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There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.

-J.R.R.Tolkien

Almost an year ago I took a chance - I took a break from my job, left the life I had been living for the past five years behind me, and joined a one year management course. I was definitely looking for something. Now, an year later, I am still looking, but the time left for looking has come to an end. In a few more days, the course will be over and I, in all likelihood, will be heading back to my old life.

So, was this a wastage of time?

This is a question I often ask myself. Would I have been better off if I had chosen not to look, and continued with my old life. When I discuss this question with my friends, I find that both sides have their supporters. Some of my friends feel that coming here was a mistake, while others feel that it was worth the time and trouble that it cost. One big factor for the disappointment is the current economic downturn that the world is facing. The recession has made it difficult for most people to find a job of their liking. So, most of us have to either go back to our old jobs, or take up a job that is less satisfying than the last job.

For me that is not a big factor. However, even I can't say that I found what I was looking for.

Yet, I am not disappointed. The reason is simple: While I was looking for the thing that I was trying to find - but couldn't find - I found many other things; things that I did not know I needed.

Today, as I was thinking of what to write, I chanced upon the above quote, and I thought how appropriate it was. Looking will always help you find something. Even if we take the quote in the most literal sense, I am sure all of us have examples of finding that long lost thing, when we were looking for those misplaced car keys. Have we not?

Looking, thus, is a great blessing. Let us hope that we never stop looking, at least not till we have found everything that can be found.

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There are so many things that make our lives simple, but, because they have always been there, we take them for granted. If we sit down to think and make a list of such things, the list could very well be endless. From the shoes we wear to the hats we don, everything is a blessing. One thing protects us from the stones and the thorns that might lie in our way. The other thing protects us from the harsh sun and the dust.

Whenever we need these things, we reach out and grab them. We never pause for one moment to think that maybe these things will not be there. For us these things have always been there, and will always be there. So, why be grateful for them?

But the fact is there are so many people out there who do not have access to even the most basic amenities of life. The much talked about and Oscar winning movie, Slum Dog Millionaire, became a spectacular success because of the way it depicted the life in the slums of Mumbai.

Though I can not comment on the authenticity of the life the movie depicts, it is safe to say that even if half of the things shown in the movie were true then a majority of humanity is living in conditions that can at best be described as sub-optimal.

So, this week I am thankful for all the simple things that I have always taken for granted, and which form an integral part of my life.

What is the one thing that is important to you, but you have always taken it for granted?

I am an animal lover, and I am very sure about that fact. When I see an insect, or a reptile, on TV I marvel at, and appreciate, the beauty of mother nature. I love to see the animals going about doing their thing in their natural habitat. However, I am not so sure about my love for animals when they choose to abandon their natural habitat, and decide to enter my domain, my bathroom to be more precise. That, putting it in the most simplest terms, freaks me out.

But let me begin from the start. Yesterday, I came back to my room after a few games of Table Tennis (some might know the game as ping-pong). It is not a tiring game, but Delhi weather in May being what it is, I was sweating profusely. Uncomfortable as it was, it also made me look forward to a nice, cold shower.

I enter the bathroom, hang my towel and underwear on the rack, and then I let out, what I am pretty sure, was one of the loudest screams I have ever screamed. Of course there were some expletives thrown in, but those are best not repeated here. The reason for the scream was that just as I had hung up my towel, something had jumped out at me. For a moment I thought I was being attacked by an invisible force. I think watching too many episodes of LOST and HEROES can do that to a person.

However, I soon saw what had actually come out at me. It was the smallest lizard I had ever seen in my life; a baby lizard, I guess. Before I could think rationally, I had to ensure that the lizard was as far away from me as was possible within the confines of the small bathroom. That done, I had a good look at the lizard. Should I kill it? Should I throw it out? Should I let it be?

These were questions that sprung to my mind. Not surprisingly, I was reminded of the lines from D. H. Lawrence's poem Snake, "If you were not afraid, you would kill him!"

But unlike the hero in the poem, I am too kind, and I couldn't bear to kill the little thing. The fact that I was a bit scared of the lizard had nothing to do with my decision. If you think how anyone can be scared of a lizard, and that too a little one, I would only ask you to try and be with one in the confines of a bathroom, and that too a small one.

In the meanwhile, the lizard - as if reading my thoughts - started moving towards me. It was time for action.

I yelled, again.

It worked. The lizard quickly changed direction and tried to climb up one of the walls. I thought that it was good riddance as that wall had a window near the top. But, what is not meant to happen, does not happen. The baby lizard found it hard to cling on to the slippery wall.

I was praying for the lizard to get out, but it slipped and fell very close to my feet. I jumped, and I think some yelling was involved too. This time the lizard, instead of running in a different direction, came towards me. Maybe, it had decided to fight, rather than fly.

In some quick moves it came very close to me. I was standing there, waving my arms wildly, and making some sounds that can't be really described here for want of words. After a few seconds of arm waving, the lizard moved in the direction where lay my toothbrush, and paste, and soap, and shampoo, and conditioner and...well you get the picture.

I knew that if I saw a lizard walking over my stuff with my own eyes, I would have to throw all of that stuff out. That lizard was going to cost me quite a lot.

Now, money is a strange thing. It tends to strangle whatever slivers of kindness and ethics one has. It has the same effect on me. I decided that I had to kill that little devil.

But, when I looked around, I found that there was nothing around that I could use to kill the beast. Brave as I had suddenly become, I still could not imagine myself killing a lizard with my bare hands. Doesn't their tail fall off, or something. That thought by itself was enough to gross me out. Somehow I made my legs move in the direction of the lizard, and that had a magical effect.

The lizard scrambled away, faster than I had seen it move in all evening. It ran quickly, and fear , it seemed, helped it in climbing the wall this time. It climbed up to a safe distance. It did not go out, but it seemed to me that it had managed to reach a safe height - a height from where she could not hurt me. After observing it for some time, I decided that it had given up all intentions of attacking me. I decided to go ahead and take my shower.

All the while I was showering, my eyes were focused on the lizard. It was moving all the time, but thankfully it stayed at a safe distance. After I was done, I quietly stepped out and locked the door behind me. I had made sure that the thing did not come close to any of my stuff, before I stepped out.

I went out and had my dinner, but all the while I was thinking about the lizard in my bathroom. The food had lost its taste, and the after-dinner walk had to be cut short. I quickly came back to my room and carefully stepped into the bathroom. But the lizard was no where to be found. I checked everywhere, but the coast seemed to be clear. I was glad, but it also made me wonder where the thing had gone. Where would it turn up next?

I didn't have long to wonder for as I stepped on to the balcony, I saw it lazing on the outer wall. It made me smile as now I did not have to worry about a lizard showing up in my bed. The lizard seemed to be smiling too. I wondered if that was because it had seen me naked!

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They say that time flies. Indeed it does.

I can very well remember the time when I was young. I believed that anything and everything was possible. Ghosts, fairies, miracles, angels, Santa Claus, anything.

Didn't we all believe at some point of time in our lives?

Then I began to grow up and realised that everything was not possible. Yet, the level of belief was still high. I still believed that most things in the world were possible. Then I grew up some more, and the full extent of the things that were possible - and that were not - dawned upon me.

Last week marked another mile stone in my life. I turned twenty-nine.

When I was young - about 12 or 13 - 29 seemed like an really old age, but now that I have reached that age myself, 29 doesn't seem that old at all. Age, I guess, is just a number after all.

Birthdays, however, are important days in our lives. Not only do they remind us of passing time, they also help us in breaking our lives down into manageable time periods, where we can set targets for ourselves, achieve them, and move on.

But it does not always happen that we are able to achieve all the targets that we set for ourselves. We might have a tendency to keep on doing what we had set out to do, even after we have failed at doing it a few times. Birthdays remind us that we do not have all the time in the world, that we need to rethink, and re-focus, and re-figure our goals.

So, this year, I have made a few changes to my goals and targets too. Let's hope that I am able to achieve them.

What do birthdays mean to you?

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I was on Twitter earlier and saw many Mother's Day messages posted there. I did some research, and soon found out that Mother's Day is celebrated on different days in different parts of the world. It comes as no surprise. A person as special as a mother should have a special day, every day of the year.

Out of all the people in the world that we take for granted, our mothers are the ones that always get taken for granted. Since they have been with us from the very first moment of our existence on Earth, we feel that they will always be there. This belief sometimes leads us to neglect the most important relationship that we have.

Celebrating days, like Mother's Day, is a good way to remember things which are easy to forget, especially with our lives becoming busier and tougher with every passing day. However, being busy and having a difficult life are no excuse for not doing the right thing. Therefore, if life happens and we are sidetracked from our main objective, reminders like Mother's Day are a great way to get back on track.

Here, are two songs from Hindi Movies that celebrate the spirit of Mother's Day. These songs are in Hindi, so my apologies to the non-Hindi speaking crowd. But, if you watch the videos you might just like them: