At

At whose
Altar, did
You go,
My dear
Tom Alter?

If you went
To heaven,
Did you ask
God: did You
Ever falter..??


http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/the-life-and-times-of-tom-alter-4868010/

http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/tom-alter-tribute-4867998/

http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/actor-tom-alter-dead-passes-away-67-padma-shri-awardee-skin-cancer-mumbai-4867895/




Lonely
Embed from Getty Images

I'm so
Lonely
Even
Loneliness
Feels lonely
With me

Never

I never knew
Sixteen million
People have read
My poem.

Thanks to Peter James
Who mentioned my poem
In one of his books.

This book of his
Has sold sixteen
Million copies.

I didn't know this
For I haven't read
Any of his thirty-two books.

https://www.peterjames.com/books/

Kena Jaye

Hope you like this latest blog of mine that features some products used by me and my family.

http://kenajaye.blogspot.co.uk/

I've titled it in Bengali as "Kena Jaye" which means "can be bought"

Hence, these products can also be bought by you if you like them as much as we do.

In the coming days, I'll be adding some more products, as and when I remember them or reuse them.

As all these goods have been bought from UK, hence you can google them out and see if these are also available in your country.

Either one of your local hypermarkets would be selling them, or you might get them on Amazon, eBay, Flipkart, etc.

Earlier this year we went to India where temperatures were peaking at 43 degrees and last month we went to Italy and Switzerland where it was summer and so we had to endure highs of over 30 degrees at some places. It was difficult going out in the blazing sun and so we chose to go out in the evenings and come back to our hotel late at night.

We stayed in Novotel Malpensa which was very near to the airport and the hotel provided shuttle service.

From the airport we could get direct coaches to Milan and Stresa in Italy and Lugano in Switzerland.

All the 3 places were an hour's drive from the airport. Though car hire would have been cheaper for a family of four but we decided not to hire a car but go for those buses which are very well-equipped, punctual and reliable and thus enjoyed the scenic beauty of the countryside and cities while being driven around....

We visited Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano surrounded by beautiful green hills and valleys.

From Milano Malpensa Airport you can get Terravision buses to Milan Central Station.

From this airport you can also get Alibus shuttle to Stresa and Jet Bus to Lugano.

All these buses including the hotel shuttle service come to Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
____________________________________________

Here are some serene pics of Lugano for you to see :-)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/aparnaonline/albums/72157688100625746

What I must mention is this wonderful product that always made me feel fresh both in India and in Italy despite the soaring temperatures.

Secret Deodorant Outlast Clear Gel Sport Fresh

http://kenajaye.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/secret-deodorant-outlast-clear-gel.html

It's such a superb deodorant that I've stopped using all the others that I used in the past.

It really does what it says. My most favourite deodorant till date and I'm now committed to it.

I bought this from Amazon. See if you can get it. No harm in trying and you'll thank me if you like it :-)

I've been using this for nearly a year as I first bought it late last year.
________________________________________________________

Also, as winter is now approaching, let me mention that Vaseline works well for dry lips.

http://kenajaye.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Vaseline

Diprobase works well for dry hands

http://kenajaye.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Diprobase

and Sanex is really good to keep dryness at bay.

http://kenajaye.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Sanex

I don't suffer much from dryness as much as my hubby and children do as they go out more often than I do.
_________________________________________________________

Hope you like this new playlist I made on Saira Banu. Some lovely songs have been picturised on her.

She's one of my favourite actresses. She did her schooling in UK before going to Bombay for her film career.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAP2Wr4O1JaltnfmNop0ZpdoGl6lsJjw2

Her husband, the veteran actor Dilip Kumar has been ailing for a long time.

I wish them both courage, strength and resilience during these hard times.
______________________________________________________________

And now it's Quotes Time - Happy Quoting :-)

The more room you give yourself to express your true thoughts and feelings, the more room there is for your wisdom to emerge. - Marianne Williamson

The essential conditions of everything you do must be choice, love, passion. - Nadia Boulanger

The six best doctors: sunshine, water, rest, air, exercise, and diet. - Wayne Fields

There is no greater wealth in this world than peace of mind. - Anon

When you say 'Yes' to others, make sure you are not saying 'No' to yourself. - Paulo Coelho

I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine. - Bruce Lee

The only way to do great work is to love what you do. - Steve Jobs

Good bosses care about getting important things done. Exceptional bosses care about their people. - Jeff Haden

When life comes to a standstill, poetry keeps me going.... - Aparna Chatterjee

Like a sandcastle, all is temporary. Build it, tend it, enjoy it. And when the time comes, let it go. - Jack Kornfield

'It’s impossible,’ said pride. ‘It’s risky,’ said experience. ‘It’s pointless,’ said reason. ‘Give it a try,’ whispered the heart. - Anon

We’ll light the candle together when she’s ready. For now I’ll trust the darkness for us both. - Terri St. Cloud



Till next time, goodbye and good luck :-)

Yours,
Aparna

Picture Quote sourced from Tiny Buddha dot Com

Monsoon Magic :-)

A Musical Playlist of Rainy Songs

You can access the full list of songs here

Happy Seeing and Happy Sharing :-)

For You :-)

For those of you who love reading just like I do, here's a new page of Articles just for you :-)

Psyche

http://please-peruse.blogspot.co.uk/p/psyche.html

It has some very interesting topics on issues related to psychology - the subject in which I did my Masters and even pursued MPhil but at the end of the course after attending all the classes I couldn't give my MPhil exams because of some debilitating illness. My professors had high hopes from me and so did I, as I had topped the batch in both the years of Masters. But as they say, Man proposes, God disposes :-)

Interestingly, I didn't have Psychology in my school syllabus. It wasn't given as an option. But I chose Psychology for my undergraduate and postgraduate studies because during my schooling, I got hold of an NCERT book on Psychology and that made me fall for the subject - hook, line and sinker :-)

Even in my graduation, I did well, though not as well as I did in my post-graduation. I came 4th in Delhi University at the end of my Honours course as compared to my 1st position in my MA course when I got the gold medal. I was always an Arts (Humanities) student. In school, my parents asked me to take up science because they wanted me to become a doctor or an engineer. But except Biology, I didn't like any of the other subjects. So they thought I should take up Commerce. But that also didn't interest me. When I took up humanities (English, History, Political Science, Geography and Economics), I simply loved it, and when you love something, you do your best :-) and so I topped in my XIIth batch (school-leaving exam).

Even now, after so many years of leaving formal education, I still have a penchant for reading and writing and esp. for my favourite subject - Psychology.

I always keep in touch with what is happening in the 'world of mind' - how our thoughts affect our feelings and perceptions, how we do what we do and why we do....the variances in perspectives and the way you and me differ in our behaviour - is it to do with heredity or our environment or our upbringing or a bit of everything ;-)

How life's situations shape us, change us....I'm not the same person as I was 3 decades ago. Life's experiences have moulded me and I'm sure it holds true for you too. We all morph at our own pace.

So if you want to know why you are so nicely behaved :-) and I'm so badly behaved ;-) you need to see Psyche.

http://please-peruse.blogspot.co.uk/p/psyche.html

It will give you some precious insights into our personalities.

I'll keep updating it with some more nice reads from some of my favourite sites.
__________________________________________________

And now it's Quotes Time :-) This is dedicated to Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) as most of the quotes here are by him.

Why are all the angels white? Why ain't there no black angels? - Muhammad Ali

At home I am a nice guy but I don't want the world to know. Humble people, I've found, don't get very far. - Muhammad Ali

I only said I was the greatest, not the smartest. -  Muhammad Ali (writing in his autobiography about the US Army measuring his IQ at 78)

It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up. -  Muhammad Ali (when asked by the New York Times in 1977 if he would miss boxing)

Boxing is a lot of white men watching two black men beat each other up. - Muhammad Ali

Maybe my Parkinson's is God's way of reminding me what is important. It slowed me down and caused me to listen rather than talk. Actually, people pay more attention to me now because I don't talk as much. - Muhammad Ali

The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life. - Muhammad Ali

The tragedy of human history is decreasing happiness in the midst of increasing comforts. - Swami Chinmayananda

A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he bites off more than he can chew. - Herb Caen (1916 - 1997)

Sometimes I feel a little sad because I can see how some things I said could upset some people. But I did not deliberately try to hurt anyone. The hype was part of my job, like skipping rope. -  Muhammad Ali (asked in 2004 what he thought when he looked back on the boxer he was)

My happiness grows in direct proportion to my acceptance, and in inverse proportion to my expectations. - Michael J. Fox

Emotions are temporary states of mind. Don’t let them permanently destroy you. - Anon

Grief is not a disorder, a disease or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, physical and spiritual necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve. - Dr. Earl A. Grollman

You’re impacted by stress, and you bounce back but you’re going to have scars and your health is compromised. - Rhonda Berry, president and chief executive of Our City Forests in San Jose

I'm an alcoholic. I'm a drug addict. I'm homosexual. I'm a genius. Of course, I could be all four of these dubious things and still be a saint. - Truman Capote (1924 - 1984)

I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. - Rita Rudner

Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim. - Vicki Harrison

The test of a man's or woman's breeding is how they behave in a quarrel. Anybody can behave well when things are going smoothly. - George Bernard Shaw

I hated every minute of training, but I said, "Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion". - Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay)

Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent. - Marilyn Vos

All men’s misfortunes spring from their hatred of being alone. - Jean de la Bruyere

Don’t quit because something went wrong. Quit because you tried your hardest and nothing made it better. - Anon

Don’t let your fear of what could happen make nothing happen. - Doe Zantamata

Those whom we love don't go away, they walk beside us every day. - Anon

Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success. - Swami Sivananda

Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God. - Leo Buscaglia

And if the above is not enough for you, then here are some Pix Quotes just for you :-)

http://please-peruse.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/quotes.html

That's a lot of sharing for now.

Adios,
AC :-)

----

U R welcome on News Atom :-)
http://newsatom.blogspot.co.uk/

YouTube Playlists - Happy Playing :-)
https://www.youtube.com/user/playingplaylists/playlists

The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace. - Mahatma Gandhi 

Nutan :-)

Nutan
Means
New :-)

A name
Befitting
Her charming
Face full of
Grace :-)
As she
Always looks
New :-)
In every hue
In my view :-)


Here are 2 interesting articles on her

Lady Nutan

http://www.letstalkaboutbollywood.com/article-lady-nutan-123811442.html

Nutan - The Wife

http://cineplot.com/data/nutan-2.html

What amazed me about her was that she was a hunter. She shot and skinned panthers (leopards).

She has such dainty, feminine and ethereal looks. It was hard for me to imagine her going on hunting trips to kill animals.

As they say, appearances are deceptive ;-)

In 1959, she married a naval officer. He was very supportive of her career and post-marriage, she did many good movies.

Besides Padma Shri, she has won many Filmfare awards for being a brilliant actress.

In 1991, she died of cancer at age 54. Her son Mohnish Bahl is a character actor.

Nutan's mother was the actress Shobhna Samarth with whom she broke all ties for more than 2 decades (because of a family feud) but reconciled when she got diagnosed with cancer. She had also missed her father as her parents had separated when she was a child. Her sister Tanuja was also a talented actress of her times and of course, Tanuja's daughter Kajol has given us some stellar performances in so many movies. So it seems, it's all in the genes :-)

Here's a 'nutan' (new) playlist dedicated to this versatile actress - Nutan

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAP2Wr4O1Jam9BfzIms5-El14ALO1M2p4

Hope you enjoy :-) I'll add more songs, as and when I find them.

BTW in Bengali, we call the word Nutan as Notun :-)

So have you seen this Notun playlist on the lyricist Sameer?! :-)

I did hyperlink it in my last blog.

If you missed it, here it is

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAP2Wr4O1JanvaFNycLbMCH7Q0_uAowEM

Sameer has written more than 3500 songs.

I'll be adding some more songs to this playlist, as and when I find the best out of the rest :-)

Here also, it is the case of 'being in the genes'. Sameer is the son of noted Hindi writer Anjaan (Lalji Pandey) who's given us some superb songs like Dil Toh Hai Dil - Dil Ka Aetbaar Kya Keeje, O Saathi Re - Tere Bina Bhi Kya Jeena, Chhookar Mere Mann Ko - Kiya Tuney Kya Ishara, Na Jaane Kaise Pal Mein Badal Jaate Hain - Yeh Duniya Ke Badalte Rishtey, Kab Ke Bichhde Huwe Hum Aaj Kahan Aake Miley....

Sameer (Shitala Pandey) did his M.Com from BHU and worked as a Bank officer. But soon he realised that banking was not for him and his heart was in the world of words and feelings....and so he left his job and pursued his career as a lyric writer and now he's a Guinness world record holder for penning the highest number of film songs. He's been writing since 1983. My favourite lyricist has always been Anand Bakshi but I must say, that of late, I've taken a liking to Sameer's writing as I'm gradually discovering how well he writes :-) May he rise and shine forever more....

That's a lot of Bollywood for now.

Phir Milenge,
Take Care,
APARNA

--

Won't you come on News Atom?! :-)
http://newsatom.blogspot.co.uk/

Google Posting - Happy Perusing :-)
https://plus.google.com/117466581567846877904/posts

Doing your best is more important than being the best. - Zig Ziglar

Who's He?! :-)

He's a Nepali by birth and his DOB is 1st December, 1955.

In 1978, he came from Nepal to India and trained in classical music from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Mumbai.

Since 1980, he has been singing for Hindi movies and has sung for many actors including Salman, Aamir, Govinda, Akshay, SRK, Sanjay, Ajay and Hrithik.

He's sung over 25,000 songs in over 34 languages.

He's a recipient of Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.

I've always liked the uniqueness of his voice - so very fresh and youthful :-) and of course, I like the way he talks and smiles - so cute he looks :-)

He's had 2 marriages. His son Aditya is also a singer.

Well, if you still can't guess, who's he?! Let me say that it's U-N-J :-)

Udit Narayan Jha

Here's a playlist on some of his solos and duets from some Hindi movies.

Best of Udit :-)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAP2Wr4O1Jak3s8caCckCW0-ki6nu2-1q

Will add more, as and when I get some more nice audios and videos.
________________________________________________

Now, let me tell you about this nice News Atom that I've invented ;-)

No, I'm not a scientist nor an inventor, but a discoverer of sorts, a collector or rather a curator :-)

Well, it so happened that the 25 content sources that I was allowed to use on each of my 3 papers got curtailed to 10 because of the hosting company's cost-cutting, profit-making measures and so instead of deleting those links, I transferred them to my News Atom blog that is based on content curation to update you with regular information :-)

http://newsatom.blogspot.co.uk/

Hope you like it. If you do, please do share it :-)
_________________________________________________

That's a lot of writing for now. Let me just end this blog with some nice quotes for you :-)

Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them. - William Arthur Ward

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. - Joseph Chilton Pearce

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. - Buddha

I am driven not by words but by feelings. - Sameer Anjaan (Lyricist)

Each day we make deposits in the memory banks of our children. - Charles F. Swindoll

If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree. - Jim Rohn

Be an encourager. The world has plenty of critics already. - Dave Willis

If you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your path. - Buddha

It’s not about ‘having’ time. It’s about making time. If it matters, you will make time. - Anon


Cheers
Aparna

--
The AC Daily - Please See
https://paper.li/alwaysaparna/1319026420

AC's Favourites :-)
http://please-peruse.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/favourites.html

Musicians must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write if he's to be ultimately at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be. -  Abraham Maslow