I Am One in a Billion…

Exactly five years ago on 9^th Oct 2007 I made my account on Facebook, which now is one in a billion. Those were the days when it was relatively new and most people were on Orkut (remember!!-even I had an account there). Both my daughters were on Facebook at that time and I was intrigued by this very interactive site which was the topic of discussion in their circle of friends. So a profile page was filled, all existing photographs were searched and a profile picture selected, finally password set and I was ready to go (though my daughters tried playing it smart and saying “Mom it is only for college students, what are you going to do there…”). It seemed a little more complicated than Orkut (btw does anyone still have an account there?) but I soon got the hang of it. 

 Daughters were added first and then a few friends who were already active on Facebook. And then suddenly one day came the deluge of friend requests, mainly from my ex-students who were on it and had found me there (Facebook still sends out these suggestions for friends, though now mostly they are ignored). It was sheer joy to connect with all of them after nearly 10 years. The photographs made me rewrite the memory I had of them as primary students and the chat helped us to catch up on the latest. Old friends from various cities where I had lived were found and poked (must admit that in the initial stages it was done). And the sheer happiness of discovering old school friends after nearly 30 years (yes, I am that old) and filling in the gaps with them was the highlight of joining Facebook. In fact I think our 30 year reunion was only possible because all those who are now scattered all over could be contacted.

People have all kinds of opinions about Facebook –

…how cool …what a waste of time … I would rather be dead than caught posting a status… that is how I keep in touch with friends and family who live elsewhere… not good for self esteem, especially when you see some recurring travel updates and pictures of others taken in exotic places… good for self esteem, when you have even a little thing to share (after all even if you write exaggerated updates or Photoshopped pictures no one will know)… it is for introverts/extroverts…there is no privacy (there are privacy settings or option to not be there) …I have an account but I never check it (then why it has not been deactivated so far, no one knows/cares)… it alienates people as people now like to connect virtually thus cutting human contact…it is a social networking site so obviously it makes you more social and so on… I use it only to upload photographs for my friends to see (usually a triple digit number at regular intervals)…and so on

I have no problem with what you do on it or what you think about FB because after all it is your space and I ALWAYS have the option of whether to see those photographs or not, respond to you or not, click on the links you share or not, change my privacy settings, add people as my friends or not. The point being that there is always an option. So just as I respect your space remember my account is my space. Respect it. If you do not like what I post use your settings and block me or un-friend me. I have taken some long breaks when I have been busy or just bored with Facebook. But so far have come back to it and it has been my choice. And some day if I deactivate my account, it will be my choice.

I personally use Facebook to share articles I find interesting (and sometimes bizarre), express my opinion by commenting on links/articles/status updates I find worthy of it, finding and reading some wonderful links that a few select friends put up, rave and rant about issues that matter to me (obviously because it is my space), express how I am feeling, keep track of birthdays (now that we have stopped memorizing anything), share important happenings (since now in one shot you can reach most people you want to instead of writing separately to each one), upload few photographs which will keep me visually alive (and hopefully make a few envious) and to pimp my blog (if I may put it like that). Oh yes and not to forget the initial purpose of Facebook of keeping in touch with close ones especially when every gadget has an app for it...

PS : And if you liked this post do not forget to hit the 'like' button and help my self esteem go up a few notches :)

Love Me Do, we love them still...

I would have probably have never been drawn to western music had it not been for a group of school friends who introduced me to Beatles. Easy to understand lyrics and simple music made my initiation into the world of 'English songs' (as known years back) easier. This led to exploration of more singers and addiction to 'A Date with you', 'Sunday Requests', 'Force's Request' which used to aired over the good old radio.
It is difficult to pick a few songs of The Beatles and I am sharing the ones that come to my mind first and foremost...

 Let It Be

When i find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

And when the broken-hearted people
Living in the world agree,
There will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted there is
Still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be.
Let it be, let it be. yeah
There will be an answer, let it be.

And when the night is cloudy,
There is still a light that shines on me,
Shine on until tomorrow, let it be.
I wake up to the sound of music
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be.
There will be an answer, let it be.
Let it be, let it be,
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

Picture yourself in a boat on a river,
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly,
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes.

Cellophane flowers of yellow and green,
Towering over your head.
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes,
And she's gone.

Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Ahh...

Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain
Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies,
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers,
That grow so incredibly high.

Newspaper taxis appear on the shore,
Waiting to take you away.
Climb in the back with your head in the clouds,
And you're gone.

Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Ahh...

Picture yourself on a train in a station,
With plasticine porters with looking glass ties,
Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile,
The girl with the kaleidoscope eyes.

Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Ahh...

 Norwegian Wood

I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me...
She showed me her room, isn't it good, Norwegian wood?

She asked me to stay and she told me to sit anywhere,
So I looked around and I noticed there wasn't a chair.

I sat on a rug, biding my time, drinking her wine
We talked until two and then she said, "It's time for bed"

She told me she worked in the morning and started to laugh.
I told her I didn't and crawled off to sleep in the bath

And when I awoke, I was alone, this bird had flown
So I lit a fire, isn't it good, Norwegian wood.

Things We Said Today

You say you will love me
If I have to go.
You'll be thinking of me,
Somehow I will know.
Someday when I'm lonely,
Wishing you weren't so far away,
Then I will remember
Things we said today.

You say you'll be mine, girl,
Till the end of time.
These days such a kind girl,
Seem so hard to find.
Someday when we're dreaming,
Deep in love, not a lot to say,
Then we will remember
Things we said today.

Me, I'm just the lucky kind,
Love to hear you say that love is luck.
And though we may be blind,
Love is here to stay, and that's enough
To make you mine, girl,
Be the only one.
Love me all the time, girl,
We'll go on and on.
Someday when we're dreaming,
Deep in love, not a lot to say,
Then we will remember
Things we said today.

She Is Leaving Home

Wednesday morning at five o'clock as the day begins
Silently closing her bedroom door
Leaving the note that she hope would say more
She goes downstairs to the kitchen clutching her handkerchief
Quietly turning the backdoor key
Stepping outside she is free

She (We gave her most of our lives)
Is leaving (Sacrificed most of our lives)
Home (We gave her everything money could buy)
She's leaving home after living alone for so many years. Bye, bye

 
Father snores as his wife gets into the dressing gown
Picks up the letter that's lying there
Standing alone at the top of the stairs
She breaks down and cries to her husband
Daddy, our baby's gone
Why would she treat us so thoughtlessly
How could she do this to me

She (We never thought of ourselves)
Is leaving (Never a thought for ourselves)
Home (We gave her everything money could buy)
She's leaving home after living alone for so many years. Bye, bye

Some Other Words for Said...

Play with words... Acknowledged Added Admitted Advised Agreed Announced Answered Approved Argued Assumed Assured Asked Babbled Bargained Began Boasted Bragged Called Claimed Commanded Commented Complained Cried Decided Demanded Denied Described Dictated Emphasized Estimated Exclaimed Explained Expressed Feared Giggled Grinned Grunted Indicated Insisted Instructed Laughed Lectured Lied Mentioned Moaned Mumbled Murmured Nagged Noted Notified Objected Observed Ordered Pleaded Pointed out Prayed Predicted Questioned Reassured Related Repeated Replied Responded Requested Restated Revealed Roared Ruled Scolded Screamed Shouted Shrieked Snapped Sneered Sobbed Spoke Sputtered Stammered Stated Stormed Suggested Taunted Thought Told Urged Uttered Vowed Wailed Warned Whispered   (from: http://www.iss.k12.nc.us/writing/said.htm)