemporaries far better than her in vocals..Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, etc...and her lyrics are not very poetic either....Nay folks!..It's the performer in her that keeps the concept of Madonna alive across two decades...The stage performances, the videos, the songs, the clothes....they shock people, keep fans looking at her in awe and continue to set trend....Every video, every album she's different. From the techno stringed "Ray of light" to peppy electronic "Music"..The disco-fever "Confessions on a Dance Floor" to the soulful " Like a Prayer", from the sinister-underhub "Erotica" to the R&B influenced "Bedtime Stories" , there's no genre of music left for her to discover...She's done it all..
As a friend of mine (who was not a Madonna fan) put it....I've listened to her for the past two decades...And everytime, she's good...the album, the music, the videos....I can be sure of the Madonna-material...
Well, she has come a long way from that teeny-pop idol who wanted to rule the world...:)...and through generations she continues to spread her magic in music :)

" Music makes the people come together "

Goodbye to You

Last night I drove around for more than an hour,

I inadvertently had to end up at yours,

Well, I was not confused or torn or even sad

You failed in your attempt in driving me mad

I could have gone on, left you behind

Or leave you just a letter quietly signed,

But I wanted to give you that one last chance

To let you know that I am no more in a trance,

Then I saw yesterday what I’d expected,

Fairly played, you lost the chance I’d created,

I am moving on, have a life to live

Am sorry to say you’ve got nothing more to give.

You may think you’re successful, and amazing

Sorry, it takes more than cheap impressing

Clearly, you dwelled in hypocrisy all along

And now you know why I had to write this song.

You think you’re strong and can let me go

You’re like paper that one emotion can out-blow

Aphasic, and dumbstruck, you’re no more special

You’re just one among the others several

I’ve made up mind and am not staying

So see you when you’re forty, it’s not changing.

/*Some lines have been adapted from Dido, See you when you're forty*/

BEEEP,....
It's funny how a man only thinks about the...
You got a real big heart, but I'm looking at your...
You got real big brains, but I'm looking at your...
Girl, there ain't no pain in me looking at your... ...

ha ha....That folks is no pick up line from my side. Well, if you haven't heard of the Pussy cat dolls; then you must be a real big dork.Coz they're there...hapenning, fashionable, hep and SLUTTY..lol.
So, what's so new about this? Nothing, Marilyn Monroe did it long ago, and so did Madonna in her sinister album Erotica. Let's face it folks. Being slutty is totally in.
I tune into the radio, and there I hear Rihanna purring SOS. Must have stood for showing off skin...and I switch on the TV and what do I see?..OMG..That's Nelly Furtado being a "maneater" in her new video. Christina stripped in her last album..literally ;); so much so that she's now called Xtina. And boy do I need to mention that Moulin Rouge soundtrack?
They're all there...looking primarily slutty, bearing every piece of skin that's there on their bodies, looking so thin that I wonder how the heck could there possibly be a food shortage in this earth, and having done all that Make up...
The act of being a pop star is essentially incomplete without the slutty look. Well, Madonna showed more than just skin in the album Erotica and the book that followed Sex...So much so that kids were advised not to watch MTV for at least 6 months. The "Justify my Love" video was infact banned from MTV... Britney Spears could be seen baring it all in all her new videos...Toxic, I'm a Slave for you, etc. And the million dollar thingie about what she did to her b**bs. Hint: Pam is an old friend of hers lol.
So let's face it folks..they're making money, they're being slutty and frankly I really don't mind maneaters in my living room...*Ouch*

I don't give a... Keep looking at my...
'Cause it don't mean a thang if you're looking at my...
I'm a do my thing while you're playing with your...

The sky turns cloudy and oh it's so dark,
My mind whirls around in thoughts of you so stark.
There seems to be no end to my happiness
As I think of your return and all of our craziness...
The drops trickle down one by one,
Breaking through the shining rays of the dim sun.
And my lips turn into a smile as at the distance u stand
Your eyes open wide, and your hair let down so grand..
A streak of lightning brightens the sky.
Giving a glimpse of your let down head, held so shy.
The dark clouds burst out in the perfect horizon
As in their shade, it is our love I envision.
And then as we come closer and under the clouds unite,
The rain falls over us assuming greater might.
And as I relished , I was soaked in your love.
The cherished memories of that day with the rain above.
And as the sun came out in all its glory.
The fresh landscape lit up in the rays, so lovely.
And I felt that nothing in this world would bring us apart.
As in our journeys we embark, you in my heart.

http://www.karelia.ru/Karelia/Exhibit/nature/pic/noorun.jpg

This poem I wrote to my mother who taught me how to pray :) . Some of the lines were adapted from Mariah Carey's My Saving Grace. The lines could not have been more apt.

I've loved a lot,
been hurt a lot.
And spent precious years
just wrapped up in fear
With no end in sight
Until my saving grace shined her light,
She shined her light just on me
She is truly and undoubtedly the Power that be..

And I've been bruised
I grew up so confused
Been destitute
Soaked in solitude
Been stigmatized
and Black and white
felt so sad inside
Until my saving grace took me for a ride,
And that ride was just for me
She is truly the Power that be...

She gave me peace
She gave me strength,
She gave me hope
and she gave me faith
When i had almost lost it all
And she was there whenever I called

And the bountiful things that You do,
Oh Lord, Thank You
For delivering me
my saving grace
And i still exist because
She's there for me till the last..

The time has come, we have to part...
It flew so fast, i thought we would last
As best friends we lived together
And withheld promises to be kept forever..
Inside I was just a child, that's covered by innocence.
And you took care of me in moments so tense.
With you I learned to break all the illusion.
To keep up with all this hate and worldly deception
And I know that I'll remember, forever,
the way that you changed me..
And gave me the strength to see
All this damned shit and cruelty.
And as I bid this last goodbye
A tear drop or two falls by,
And in my heavy heart I hold
The cherished memories of joy untold.