One day Moses came down from Mount Arafat and gave the world the 10 Commandments.
Then some Mahatma of Christian faith gave us 8 deadly sins (Shoot.. did we not have enough of numbers and things to be scared of? Have you not seen books like 5 ways to riches, 7 things to do to avoid bankcruptcy, 9 things you must do before you kick the bucket, 6 lessons to learn about divorce, 11 reasons to kill your mother in law etc.,etc..)???.
A kind pope thought that 7 was a lucky number and concluded that avarice could be combined with another deadly sin. So, better make it 7 deadly sins instead of 8. Thanks to this Pope we have only 7 Deadly Sins...
As I understand life, there are only 3 deadly sins.
These are lack of education or knowledge, lack of compassion and then lack of drive or motivation.
These 3 deadly sins lead to all other sins that religions tells us about.
I am assuming that your cultural values are in place. So while Culture, Religion etc are in place, these are the three things (knowledge, compassion and drive) that you MAY be in control of..These will set you free...
What you are not in control of should not bother you anyway...right?
Today is 31st May of 2010., It is Baby Chachaji’s birthday (Ravi Saxena, my uncle and well loved one at that)..
I dedicate this post to him. Age is just a number. I pray that for Baby Chachaji and for all whom I know, age come slowly, gracefully and with health.
Those who give love to others, get it back in multiples.
Prayers and Best Wishes.
Namaskaar.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
In the Presence of Greatness...
A few years ago, I was listening to nothing in particular on the radio when in a strong, deep and sonorous voice, someone started singing an Italian classic. I don’t understand Italian but was hooked immediately. I later found that the singer was Andrea Bocelli.
I promptly dispatched my secretary to MPH store to get a CD and since then I have been an ardent fan.
One of my few “Publicly Announced” goals for 2010 was to attend a live concert by Andrea Bocelli. As luck would have it, I didn’t have to wait long or travel far to Italy.
While surfing the net, last month, I found that Mr. Bocelli was to perform in Singapore. Further probing revealed that the concert was sponsored and fully booked by YTL, a construction company. Attendance was by invitation only. In other words, if you bought a highly overpriced YTL apartment in Singapore, you will be given a couple of tickets for the concert. Dead end for me since I am in no mood to buy an apartment in Singapore for US$ 2 million.
Now, these big time artists don’t come all the way from Tuscany to Singapore for a single concert. So I surfed further and found that the next stop for the Great Tenor was Hong Kong, before he went to Taipei and then back to Italy.
Good old Hong Kong ! Dynamic Hong Kong! Good food ! After 15 years ! (And Mae has never been there before). I promptly booked the concert seats for Mae and self, booked the flight and the hotel.
On 4th of May 2010 I achieved my goal and heard Andrea Bocelli singing live from less than 15 meters away from where we were seated, right in front of the stage.
Hong Kong exhibition and convention centre was full to the brim. 15 thousand people ensured that not a single seat was vacant. The program was for 90 short minutes.
At 8pm the Master took the stage. From the minute he started, we sat suspended in time, misty eyed and enthralled. There is something about this man. When he sings, you know that you are in the presence of Greatness.
When Celine Dion was asked about Andrea Bocelli, after she sang a duet with him, she commented “If God had a voice, He would probably sound like Andrea Bocelli”. I can assure you that she was spot on the target.
For more that 2 hours, with many encores, the Master had us spellbound.
An experience that I shall never forget. Songs from Tuscan Skies, Vivre, Incanto, Faust and Carmen to name a few.
The simplicity of the man is amazing. Small frame, slim and thin, but with a voice that is as deep as a well and as strong as can be. Bocelli switches from opera music to modern and pop as easily as snapping fingers. Can you imagine someone switching from “Canto della terra” to “Can’t help falling in love with you” (Elvis)?
Friends, listen to his songs. My words are too feeble to describe what I experienced.
For those who would like to visit his web site, the address is :
www.andreabocelli.com
Soon I shall be posting photographs of the concert on my facebook.
Till then...
Ciao
I promptly dispatched my secretary to MPH store to get a CD and since then I have been an ardent fan.
One of my few “Publicly Announced” goals for 2010 was to attend a live concert by Andrea Bocelli. As luck would have it, I didn’t have to wait long or travel far to Italy.
While surfing the net, last month, I found that Mr. Bocelli was to perform in Singapore. Further probing revealed that the concert was sponsored and fully booked by YTL, a construction company. Attendance was by invitation only. In other words, if you bought a highly overpriced YTL apartment in Singapore, you will be given a couple of tickets for the concert. Dead end for me since I am in no mood to buy an apartment in Singapore for US$ 2 million.
Now, these big time artists don’t come all the way from Tuscany to Singapore for a single concert. So I surfed further and found that the next stop for the Great Tenor was Hong Kong, before he went to Taipei and then back to Italy.
Good old Hong Kong ! Dynamic Hong Kong! Good food ! After 15 years ! (And Mae has never been there before). I promptly booked the concert seats for Mae and self, booked the flight and the hotel.
On 4th of May 2010 I achieved my goal and heard Andrea Bocelli singing live from less than 15 meters away from where we were seated, right in front of the stage.
Hong Kong exhibition and convention centre was full to the brim. 15 thousand people ensured that not a single seat was vacant. The program was for 90 short minutes.
At 8pm the Master took the stage. From the minute he started, we sat suspended in time, misty eyed and enthralled. There is something about this man. When he sings, you know that you are in the presence of Greatness.
When Celine Dion was asked about Andrea Bocelli, after she sang a duet with him, she commented “If God had a voice, He would probably sound like Andrea Bocelli”. I can assure you that she was spot on the target.
For more that 2 hours, with many encores, the Master had us spellbound.
An experience that I shall never forget. Songs from Tuscan Skies, Vivre, Incanto, Faust and Carmen to name a few.
The simplicity of the man is amazing. Small frame, slim and thin, but with a voice that is as deep as a well and as strong as can be. Bocelli switches from opera music to modern and pop as easily as snapping fingers. Can you imagine someone switching from “Canto della terra” to “Can’t help falling in love with you” (Elvis)?
Friends, listen to his songs. My words are too feeble to describe what I experienced.
For those who would like to visit his web site, the address is :
www.andreabocelli.com
Soon I shall be posting photographs of the concert on my facebook.
Till then...
Ciao
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