31 Quotes by Rumi that will Inspire You to be Better!

I never thought living in 21st century I would love something written in 13th century. Yes you read it right. This 808 year old poet has magical power in his words. His works are written mostly in Persian, but occasionally he also used Turkish, Arabic, and Greek. Today three countries claim him as their national poet : Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan. He is none other than "Rumi"

Its said that Rumi's meeting with the dervish Shams-e Tabrizi in 1244 completely changed his life. From an accomplished teacher and jurist, Rumi was transformed into an ascetic. Shams and Rumi were close friends for about four years. In December of 1248, Shams disappeared; it is believed that he was either driven away or killed. Rumi left in search of his friend, travelling to Damascus and elsewhere. Eventually, Rumi made peace with his loss, returning to his home believing Shams to be a part of him.

My Favorite Quotes By Rumi 

• The wound is the place where the Light enters you.

• Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you.

• These pains you feel are messengers. Listen to them.

• Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.

• The moon stays bright when it doesn't avoid the night.

• You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?

• Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.

• If you dig a pit for others to fall into, you will fall into it yourself.

• People want you to be happy. Don't keep serving them your pain!

• If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?

• You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.

• Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.

• When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.

• Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love.

• Love rests on no foundation. It is an endless ocean, with no beginning or end. 

• I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think.

• Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.

• Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there.

• Don't be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.

• Ignore those that make you fearful and sad, that degrade you back towards disease and death.

• Yesterday I was clever so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise so I am changing myself. 

• Listen with ears of tolerance! See through the eyes of compassion! Speak with the language of love. 

• Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone's soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd.  

• Very little grows on jagged rock. Be ground. Be crumbled, so wildflowers will come up where you are. 

• Let's get away from all the clever humans who put words in our mouth, let's only say what our hearts desire. 

• If you could untie your wings and free your soul of jealousy, you and everyone around you would fly up like doves. 

• Never lose hope, my heart, miracles dwell in the invisible. If the whole world turns against you keep your eyes on the Friend. 

• Hardship may dishearten at first, but every hardship passes away. All despair is followed by hope; all darkness is followed by sunshine. 

• The world's flattery and hypocrisy is a sweet morsel: eat less of it, for it is full of fire. Its fire is hidden while its taste is manifest, but its smoke becomes visible in the end. 

• When you go through a hard period, when everything seems to oppose you, when you feel you cannot even bear one more minute, NEVER GIVE UP! Because it is the time and place that the course will divert!

• Be like the sun for grace and mercy. Be like the night to cover others' faults. Be like running water for generosity. Be like death for rage and anger. Be like the Earth for modesty. Appear as you are. Be as you appear. 

Rumi (1207-1273)
(Source)

I am one of those who keep looking for quotes to motivate myself and others around me. But if some of you are thinking why I am so much into quotes I would say we all go through ups and downs and quotes somehow are able to relate to many of us. Sometimes the words perfectly explain our situation or what we are going through in life. 

Amy - The Girl Behind The Name

"I don't care what people think about me. 

Never did, never will. 

Life is too short to be worrying about that shit."

~ Amy Winehouse

This is one of my favorite quote and I believe the same. Life is too short to waste time worrying, thinking or explaining. Life is not a bed of roses but then it is not full of thorns too. Its just that we have to decide what we want. No one knows us better than ourselves. 

Recently I won a contest on Twitter and got couple movie tickets for the movie Amy. I booked the evening show at PVR - Select CityWalk. In case you haven't heard about Amy, it is a 2015 British documentary film about singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, directed by Asif Kapadia. The film shows her life closely from childhood to death. It features some of her unseen archival footage and unheard tracks. Amy's family members and friends have also shared their experiences with her in the film. 

I liked the movie and realized how some things can change life forever. She was a blessed and talented artist who was not after fame or money. Her glorious rise and sad decline is heartbreaking. I was never her die hard fan but now I love listening her songs. Its just that once you understand what the other person has been through you have a soft corner for them. Amy was the first British female to win five Grammys in 2008. Its said that Amy died of alcohol poisoning in 2011 but God knows what factors contributed to her death whether it was just alcohol or drug addiction, depression, loneliness and troubled relationships together. I just pray that her soul rests in peace. The world lost her but we have her words and songs with us.

Amy Winehouse Quotes :

• Life happens. There's no point in being upset or down about things we can't control or change.
• Life is so much more rewarding if you strive for something, rather than take what's given to you on a plate.
• You are the only person who can sort yourself out, you can't rely on other people to sort out your problems. 
• I don't like to look back and think 'That was a horrible time'. I prefer to think 'I'm glad I came through that'.
• There is no point in saying anything but the truth, because at the end of the day, you don't have to answer to anyone but yourself.

Amy Winehouse Songs :

• Back To Black
• Rehab
• You Know I'm No Good
• Love Is A Losing Game
• Tears Dry On Their Own
• Stronger Than Me
• Our Day Will Come

 P.S : I love her black cat-eye makeup ;)

Facebook Page : Amy Winehouse

7 wishes before I die!

Few days back I came across an article in The Huffington Post, Top 5 Regrets Of The Dying by Bronnie Ware. I was really surprised to read and immediately promised myself that I will not die with these regrets. I don't know how successful I will be in keeping this promise.

Life is unpredictable and death is inevitable then why not take pleasure in small things. Everytime we cannot walk away from things or people or moments that hurt us but we can take joy in the things that make us happy. That's why I thought of writing down about my wishes. I would love to see them fulfilled. (P.S. I believe in miracles and I know wishes do come true.)

• Wish 1 : Try atleast 3 adventure sports with my better half. My list includes Skydiving, Bungee Jumping, Rafting, Paragliding, Zorbing, Hot air ballooning. I have done Zip-line and Scuba Diving in Mauritius but would like to try again in another country.

• Wish 2 : Build/buy a small beautiful home right next to a beach anywhere in the world where I can spend some time with my family and friends once an year.

• Wish 3 : Learn swimming & swim the largest pool in the world (San Alfonso del Mar).

• Wish 4 : Read atleast 501 novels before I lose my eye sight. 

• Wish 5 : Celebrate my 25th and 50th wedding anniversary in the most amazing way.

• Wish 6 : Lose weight and look the way I have always imagined myself in the mirror.

• Wish 7 : Develop the ability to easily Forgive and forget. A life without complains, regrets, fears, frustration, irritation and depression. A habit of paying gratitude to God for what I have rather than what I don't.

Thought of the day : 

“Life will always get busy, make time to do the things you love.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita

Ang Lee : A successful Director and his story

Have you ever wondered how powerful is this seven letter word "INSPIRE". It can fill you with the urge or ability to do something or create a positive feeling in you. There are numerous stories of ordinary people who went from rags to riches. They went on to become successful with their hard work, discipline, dedication, determination, sincere efforts, vision and what not. They might have had hard times but they din't let the spark die.

About Ang Lee : 

Born on October 23, 1954 is a Taiwanese-born American film director, screenwriter and producer. Lee has won the Academy Award for Best Director twice : for Brokeback Mountain (2005) and for Life of Pi (2012). He also won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). He is the first person of Asian descent to win an Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA for Best Director, and is the only director to win both the Golden Bear and Golden Lion multiple times. 

Lee studied in the Provincial Tainan First Senior High School where his father was the principal. He was expected to pass the annual Joint College/University Entrance Examination, the only route to a university education in Taiwan. After failing the exam twice, to the disappointment of his father, he entered a three-year college, the National Arts School and graduated in 1975. After finishing Republic of China Armed Forces's mandatory military service, Lee went to the US in 1979 to study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he completed his bachelor's degree in theater in 1980. Originally, Lee was interested in acting, but his challenges with speaking English made it difficult and he quickly turned to directing.

During graduate school, Lee finished a 16mm short film, Shades of the Lake (1982), which won the Best Drama Award in Short Film in Taiwan. His own thesis work, a 43-minute drama, Fine Line (1984), won NYU's Wasserman Award for Outstanding Direction and was later selected for the Public Broadcasting Service. Lee remained unemployed for six years. During this time, he was a full-time house-husband, while his wife Jane Lin, a molecular biologist, was the sole breadwinner for the family of four. With Lin's support and understanding, Lee did not abandon his career in film but continued to generate new ideas from movies and performances. He also wrote several screenplays during this time. 

In 1990, Lee submitted two screenplays, Pushing Hands and The Wedding Banquet, to a competition sponsored by Taiwan's Government Information Office, and they came in first and second, respectively. The winning screenplays brought Lee to the attention of Li-Kong Hsu, a recently promoted senior manager in a major studio who had a strong interest in Lee's unique style and freshness. Hsu, a first-time producer, invited Lee to direct Pushing Hands, a full-length feature that debuted in 1991. Lee's three acclaimed first dramas opened the door to Hollywood for him. His Notable work includes : Pushing Hands, The Wedding Banquet, Eat Drink Man Woman, Sense and Sensibility, The Ice Storm, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hulk, Brokeback Mountain, Life of Pi.

My Take :

Few days back I saw Life Of Pi for the first time though it was released in 2012. I came to know about Ang Lee after I googled about the director. I realized every person has his/her own fights which is not impossible to overcome. Lee's father wanted him to have a respectable profession (teaching). As a kid he could not really concentrate on books or homework. He did OK to poorly at school because he would fantasize all the time, having a lot of fun in his head. Artistically, he was very repressed. He failed the annual Joint College/University Entrance Examination two times. Even after having a degree in theater, winning an award for his thesis work couldn't help him much. He had to stay at home for 6 years without any work. During that time he was picking up the kids from school, doing the cooking and writing. In an interview to The Guardian he told when he sent those two scripts, that was the lowest point of his life. He just had his second son and when he went to the bank to try and get some money to buy some diapers, the screen showed $26 left. 

I personally feel it is very easy to say or read but choosing a different direction and getting failed is way too depressing. The stress affects relations and frustration takes a toll on everything. Still there are some people who show strength during tough times. They do not let negativity affect them and set example for the world. So his story taught me - No matter what happens never quit.!

Picture courtesy : dailymail.co.uk

"Everywhere can be home and everywhere is not really home and you have to deal with loneliness and alienation. I’m old enough to realize that eventually you have to deal with loneliness, anyway. I’m happily married, I love my children, but eventually you have to deal with yourself. I trust the elusive world created by movies more than anything else. I’m very happy when I’m making a movie." ~ Ang Lee

And the Mountains Echoed..

Writing about a book (or as they say reviewing a book) is not that difficult but sometimes I fall short of words to describe a beautiful piece of work and this has actually happened twice when I read "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini. I remember I came to know about him in 2013 through a friend and immediately ordered a box set from uRead.com. I was completely bowled over by Hosseini's style of knitting stories. Both the books were way beyond amazing. Recently I bought "And the Mountains Echoed" from Amazon.inbut before reading this one I made a mental note to write about it on my blog. 

The Blurb : 

Afghanistan, 1952. Abdullah and his sister Pari live in the small village of Shadbagh. To Abdullah, Pari - as beautiful and sweet-natured as the fairy for which she was named - is everything. More like a parent than a brother, Abdullah will do anything for her, even trading his only pair of shoes for a feather for her treasured collection. Each night they sleep together in their cot, their heads touching, their limbs tangled.

One day the siblings journey across the desert to Kabul with their father. Pari and Abdullah have no sense of the fate that awaits them there, for the event which unfolds will tear their lives apart; sometimes a finger must be cut to save the hand.

Crossing generations and continents, moving from Kabul, to Paris, to San Francisco, to the Greek island of Tinos, Khaled Hosseini writes about the bonds that define us and shape our lives, and how the choices we make resonate through history.

My Review : 

Khaled Hosseini is blessed with an art to write in a way that touches one's heart and soul. He wonderfully describes his characters, their feelings and their struggles in the story.  This book revolves around Abdullah and Pari and portrays sibling love in a real dimension. The way Abdullah trades his only pair of shoes to gift his sister Pari a peacock feather, the way Pari calls his brother 'Abollah', the way they wish to stay with each other forever, the way they sing a lullaby together is heart touching. 

There comes a point when Pari is sold to a rich, childless couple Mr. & Mrs. Wahdati in Kabul. Their pain of separation can be felt. The further chapters describe the relationship between various other characters, their life, their tragedies and their journey. Towards the end when Pari and Abdullah finally reunite, Abdullah is unable to remember anything because of Dementia and this brings mixed emotions as their reunion couldn't happen in true sense.

But I also felt that at some point story lost its pace and the focus went on other characters which were not so important. Though I understand that the author tried to show something more in every chapter, it couldn't blend easily or naturally. That's why it lacked the magic of "The Kite Runner". I know Khaled Hosseini is a terrific story teller and I wish him all the very best for his future endeavors. 

Favorite Lines from the book :

• Sorrow ought to be private, not flaunted.
• All good things in life are fragile and easily lost.
• But time, it is like charm. You never have as much as you think.
• What good is regret? It brings back nothing. What we have lost is irretrievable.
• Nothing good came free. Even love. You paid for all things. And if you were poor, suffering was your currency.
• It was always best to tell the truth, to tell it plainly, without fanfare, and the more disagreeable the truth, the sooner you had to tell it.
• They say, Find a purpose in your life and live it. But, sometimes, it is only after you have lived that you recognize your life had a purpose, and likely one you never had in mind.
• I learned that the world didn't see the inside of you, that it didn't care a whit about the hopes and dreams, and sorrows, that lay masked by skin and bone. It was as simple, as absurd, and as cruel as that.

About the Author :

Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan-born American novelist and physician. He has published three novels all of which are at least partially set in Afghanistan and feature an Afghani as the protagonist. Following the success of The Kite Runner, he decided to stop practicing medicine and became a full-time writer. A teenager who arrived in the United States for the first time at the age of 15 did not speak English ironically went on to become author of three bestsellers. Hosseini is currently a Goodwill Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). He has been working to provide humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan through the Khaled Hosseini Foundation. He lives in Northern California with his wife, Roya, and their two children (Haris and Farah).

Connect with the author :

• Facebook : KhaledHosseini

First Movie Trilogy I watched & liked..

Finally writing a post after 11 weeks (77 days) and I swear I missed this space but sometimes Life gives you so many things at the same time that you have to find time for things you love and fortunately or unfortunately I couldn't balance. But then I feel thats the reason I am back because the urge to write din't leave.  

I have heard and read about Book Trilogies but I came across a Movie Trilogy in February when I was searching for some romantic english movies. After someone suggested me to watch Before Sunrise (1995), I came to know about the other two sequels : Before Sunset (2004) and Before Midnight (2013). I have a habit of reading the Wikipedia page whenever I come across something I don't know or I want to know more about it. So I read their Wikipedia Pages except the plot otherwise it would have been useless to watch movie. Then I saw they had an IMDb rating of 8.1, 8.1 and 8 respectively which meant they are worth a watch. 

I watched Before Sunrise in February, Before Sunset in March and Before Midnight in May. The best thing about all of them is the script and the characters. The way they are written is very different from the other movies. There is simplicity. There is no fancy storyline but its more about thoughts, ideas, decisions and their consequences. Most importantly you don't feel characters are delivering dialogues, it seems they are just talking like we do in our real lives. All the 3 movies are directed by Richard Linklater starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Another idea that I really liked was that Before Sunset picks up the story nine years after the events of Before Sunrise and Before Midnight picks up the story nine years after the events of Before Sunset. This way you can feel the changes in the overall personality of the characters and the depth of the story. 

Few lines from the movie worth sharing :

Before Sunrise

• I believe if there's any kind of God it wouldn't be in any of us, not you or me but just this little space in between. If there's any kind of magic in this world it must be in the attempt of understanding someone sharing something. I know, it's almost impossible to succeed but who cares really? The answer must be in the attempt.

• You know what drives me crazy? It's all these people talking about how great technology is, and how it saves all this time. But, what good is saved time, if nobody uses it? If it just turns into more busy work. You never hear somebody say, "With the time I've saved by using my word processor, I'm gonna go to a Zen monastery and hang out". I mean, you never hear that.

Before Sunset

• Memory is a wonderful thing if you don't have to deal with the past.

• Life's hard. It's supposed to be. If we didn't suffer, we'd never learn anything.

• Even being alone it's better than sitting next to your lover and feeling lonely.

• You realize that most of the people that you meet are trying to get somewhere better, they're trying to make a little bit more cash, trying to get a little more respect, have more people admire them. It's just exhausting.

• I feel I was never able to forget anyone I've been with. Because each person have... their own, specific qualities. You can never replace anyone. What is lost is lost.

Before Midnight

• Like sunlight, sunset, we appear, we disappear. We are so important to some, but we are just passing through.

                          

 

A Walk To Remember..

When I heard this title for the first time I imagined an evening walk with my soulmate on a beach side. Thanks to Google that I came to know about the novel and the movie : "A Walk To Remember". The novel is written by American author Nicholas Sparks which was released in October 1999 but the movie is directed by Adam Shankman, released in January 2002. I haven't read the novel but I have watched the movie so many times that I felt like writing about it. Its a sweet, simple Love Story and one of my favorites. Shane West (as Landon Carter) and Mandy Moore (as Jamie Sullivan) did their roles perfectly. I fell in love with the story the very first time I saw it.

About the characters and the movie : 

I liked Jamie Sullivan very much. She is sincere, positive, lovely, has values. She lives her life smiling and doing things she loves even though she knows her end. On the other hand Landon Carter is initially rude and arrogant but then I loved the way he transforms into a nicer, caring human being and tries to keep Jamie as happy as possible. He goes out of the way to fulfill Jamie's wishes and dreams. Unfortunately, two people who loved each other so much couldn't live together but their Love did. It's a beautiful story and the characters are very believable.

Few scenes from the movie that made me smile, cry, laugh and so on : 

• Landon was forced to join the drama club's final event, The Springs Play as a punishment for a prank that paralyzed a fellow classmate. On the final day of the play Jamie looked and sang like an angel that Landon could not stop himself from kissing her. 
• The way Landon fights for Jamie when his friends try to humiliate her by altering her photograph. He leaves his group of friends and starts spending more time with her.
• When Landon asks Jamie Will you go out with me Saturday Night? to which she says I am Sorry I can't go. I am not allowed to date then Landon goes to her father and asks for permission. This surprises Jamie and they both enjoy the dinner together. 
• The time Jamie tells Landon that she is sick and won't go for higher studies. She has leukemia and she has stopped responding to treatments two years ago. This upsets both of them. This is such a touching scene that one feels how could this happen.
• After knowing about Jamie's health problem Landon tells her dad he won't go anywhere. Jamie goes to his home where Landon asks Are you scared? to which she replies She is scared of not being with you.
• The way Landon stays by her side every now and then, reads quotes from her mother's book. The belief of Jamie that God has a bigger plan for her than she had for herself and that Landon was sent to her because she was sick. He is her Angel. 
• Landon makes a bigger telescope for Jamie and they both witness a comet. Then he asks her If she will marry him and she says Yes. Jamie looked amazing as a bride. They had a perfect Summer together.

Quotes from the Movie :

• Without suffering there would be no compassion.
• Our love is like the wind.. I can't see it, but I sure can feel it.
• She has faith in me. She makes me want to be different, better.
• Love is patient and kind. It's never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish. It does not take offence and is not resentful.

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