3 Dreams, 1 Connection

Om Sai Ram

Dearest Angels,

I had 3 weird, yet vivid and intense dreams last night.

In the first part, I was at an enormous "McDonalds-like" take-away
warehouse - it looked like Macca's but there was no branding that I
could see. As big as a Bunnings Warehouse, but full of hungry people.
Hundreds of hungry people. The lighting was very dim. I went up to the
counter to order something, but I didn't feel like eating there,
because everyone seated on the tables behind me seemed a little crazy
and restless. It didn't feel right. So I headed for the door and
walked out.

Part 2: The sky was overcast and it had just rained. I was walking
down this street towards an old shopping strip. The shops to my right
seemed very old fashioned, and the cars driving on the wet road to my
left were old vintage cars. Very few of them. The street was very
clean, and there were a few people out and about. Gentlemen with top
hats and ladies wearing long skirts. Very classy.

I came up to an old Café and stepped inside. A group of young people
were sitting on a table to my right. As I walked in, one of the guys
came up to me and said, "You're here! We've been waiting for you!" He
was tall, skinny, and had long dark hair. He looked Mohican. As I took
a seat at the table, the Mohican yelled at this old guy working behind
the counter, "Another Milkshake!" The old man was wearing a white
apron, and a white Nehru/Paper Boat hat. This Café was quite big, very
clean, but there was no fridge, which I thought was odd.

Our table had girls and guys of different nationalities and they were
all glowing; all smiling, and had gentle white auras surrounding them.
I felt like the odd one out, but they all seemed to be very happy to
see me.

My vanilla milkshake arrived and the Mohican sat down. He started
talking about some plan taking shape and that "the time has come".
Part 2 ended here.

Part 3: It was some time in the middle of night. I was walking down
another road. Long, quiet and empty, with only one streetlight ahead
showing me the way. No houses or buildings, just a long, empty road.

Suddenly, I heard what sounded like a Jumbo Jet behind me. I turned
around and there's a 747 Jumbo right behind me! It was enormous, with
2 propelling engines on either side and bright, front lights
illuminating the road. I ran to the side, surprised that an airplane
this big would use a narrow road to taxi on. The plane slowed to a
halt. There were no markings or logos on it of any kind. Just one big
white plane.

The door at the front of the plane opened and extended to the ground
with steps. A gentleman in full uniform stepped out, looked at me,
smiled and said "Your flight is ready." He was wearing navy blue pants
and jacket, with gold strips on his shoulders, white shirt and navy
blue tie. He had a beard and was possibly Russian, but looked like he
was in his early 30's. I walked up these steps and the door sealed
shut behind me.

The plane was gigantic on the outside, but inside it didn't seem all
that big. Again, the lighting was extremely dim. It was quite dark
actually. I looked to my left and saw that there were only two rows of
seats - one each on either side towards the windows. There were no
seats in the middle of this plane. All the seats were occupied, and
every single 'passenger' was wearing white clothes. They all had a
writing stand in front of them, and each were engrossed in writing in
these very large, old books.

The man in uniform was standing to my right. "Who are you?" I asked.
"I am your pilot," He replied. "We have been waiting for you. It's now
time to fly."

The cockpit was only 2 steps to my right and there was no Co-Pilot. I
stood behind the pilot's seat and watched through the window as we
took off. Within seconds, not only were we airborne, but we had
already reached outer space. The earth was below, there were comets,
planets... We were accelerating towards a field of stars. It was a
sight to see.

The vibe of the plane was almost identical to the Café's - everyone
seemed like they were on a mission. The youths at the Café were about
to discuss some kind of a mission. Being on this plane seemed like the
mission was already underway.

And with that, I woke up.

I don't know what it all means - yet - but something is definitely going on!

Wizard

I was playing Where's Wally on my iPad earlier, and this screen popped up. Just had to blog it :-) There you go 33, if I were a Wizard, I'd wanna be like him.

Snowy the Sphinx

Taken just after her bath a few days ago. She ran and sat on top of Shaun's car, posing for the camera...

Tricknology

Recently, I had the chance of seeing TRON: Legacy. I missed it's theatrical run in December, and kicked myself for not seeing it in 3D. I saw the original TRON when I was about 7 or 8, and having seen all three Star Wars by then, was drawn into the world of Sci-Fi. TRON was a breakthrough in terms of film-making. There was no CGI in the early 80's - SFX were rotoscoped and optically done "in-camera"... Until TRON came along. Just watch the LightCycle scenes and you'll know what I'm talking about. Now, almost 30 years later, the sequel is out and... Wow. I grew up on Star Wars, Knight Rider and TRON. TRON: Legacy is a sequel worthy of it's predecessor. The writing wasn't it's strongest link, but hey, this isn't Eat, Pray, Love. It's Fight, Ride and Win. I finished watching it with a smile on my face, knowing that I had seen a true Legacy in the making. Jeff Bridges is the man, man! It cannot be easy playing both the antagonist and the protagonist. He reprises his role as Kevin Flynn, as well as the new CLU. The facial CGI to make him look young as CLU looked pretty damn fake, but I was willing to forgive that. All the other actors are credible, and it's great to see Alan again. The world of TRON looks stunning. Sound - top notch. But what stood out for me was the music by Daft Punk. Disney did well hiring the two French boys to create a true fusion of electronica and orchestra, especially considering it's their debut film soundtrack. I've been listening to the soundtrack since December (Buy music - piracy is illegal) and love it. In years to come, there'll be many more copycats released, but this will be known as the Genesis in the genre of OrchesTronica.

I'm kind of glad that I only got to see the movie now and not in December. There was a lot happening then and I wouldn't have appreciated it as much as I do now. It's re-fueled my desire to create music that empowers you, and hopefully one day, tell a story through the medium of film where good doesn't just triumph over evil, they both cancel each other out.

Embodiment of Love

9 years ago, I came across 'Embodiment of Love' in Prashanthi Nilayam, India. It was during Guru Poornima (July) that I first heard a remixed version of Swami singing the 'Gayatri Mantra' and was mesmerized. To think that someone could even actually do this, blew my mind. The music in this album (and volume 2, more on that later) has to be heard, and frankly I'm surprised that its not "out there". The album contains 9 tracks, mostly consisting of poems recited in Telugu, one Bhajan ('Murali Gana Lola') and the Mother of all Mantras, the Gayatri Mantra - all sung by Swami Himself! How did they manage that? Read on my friend... A couple of days ago I was searching for the english translations to the songs, and eventually, found the website created by the composers, "Premasound", founded in Rome, Italy. In a nutshell, I experienced some download errors after purchasing two of their other albums late Monday evening, so after sending them an email, I left it, thinking 'that's it. leave it'. Today, I got a reply from Gianluca Ducros, one of the gentlemen who produced the album! I was stunned. Not only did he fix the download errors, he sent me two complimentary links to both Volume 1 and 2 of 'Embodiment of Love'. Generosity.com. He and his brother Gabriele came up with this concept of using old recordings of Swami's poems, Bhajans and fusing it with Indian/Modern Contemporary music. The result is breathtaking. Close your eyes, and prepare to lose yourselves. I would define it as "soul-stirring music". You have to hear it to believe it. It all began in the mid 90's when Gianluca was entrusted with the task of digitizing and cleaning up all the old recordings of Swami giving Discourses and chanting Mantras. While working on it in Rome, the brothers mixed fusion and ethereal sounds to the old Gayatri Mantra recording. They took the final mix to Parthi where it was played to Swami. Bhagavan was happy. He gave them permission to use His old recordings for their albums. The rest, is history. I've been listening to this album for 9 years but today, it feels like I'm listening to it for the first time.

Edit: Now that I think about it, if those download errors didn't occur, I would never have gotten in touch with Gianluca and heard how it all happened....

Diwali 2010

Every year, we do a special Pooja during Diwali, in honor of my paternal Grandparents. Towards the end of Tata's life, Dad was managing the family business, looking after his parents and siblings. They both passed away in their 40's. Very young. They never got to see Dad and Mum's marriage. Well, not from the physical plane of existence anyway... My Tata was a farmer and a boxer, and with Paati, proud parents of 8 (yes, eight) kids - 6 boys and 2 girls. (there was no Facebook in those days...). The legacy they left behind, is still being carried on, from one generation to another. I know Tata is watching over me - I see him now and then in my dreams. He's a man of integrity, of wisdom. He believed that one must always work hard and with 100% effort, irrespective of the outcome. "Keep your chin up." He said.

To Paati and Tata, thank you for all that you did, and all that you continue to do...

Name the flower

Seriously, I have no idea what it is. Ask my Dad. There's Don Burke, then there's Dad. He knows his stuff. He planted these in the front yard close to the front fence. The dedication with which he tends to the garden is inspiring, especially for me - someone who knows squat about gardening! But there's a tranquility about the whole thing. No electronics or EMP's to be found. Just creation.

Good afternoon

My first shot taken from the iPhone 4 in October 2010 - our front garden. The built-in HDR feature adds another layer of depth, creating some stunning shots. I really need to get me a DSLR.

The time is Now

These series of paintings of Lord Krishna are truly works of art. This picture has been on my iPad for over a year now, bringing the background to life. To me, it's a reminder that the time to act is now. To make a difference. To make a change. Now! The Battle has already begun.... There's no turning back. Follow The Master. Face the Devil. Fight to the End. Finish the Game.

...and we're back!

Is random really random?! Who knows. But time to sweep away the e-dust that's been gathering on my blog. Yes, there's Facebook, woop-dee-do. But this is, a bit of me. And the pic above... Also a bit of me. Created using the 'Line Art' App on the iPhone. Yes, an iPhone. My last post (way back in 2009) was made on a Sony Ericsson W890i. Damn good phone with a tiny screen. Since jumping on the Apple bandwagon, I'm hooked on to iGear. They're amazing. More to come...

From darkness to light

The view from my hospital bed, 44S 36

Bholenath

At Kailash, upstairs

#God is watching over her, as always

That's one of her favourite resting spots

® Hand X-Ray

The machine couldn't even shoot UV Rays, let alone X-Rays :-P

Hand X-Ray

What's missing?? ;-)

Nurse falls ill

BREAKING NEWS:
Shane's Nurse falls ill.

Around 6:30am, the nurse on duty took some blood from me and was filling it in the tubes. (I'm reacting to every pain relief pill at the moment.) We were talking about the earthquake, when suddenly she froze, and held the table, head down, eyes closed. I shouted to her, "Sarah, Sarah, are U ok?" Softly she replied, "I'm dizzy." She slowly knelt down and sat on the floor. I reached back and hit the "Staff Assist" button then started fanning her. Nurses came within seconds. They took her BP etc. Her complexion went from white to WHITE. Sweating like anything. Porters wheelchaired her down to ED. Last I heard, she was waiting to be seen by the Docs downstairs. (Few of the nurses have a theory that she's pregnant). Pray she's alright.

-- Sent from my mobile device

Shane

Let's play, Guess the Monash Meal!

Clockwise from left to right.
Is it:
A. Steamed carrots, lasagne with cream sauce, mashed potato
B. Steamed carrots, gratinated fish, mashed potato
C. Steamed carrots, creamed tuna bake, mashed potato
D. Steamed carrots, mashed potato, mashed potato

The correct answer is B. Although A, C and D would've also been acceptable ;-) Can any human being eat that?? Well, apparently YES. Oh, and fyi, I didn't order it. Every morning, when I go for my shower (which I prefer over an assisted sponge bath. Trust me, movies aren't real.) the affectionally-known 'kitchen lady' takes my menu when I'm never here. But the other choices were pretty average anyway: Chicken Masala (Hello!! Don't insult me) and Potato Pie & Button Mushrooms. Let me get this straight: I have never, and I mean NEVER enjoyed hospital food. I must've sampled every possible combination Monash has to offer. I know its food and that we should "eat to live not live to eat", and people in Africa don't get food.. I don't want 5-Star meals fit for a king, but these meals aren't fit for even the king's dhobi-wala*. Yeah, good ol' Mum brings me home-cooked meals daily. She does way too much for me. Tonight, its Puri and pumpkin findi-style. God Bless You Mum! :-D

*a launderer, who collects your clothes, takes it to the local river, beats it on rocks, rinses AND irons your attire for 10 cents a piece. You may find that you're missing the odd shirt or five, but at that price in this global recession, its worth it.

My Nurse is a Terminator

Why I think my Nurse is a Terminator:

1. She walks like a robot.
2. She doesn't smile.
3. She doesn't seem to breathe.
4. Her tone is very monotonous.
5. Before she enters our room, she stands at the entrance and "scans"
the room from left to right. Its f**king scary.
6. She writes super-fast.
7. I'll buzz her to ask for something, she'll come up to my bed, pull
the curtain, I'll tell her what I need, she turns around, walks off,
then returns promptly within 2 mins on the dot without saying a word.
8. She doesn't blink.
9. She's asian and actually says, "I be back."

--
Sent from my mobile device

Shane