<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696766417030363690</id><updated>2011-04-21T11:19:25.519-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Prakruti</title><subtitle type='html'>Random thoughts: Poems, notes and reminders(to myself) on nature (both inner and outer), existential quandaries... and life in general...</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>Raj m chalil</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18337113250033881205</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>9</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696766417030363690.post-7821754590075499973</id><published>2009-03-07T04:13:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-03-07T04:19:17.162-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zu2qQo6tBuA/SbJmLyS0BFI/AAAAAAAAABQ/fEzYfKQ0494/s1600-h/CARTOON-STRIP_02.gif"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zu2qQo6tBuA/SbJmLyS0BFI/AAAAAAAAABQ/fEzYfKQ0494/s400/CARTOON-STRIP_02.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310419263288509522" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6696766417030363690-7821754590075499973?l=thetwiceborn.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/feeds/7821754590075499973/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6696766417030363690&amp;postID=7821754590075499973' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default/7821754590075499973'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default/7821754590075499973'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-post.html' title=''/><author><name>Raj m chalil</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18337113250033881205</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zu2qQo6tBuA/SbJmLyS0BFI/AAAAAAAAABQ/fEzYfKQ0494/s72-c/CARTOON-STRIP_02.gif' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696766417030363690.post-4309021133073580918</id><published>2009-02-04T03:14:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-04-06T01:38:26.187-07:00</updated><title type='text'>All grown up</title><content type='html'>&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;The end of childhood begins with the letting go of our true nature. The spontaneity, the quickness of laughter and tears, the complete immersion in our joys and sorrows, the uncurtailed flow of energy that expresses itself in untiring skip-hop-jumps…all of it ends with the much overrated rite of passage called growing up.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Expected to behave in ‘grown-up’ ways, we begin to suppress our instincts and the flood of energy that is our own in childhood. We begin putting on masks, playing roles, contorting our faces (and our psyches) to resemble the person we think we are, or ought to become. We smother what’s natural to us and follow rules and guidelines that are supposed to help us ‘grow up and be someone’.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;But sadly, that ‘someone’ is more often than not a far cry from the person we really are. And in our ostensible growing up, we lose all that is natural to us, forfeiting all that brings us real happiness.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Wouldn’t it be great to be able to let go of this fake, silly grown-up-ness and immerse ourselves fully in life again? To really grow up… and be a child again?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"&gt;All grown up&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Laughter and tears, love and hate&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;used to be a time when all was pure&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;when anger came in a flash&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;and forgiveness even faster&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;?xml:namespace prefix = o /&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;There was a time&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;when every step was danced&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;and every word, sung,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;and the face I wore was my own&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;And I remember (quite clearly... I think)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;talking to God, dancing with angels&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;and being in dread&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;of monsters under my bed&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;There was a time when I believed&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;in magic, the power of a spell&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;and darn…&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;even heaven and hell!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;But that was before acting and pretense &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;spilled beyond playtime&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;That was before the mask came on,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;before I learned… to be all grown up…&lt;span style="font-size:0;"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6696766417030363690-4309021133073580918?l=thetwiceborn.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/feeds/4309021133073580918/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6696766417030363690&amp;postID=4309021133073580918' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default/4309021133073580918'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default/4309021133073580918'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/2009/02/all-grown-up.html' title='All grown up'/><author><name>Raj m chalil</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18337113250033881205</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696766417030363690.post-3831083642802986657</id><published>2008-12-20T09:55:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-04-06T01:39:40.707-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Destiny?</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;It was in a recent gift of a scrapbook given to me that this piece found life and meaning. The empty pages were a lure I couldn’t resist, and as i wrote and the pages turned, this came to me again... an epiphany, unplanned, unexpected... like the best things in life…&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This one’s for the girl whose spontaneous gift evolved into something that I would never have imagined. Thanks shi(gre)rly, for a gift that turned out to be the best ever! Owe you...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destiny?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What’s your destiny but your autobiography? The story of your life that you write from day to day, from hour to hour, from moment to moment, from birth to your last breath?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Every new day is a fresh start, a new blank page.. to be written on as you will. The choice is yours, whether to fill it with life, music, laughter, joy and love or to disfigure the page with the baggage of the past and aprehensions of the future.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So plot it with all the creativity and ingenuity that is yours to comand if you will but wish for it with a sincere heart. Pack it with all the action, adventure, emotions and life-experiences you can possibly pack into a lifetime. And block nothing. Block nothing that comes to you naturally. Let it twist and turn and brim over with your passion for life, exploring every posssible avenue, following no rules and guidelines except those dictated by your own true nature. Page by page, put together an autobiography that sings of the immense beauty, poetry and endless possibilities that exist for each and every one of us.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Write your own, unique story. Let none accuse you of plagiarism. Let every page be an expression of your individuality, your own unique approach to life, and you would have written a story worth telling.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And most importantly, write it for your own sake. There’s nothing that you need to prove… to anyone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And look for no rave reviews, or rewards…&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For the reward, the ultimate reward… is in the writing…&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6696766417030363690-3831083642802986657?l=thetwiceborn.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/feeds/3831083642802986657/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6696766417030363690&amp;postID=3831083642802986657' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default/3831083642802986657'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default/3831083642802986657'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/2008/12/destiny_20.html' title='Destiny?'/><author><name>Raj m chalil</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18337113250033881205</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696766417030363690.post-6649904580183784237</id><published>2008-11-30T03:08:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2008-12-16T11:05:30.862-08:00</updated><title type='text'>praying for a miracle</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Note: In its writing, this poem(if i may call it that), somehow took on the flavor of a rock song. It's mostly a first draft, with minor corrections made. There maybe a few corny sounding bits... I But since i believe that the message is what matters most, i have mostly stuck to what came spontaneously during the first draft...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There’s a cold tombstone&lt;br /&gt;in the graveyard of my soul&lt;br /&gt;and it says here lies love&lt;br /&gt;God’s favorite son&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No wilting flowers, no fading footprints&lt;br /&gt;mark this grey tombstone&lt;br /&gt;Just a permanent cold dampness&lt;br /&gt;as if God’ been shedding tears&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But I’m praying for a miracle&lt;br /&gt;to bring love back to life&lt;br /&gt;I am praying for a miracle&lt;br /&gt;to bring love back from the dead&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Innocence lies breathing its last&lt;br /&gt;In ambition’s life-less crypt&lt;br /&gt;haunted by the screams&lt;br /&gt;of murdered childhood dreams&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Love is just a superficial thing&lt;br /&gt;no more than just skin deep&lt;br /&gt;And the flame of hope eternal&lt;br /&gt;is a fading flicker in some dark demon’s keep&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But I’m praying for a miracle&lt;br /&gt;to bring love back to life&lt;br /&gt;I am praying for a miracle&lt;br /&gt;to bring love back from the dead&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When passions have atrophied&lt;br /&gt;and true instincts lie buried&lt;br /&gt;under the debris of all consuming greed,&lt;br /&gt;can love be revived?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6696766417030363690-6649904580183784237?l=thetwiceborn.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/feeds/6649904580183784237/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6696766417030363690&amp;postID=6649904580183784237' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default/6649904580183784237'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default/6649904580183784237'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/2008/11/rock-ish-poem-on-that-4-lettered-thing.html' title='praying for a miracle'/><author><name>Raj m chalil</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18337113250033881205</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696766417030363690.post-178818531410435521</id><published>2008-11-19T06:20:00.001-08:00</published><updated>2008-11-19T06:50:25.059-08:00</updated><title type='text'>RAG n MUFFIN</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zu2qQo6tBuA/SSQg5N_LgNI/AAAAAAAAAAg/p3iHrz9LiFw/s1600-h/CARTOON-STRIP_01.gif"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zu2qQo6tBuA/SSQg5N_LgNI/AAAAAAAAAAg/p3iHrz9LiFw/s400/CARTOON-STRIP_01.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270373631309611218" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6696766417030363690-178818531410435521?l=thetwiceborn.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/feeds/178818531410435521/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6696766417030363690&amp;postID=178818531410435521' title='4 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default/178818531410435521'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default/178818531410435521'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/2008/11/rag-muffin.html' title='RAG n MUFFIN'/><author><name>Raj m chalil</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18337113250033881205</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zu2qQo6tBuA/SSQg5N_LgNI/AAAAAAAAAAg/p3iHrz9LiFw/s72-c/CARTOON-STRIP_01.gif' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>4</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696766417030363690.post-3542072600919820546</id><published>2008-11-04T23:18:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2008-11-04T23:29:45.896-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Have you ever..</title><content type='html'>Have you ever walked barefoot on a dewy morning,&lt;br /&gt;on a carpet of green grass, wet and glistening with the morning dew?&lt;br /&gt;The warmth of the rising sun on your face, the coolness of the dew&lt;br /&gt;soaking your soles, and the feel of the sticky-grass-blades between your toes…&lt;br /&gt;clinging to your wet heels…&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have you ever really seen the moon on a full-moon night,&lt;br /&gt;listened to the dogs howling at the moon for the sheer joy of being,&lt;br /&gt;and wanted to howl along? And have you ever felt the rush&lt;br /&gt;as the blood in your veins answered the call of the moon,&lt;br /&gt;rising with the ocean tides and the green sap in the trees…?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have you ever flown with an eagle, let your soul soar to the skies?&lt;br /&gt;Have you ever imagined what it must be to fly free, surfing the air waves,&lt;br /&gt;rising and falling and swirling with the currents and eddies,&lt;br /&gt;floatiing on wings that are as one with the winds,&lt;br /&gt;wingtips slicing through crisp air and the rush of it on your breast,&lt;br /&gt;and in every feather? The wind, whispering, singing… and then howling&lt;br /&gt;in your ears as you drift, dance and dive deep into the roaring ocean of air…&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have you ever been in a forest on a dark night? Heard the creak and whisper&lt;br /&gt;of trees and the the night sounds, of life moving in the dark, the rustle&lt;br /&gt;of dry leaves, the whoosh and beat of unseen wings and the sudden alarm calls&lt;br /&gt;slicing through the whisper-quiet night…?&lt;br /&gt;Have your ever breathed the fresh air laden with the sweet smell&lt;br /&gt;of decaying leaves, laced with the scent of wild flowers and raw bark&lt;br /&gt;and fresh green leaves?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have you ever really felt the rain? Felt the cool touch of its fingers drumming&lt;br /&gt;its wild non-rhythm on your skin, soaking your hair, pooling in your eyes, running down&lt;br /&gt;in rivulets like cool rivers across a warm desert? Have you ever let it soak you&lt;br /&gt;right down to your soul?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have you ever stood on a high mountain top… marvelling at the power&lt;br /&gt;that lifted it from the low plains to the high heavens? Have you ever stood in awe,&lt;br /&gt;humbled by the monumental majesty of the ever-rising peaks&lt;br /&gt;reaching out to touch the silver clouds?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have you ever realy touched a tree? Let your hand feel the rough bark,&lt;br /&gt;skin against skin, and felt the pulse of life throbbing through it,&lt;br /&gt;alive to the elements, the sun, the moon, the wind and the rain…&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have you ever laid yourself down on the beach, close to the waves, in the wet sand,&lt;br /&gt;and listened to the music of the ocean? The crash, the slap of water on the shore&lt;br /&gt;and the soft whispered farewell of receding waves…&lt;br /&gt;Have you ever been carried away, caught in the hypnotic, primordial rhythm?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have you ever stood knee-deep in a flowing stream, and felt the tickle&lt;br /&gt;of darting fish nibbling at your feet? Have you ever drank from a forest stream,&lt;br /&gt;the water rich and sweet, flavoured with the myriad essences of pure,&lt;br /&gt;unsullied nature…?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have you ever been hopelessly in love? Loved for love’s sake?&lt;br /&gt;The love a yearning, a deep hunger, an elixir, an intoxication that consumes&lt;br /&gt;you with its intensity, a permanent high that stays with you&lt;br /&gt;through sleep, through wakefulness…through your every breath…&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have you ever really…lived…?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6696766417030363690-3542072600919820546?l=thetwiceborn.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/feeds/3542072600919820546/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6696766417030363690&amp;postID=3542072600919820546' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default/3542072600919820546'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default/3542072600919820546'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/2008/11/have-you-ever.html' title='Have you ever..'/><author><name>Raj m chalil</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18337113250033881205</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696766417030363690.post-6194261674416434900</id><published>2008-10-23T08:12:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-11-02T22:06:14.606-08:00</updated><title type='text'>The Alchemy of Desire</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;A whisper of intention passes&lt;br /&gt;between the two, an unspoken need,&lt;br /&gt;a frisson of energy leaps&lt;br /&gt;an unseen, electric bridge&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On hair trigger, neurons fire&lt;br /&gt;leaping synapses, desire races&lt;br /&gt;outrunning the call to restraint...&lt;br /&gt;a stampede of wild steeds&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;a stirring comes, a deep rumble&lt;br /&gt;spreading tremors, senses unleashed&lt;br /&gt;double helix serpents dance;&lt;br /&gt;a primal writhing, in every cell&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Touch, caress, steaming breaths&lt;br /&gt;desire's expressions manifest&lt;br /&gt;molten copper gathers in loins&lt;br /&gt;twin whirlpools, sensations churned&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rhythm builds, tides swell&lt;br /&gt;murmuring an urgent invocation,&lt;br /&gt;Sweeping currents, elements gathered&lt;br /&gt;flow together, an undeniable surge&lt;span style="font-size:13;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:13;"&gt;&lt;?xml:namespace prefix = o /&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:13;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Earth shudders, oceans heave&lt;br /&gt;the molten core erupts;&lt;br /&gt;flowing lava, white gold...&lt;br /&gt;a shudder, a shower of ecstasy...&lt;span style="font-size:13;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 2in"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:13;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 2in"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:13;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 2in"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:13;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 2in"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:13;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6696766417030363690-6194261674416434900?l=thetwiceborn.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/feeds/6194261674416434900/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6696766417030363690&amp;postID=6194261674416434900' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default/6194261674416434900'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default/6194261674416434900'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/2008/10/alchemy-of-desire.html' title='The Alchemy of Desire'/><author><name>Raj m chalil</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18337113250033881205</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696766417030363690.post-4881568376422593101</id><published>2008-10-07T07:41:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-10-07T07:46:49.656-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Breakthrough</title><content type='html'>A whisper of coolness trickles,&lt;br /&gt;down into the quiet depths of the seed&lt;br /&gt;the sleeping tree-mind comes awake&lt;br /&gt;to the soft-drum of life-giving rain&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She stirs, a blip of consciousness waking&lt;br /&gt;from the depths of shadow dreams&lt;br /&gt;a faint shard of awareness, a flicker&lt;br /&gt;in the darkness of un-knowing&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Conquering the seeming emptiness&lt;br /&gt;she listens, urged by insistent instincts,&lt;br /&gt;to hear at the edge of non-being&lt;br /&gt;whispers, faint, from a waiting world&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She rises then, uncoiling in sinuous dance&lt;br /&gt;as the musk of wet-earth seeps through&lt;br /&gt;fuelling the fire of a primal desire, fanned&lt;br /&gt;to a blaze by the murmur of winds above&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And her destiny teasing her with visions&lt;br /&gt;of fragrant breezes and song-bird lullabies,&lt;br /&gt;she breaks through from the darkness&lt;br /&gt;to burst free, into the embrace of the sun…&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Note:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Like a seed, holding within it a sleeping consciousness waiting to break through the shell, we lie buried under the many-layered shell of existential demands that crowd our lives.&lt;br /&gt;If we can crack the shell of trivialized existence and touch the light of true awareness, , maybe then can we really begin to live, not merely existing, but dancing through life, filling every moment with the divine rhythm we have lost in the clamor of day to day living.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6696766417030363690-4881568376422593101?l=thetwiceborn.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/feeds/4881568376422593101/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6696766417030363690&amp;postID=4881568376422593101' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default/4881568376422593101'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default/4881568376422593101'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/2008/10/breakthrough.html' title='Breakthrough'/><author><name>Raj m chalil</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18337113250033881205</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696766417030363690.post-2970490037985534482</id><published>2008-10-07T07:26:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-10-07T07:41:51.210-07:00</updated><title type='text'>The Journal</title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;Day 1&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Woke up at the crack of time. Dark! Like I was inside some black cat’s belly. “Where is the light?” I murmured to myself after a while. “I wish there was some light …”*&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And there was light!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;*Not my actual words, but it certainly wasn’t anything as grandiose as “Let there be light”! Indeed…&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Day 2,000,000&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bad idea! This whole lighting up the scene thing. There was no scene to light up! What I needed here was some perspective, I thought… and …‘Bsssssup!’ the ‘Oneness’ was no more!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And with that, déjà vu! The memory came, a trickle first, then a flood. Oh yes! The flood! The great flood!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well… back to the drawing board! Again!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Day 3,000,000&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Memory back to normal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The first thing of course was the raw materials. Tricky business that! I had to get it just right or it would all just fall apart…literally. Earth, water, fire, air, ether... and one final secret ingredient! It’s easy to find…but tough to discover!*&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;* Contradictory? That’s me!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Day 4,000,000&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I hate maths”!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Fortunately, I only had to work out the basic equations. But the basics were important, and it was most critical to get the starter culture* for breeding the primary life-forms just right.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But then, I had the time. I had all the time in the universe…&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;*Later referred to as the ‘primordial soup’!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Day 5,000,000&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Checked out my culture. The fish were especially beautiful.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Put some of them on land, and they adapted nicely. Of course, with a wee bit of help from yours truly! For instance, I put shells on some of them. Slowed them down some!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What next?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Day 6,000,000&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Inspiration strikes!!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Replaced the shells on some land dwellers with body hair and made the legs longer. Next, I started working on larger models.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Things got trickier here, especially the reproduction bit. That sure took some figuring out!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Day 7,000,000&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Started working on my magnum opus…so to speak.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The hardware and the software were based on me. The multi-level access restrictions were the really hard part. Important, because access to certain programs could only be granted based on a particular model’s degree of evolution.*&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But after a few million years of trial and error, I got it right!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Man! I had created man!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;*Here’s a hint. A four-letter word, starting with ‘L’ and ending in a vowel grants access to all the programs. Another four-letter word starting with ‘H’ and ending with the same vowel gradually causes system shutdown.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Day 8,000,000&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My work is mostly done.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The only thing left was to monitor the whole shebang. Perhaps I had been a bit too generous, especially with a certain two-legged species! It was all a matter of choice though. If they wanted to, they could create heaven… or hell!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The way things are going though, looks like I might have to step in. All that intelligence, and still… they seem headed for mass suicide!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Where, my dear God, did you go wrong?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6696766417030363690-2970490037985534482?l=thetwiceborn.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/feeds/2970490037985534482/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6696766417030363690&amp;postID=2970490037985534482' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default/2970490037985534482'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6696766417030363690/posts/default/2970490037985534482'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://thetwiceborn.blogspot.com/2008/10/journal.html' title='The Journal'/><author><name>Raj m chalil</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18337113250033881205</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry></feed>
