Hi ! Gals & Guys,

It’s been a long time I haven’t connected with you. Here I’m One-Piece present with my ‘Bucket List’. What do you have to say about it ?

·        Ride in a Hot Air Balloon

·        Run a Half-Marathon.

·        Get Six-pack

·        Learn Brail

·        Finish my Auto-Biography

·        Learn a Musical Instrument (Guitar)

·        Go for Tracking in a Jungle

·        Go for Rafting

·        Visit Taj Qutub Minar/ Taj Mahal

·        Say “hi” to Mona Lisa

·        Visit All the States of India

·        Write a Book for Children

·        Start a School for Under-privileged Children

·        Read One Book Every Month

·        Get One More College-Degree

·        Build a Children’s Library

·        Make a Movie

·        Buy My Own House

·        Gift Roses to My Wife 1st day of Every Month in year 2009

·        Run 2 Kilometers Everyday for A Year

·        Write a Thank You Letter to All Who have Helped Me in My Life

Now The Time to Pass The Bucket.

I pass it on to : Waseema, Renu, Tanu, Nikki, Nivia, Zebu , fozia, Sameera, Shalini ,  Ekta, Hina, Dinky. Put your list in the Bucket and you have a privilege to pass it on to others.

Have Fun !!!

J

It is an amazing movie. I wanted to tell you guys the story in my words. But then I found the following synopsis on Wikipedia.

Blue-collar mechanic Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) and billionaire hospital magnate Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) meet for the first time in the hospital after both have been diagnosed with cancer. They become friends as they undergo their respective treatments. Carter is a gifted amateur historian and family man who had wanted to become a history professor, but in his youth had been "broke, black, and with a baby on the way" and thus never rose above his job at the McCreath body shop. Cole is a corporate tycoon, eccentric loner, four times divorced, who enjoys nothing more than tormenting his personal valet/servant, Matthew, whom he calls Thomas (Hayes). He quickly befriends Carter, making Matthew serve Carter as well as him and ordering his doctor (Morrow) to familiarise himself with Carter's health.

Both are diagnosed with a year or less to live. Carter begins writing a "bucket list," or things to do before "he kicks the bucket." After hearing he has less than a year to live, Carter wads it up and tosses it on the floor. Matthew comes in the next morning and picks it up with other things that are on the floor. Cole finds it among the items and reads it. Cole pushes Carter (by suggesting he add things like seeing the world, sky diving, "fun things," etc.), and promises to finance the trip. Despite the protests of his wife, Virginia (Todd), Carter eagerly agrees.

The pair then begin an around-the-world vacation, embarking on race car driving, sky diving, climbing the Pyramids, and going on lion safari in Africa. Along the way they discuss faith and family, and learn from each other that Carter has long been feeling less in love with his wife and Cole is deeply hurt by his estrangement with his only daughter, who disowned him after he sent some people to "take care" of her abusive husband.

In Hong Kong, Cole hires a prostitute (Rowena King) for Carter , who has never had sex with any other woman than his wife, but Carter declines, finding that the love he had for his wife is still strong. He asks to return home, and in gratitude for helping him, he tries to reunite Cole with his daughter. Cole lacks the courage to face her, however. He angrily storms off and Carter returns home to his wife, children, and grandchildren.

The family reunion is short lived. In the preparation for a romantic interlude with his wife, Carter suffers a seizure and is rushed to the hospital. The cancer has spread to his brain. Cole, who is now in complete remission, visits him there, and they share a few moments together where Carter reveals the origin of the "world's most rare coffee" (Kopi Luwak), along with the factors that contribute to its unique aroma and taste. They share a good laugh and Carter crosses off "laugh till I cry" and insists Cole finish the list without him. Carter then goes into surgery, but the procedure is unsuccessful and he dies on the table.

Cole delivers a eulogy at his funeral, explaining that he and Carter had been complete strangers mere months before his death, but that the last three month's of Carter's life were the best three months of his (Cole's life). He then crosses "help a complete stranger for a common good" off the list. This list item was one that Carter added. Cole says Carter had helped him (Cole), a complete stranger, with Carter knowing it before he (Cole) did. We see Edward finally attempt to reconcile with his daughter. Much to his surprise and joy, she not only accepts him back into her life, but she also introduces him to the granddaughter he never knew he had and he crosses "kiss the most beautiful girl in the world" off the list.

Cole goes on to live to 81 years of age. When he finally passes away, he has his ashes, which were placed inside a Chock full o'Nuts coffee can, placed alongside Carter's, also in the same type of can, on the top of Mount Everest, which Carter (who has been narrating the film) mentions that Cole would have liked, as it was against the law. Matthew does this and as he does so he crosses off the last item on the Bucket List (witness something truly majestic) and places it with them and closes the small black box and reburies it in the snow. This closing makes it unclear whether Carter's ashes initially arrived during a trip made by Cole, or through Cole's behest.

Carter & Cole’s Bucket-List

Witness something truly majestic

Help a complete stranger for a common good

Laugh till I cry

Drive a Shelby Mustang

Kiss the most beautiful girl in the world

Get a tattoo

Skydiving

Visit Stonehenge

Spend a week at Louvre

See Rome

See the pyramids

Get back in touch (previously "Hunt the big cat")

The Big Question:  Will you make your bucket-list and share it with iLanders?

PS.: I’m working on my bucket-list.

Which Intelligent Person Created this Questionnaire?

(Waseema, you have to answer this question? After all you are the one who tagged me and pushed me into this. I don’t believe it that I am actually doing it, even though initially I wasn’t fired up about it.)

LAST MOVIE IN A THEATRE: Rock On!!

WHAT BOOK R U CURRENTLY READING: “I kissed dating good-bye” by Joshua Harris ( Now don’t ask me why am I reading this?)

FAV BOARD GAME: I don’t believe in playing games, board or no board (My philosophy: No Games, Guys! Only Sports.)

FAV MAGAZINE: Business & Economy (OK, Now don’t give that look.)

FAV SMELLS: I am allergic to any smell (fragrance or stench makes no difference)

FAV SOUNDS: I like quietness, peace and tranquility

WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD: Rejection

FIRST THING U THINK WHEN U WAKE UP: I should still sleep for ½ hr. more. (25 mins. more than Waseema.)

FAV FAST FOOD PLACE: Anywhere where the food is yum (Sorry again, but it is not a copy)

FUTURE CHILD'S NAME: Diya Agnisharma (if she is a girl); Kabir Agnisharma (if he is a Boy)

IF I HAD LOT OF MONEY: If it is more than Rs. One Crore, I will donate 90% and keep 10% for me

DO U DRIVE FAST: I have others to drive, and my simple instruction for them is: “Go Slow and Steady”.

DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL: What a silly question! (I think this is put here for girls.)

STORMS - COOL OR SCARY: Storms of what? Storms of life or Natural storms? Be specific guys!

FAV DRINK: Aqua anytime! J ! (Hi! Waseema)

IF I HAD THE TIME I WUD: Finish my auto-biography

DO U EAT BROCCOLI STEMS: Every time we buy. ( Any Problem?)

IF U CUD DYE UR HAIR , WAT COLOR: Salt & Pepper (They don’t have it yet in the market. Waiting for old age to get them naturally)

DIFFERENT CITIES U HAVE LIVED IN: Delhi; Lucknow; Guwahati; Ranchi; Kolkata; Kathmandu (What’s the point?)

FAV SPORTS: Cricket (recently I started liking Tennis—credit goes to Sania Mirza)

WATS UNDER UR BED: Six Big Suitcases (I have to keep them for lack of space in the house and you never know when I will be moving to new city)

WAT WOULD U LIKE TO B BORN AS: Rebirth? I don’t believe in it. (Aadmi ek baar jeeta hai, ek baar marta hai, pyar bhi ek baar or shaadi bhi ek baar.)

MORNIN PERSON OR NIGHT OWL: I am at my best in the night, a habit formed in my school and college days. Mom had a tough time those days; now my wife is having trouble; I am happy my son is walking in my footsteps. Can we hang out tonight in my place?

FAV PLACE TO RELAX: Physically, mentally, or emotionally? Be specific guys! Physically: On my bed (Aur kahaan!); mentally: In a library (with lots of books); emotionally: Home (with my wife)

OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP: Over Easy! (Give me a break!)

FAV ICE-CREAMS FLAVOUR: Always ‘Butterscotch’

WHO WUD UR DRM DATE B: Can I have more than one? Sonia Gandhi, Amrita Rao, Vidya Balan, Soha Ali Khan, Sania Mirza, Sushmita Sen, Pooja Bhatt ( Not necessarily in this order. Vaise Waseema, Renu, Tanu, Nikki, Nivia, Zebu , fozia, Saakshee, Sameera, Shalini , ANWESHA, Kim, Ekta, Hina, Dinky bhi chalegi. Agar main kisi ko bhool gaya hoon, then remember: To Err Is Human, To Forgive Is Divine. What a chance you have to be divine!)

R U A VEGGIE: I am! But I can eat non-veg., depends on who cooks it.

DO U SLEEP IN THE BUFF: I don’t answer silly questions. Why should I ?

HW MUCH TIME DID U SPEND ANSWERIN THESE: I didn’t keep track of time

DID U HAVE FUN DOIN THIS: Ummm… Do you want me to tell the truth?

DO U THNK THIS IS THE LAST QUESTION: Why? Is it some kind of trick question?

Hey! After I had gone thru this pain, am I supposed to pass it on to other people too? I think Renu Ayyar , ekta , tanushree, Nikki Tasha, Nivia Dogra, Zebunissa, Veena Hari , sushama julka , fozia aziz, leena, Rakshita Verma, Priya, swati rohatgi, Reshma Thakkar, Namrata Srivastava, beena john, Saakshee I , lolly  , Ritika Kapur  , Seena Vincent , manisha sharma ,mamita nayak  , Preeti Pandey  , Harsha, Vaidehi, Sameera Nandi, Shalini K , ANWESHA, Suvas Dutt , kim agrawal  , Ramya, Tanishka , ekta  ,  Ayushi Sharma  , sweety, Uma Nair  , Mira Iyer, Hina Rizvi  , manisha, rajeswari tk  , dinky royal  , pinki rawat  , Neelanshi Sharma  , Sangeeta K  , Rajlaxmi Choudhury  should be next if they are not tagged yet.

Did I leave anyone?

{This post is for my friend Zebu. She did a great job by raising a question (which is also the title of her recent post: What were they thinking when that happened! Please, do read it at: http://zebu1.rediffiland.com/blogs/2008/09/16/What-were-they-thinking-when-that-h.html She thought my response was rude and warned me not to write her back. So I am choosing to scream and cry on the square of iLand if she could hear my voice.}

Zebu,

You may think I am a shameless guy who despite being warned not to "repeat your 3 mistakes on net by replying me" by you, mustering the courage to write this. I felt as if you pierced my heart with dagger, my friend. But believe me I am writing with very heavy and bleeding heart and tears in my eyes.

1st, please, accept my Apologies for sounding rude though that was not my intention behind those words.

2ndly, Zebu, I am not obliged to share with you but your message on my guest book has invoked such strong emotions that I have to share it with you in response to your question: "have u ever met someone who has gone thru such stuff?????? "

At the age of 5 one of my neighborhood-person whom I used to call uncle abused me repeatedly for a year until he moved from my locality. He used to threaten me with serious consequences and I believed he was capable doing harm to me. Other time my own maternal uncle, my mom’s own brother, who came to visit us and as a small boy I was put to sleep with him tried to use me as a sex-object. I was never able to have any kind of relationship with him till date.

I have grown up feeling shame and dirty and useless violated of my innocence never making friends with people even in class (in school); always shivering with a gentle touch of a teacher even if it was in appreciation of what I did in my academics; I never thought in my college years making any girl friend because sometimes I thought they deserved someone better than me, other times I thought what if they come to know my abuse. I hated my body, my face, and my sexual organs. It stole my self-esteem, my self-worth. I even thought of committing suicide, but then I was a coward for such an act.

It was only when I met a person when I was 25 years old and doing my final year of law from Delhi University that I was able to share with him the mental trauma I was suffering with and he provided me his help, and I was able to find the dignity of my own. His wife was also one of the victims of sexual-abuse as a young girl. He is my messiah. He respected me no matter who I was and what I felt about my self.

Will you believe it- the girl whom I married, who is my wife now, my sweet-heart, the mother of my son and I love her next to God, is also a victim of sexual-abuse at a very tender age and I have not been able to help her whenever she goes back to the memory of that experience of hell even now. I shared my abuse to her when we were dating. And she shared her with me.

My response to your post came in very few words and it was nothing but the ex-pression of my frustration. It was never meant to be rude.

Please, believe me.

{Friends, I am not expecting any comments for this post.}

Hi guys!

What I am going to write here should be taken in a good spirit. For your kind information I condemn all kind of violence whether by terrorists or guardians of a particular religion. I also believe that terrorists or so-called guardians of religion actually have nothing to do with religion.

But just a thought crossed my mind this morning. In India whenever a bomb blast happens and kills innocent people, some or other outfit claiming to be follower of Allah and doing his will only, takes the responsibility for such bomb blasts. And yet you will not see any violence against Muslims and Mosques in the aftermath of those bomb blasts. It shows that people understand these so-called followers of Allah has nothing to do with Islam and so they refrain from attacking Muslims and their worship places because of the wrong-doing of these fundamentalist forces.. I highly appreciate such understanding and insight on the part of people.

But on the other hand I also see same people taking such a serious offence on the part of Christians who are always accused of converting people and so they are attacked and their worship places are violated. So far I have never found any authentic report about forcible conversions yet this is what happens. (I want to make it clear here that I personally do not support forced conversions and conversions encouraged by monetary or any other kind of help).

Now the thought that crossed my mind was: if people can be so sensible towards Muslim community and their religious places while some so-called Muslims are planting bombs and killing people, why can't they show some self- restrain and same sensitivity towards Christians and Churches? At least we have never seen fundamentalist Christians planting bombs and killing innocent people.

What do you think? Plz post your views or write me directly to: rameshagnisharma@rediffmail.com

“So how are you guys doing?”

It was a regular question. A question so often asked that it seemed to have lost its meaning in our talks no matter how well it meant to be. We had already predicted this question and given a thought about how are we going to respond to this question. It was our discipling time visit to Kolkata. We had visited numerous times before also for our discipling times, sometimes we were called and other times we had ourselves initiated this kind of visits. We boarded the Hatia-Hawrah Express train the night before from Ranchi and reached Hawrah station at 7 a.m. in the morning. From there we took a taxi and came to Roger and Susan’s home.

Roger had gone out to drop the kids at school and Susan was there. We had some tea and break fast and then we had some time to freshen up. By the time it was afternoon Roger was free from his busy schedule and we were told that we will be going somewhere out and spend time over there. And that’s how we landed up being at and sitting in Café Coffee Day. After we decided what we are going to have this was the first question that was shot up by Roger.

We had not been doing so well mentally and emotionally on the ministry front. We were leading this church in Ranchi city for almost 4 years. The church was definitely not in a very good shape when we had taken the responsibility to overseer it. The number of people who joined the church was in a sharp contrast very less than the number of people who had left. Except a few people everyone else in the leaders’ group were new people and had no deep understanding of spiritual leadership which definitely was not because of their fault. As people who were there in the leadership started leaving the leadership roles they were playing, these news guys had to step in to fill the gap without much training or preparation. They were trying to do their best with whatever time they could afford which was definitely not enough. Evangelism was worst affected. Visitors count was still ok. People had become more worried about there future and their day today needs. On top of that we had just witnessed a rebellion and some 13 people leaving due to that.

We had this one couple and this one single guy engineering this exodus of some already-struggling-in-their-spiritual-life 5 couples. They had started showing their true colours for quite a long time as they were in leadership group and all three of them had to be removed from leadership positions for their deceitful activities which they obviously never took positively. After a long tussle of much accusing and enough gossiping to satisfy their sinful appetite they left the congregation which they should have much earlier. It was because of the top leaders’ lenient attitude towards these people and lack of trust in local leadership that they were never confronted with hard-line expectations to repent from their divisive activities and so they were moving around in the fellowship openly. They made use of every single day to influence as many people as possible before they left and they were pretty successful in their efforts as 13 people including them were almost 1/5^th of the total strength of the church.

It was another reason that we were not so fired up. Not because they left rather the way they were handled in the church before they left. I definitely did not show much courage in dealing with those snakes in the God’s Eden garden and tried to depend on others who were above me and had no first hand clue about these miscreants. My wife had much better perspective and foresight about these three and she tried to help me but I was into more of working under hierarchy system. And it took me a while to figure things out and understand that I was a misfit into all this. Now it may be a conclusion arrived at in an emotional state of mind or may be a tired and defeated spirit in the face of pressure that I had felt during dealing with all these hard situations but I had made up my mind—this is it.

Roger asked this question and as he is in the habit of having long pauses between each of his sentences as if he is trying to think something before he wants to say another line, he was looking at us.

“That’s a good question,” I decided to take the lead here.

Susan looked at me with her quizzical eyes. I started meditating on what I was about to say and what Alva and I had already given thought to.

“I’m struggling to lead the church in Ranchi. And I’m thinking I don’t know if I should be working in full time ministry or I should be doing something else. I don’t know…”

It wasn’t 1^st time I was saying these kinds of words in a period of last 9 months. I think I had expressed my struggle with Roger at least twice before.

Now Roger looked at Alva. Same question and more or less similar answer followed.

Roger looked down. I thought he is going to say some encouraging words as he has done before whenever my wife or I have expressed our discouragements and struggle to quit the full-time ministry. He had always upheld the belief that we should never quit full-time ministry unless it is God’s plan for us. I had always wondered how on earth I am going to know whether God wants me to lead or leave.

Roger lifted up his gaze and spoke, “Even trustees have decided to relieve you guys from your ministerial duties.”

I have commited many mistakes in my life. But I am not going to share all of them here. I have committed mistakes in home...in college...in work places...in my marriage life...as a father to one son... with ralatives & friends. But what I am going to share here are 3 mistakes I have committed on "iLand"...ironically, the 3rd one is I am in the process of commiting-yes! posting this post. Then what are the other two?

Here they are:

1/ I visited an iland and posted a comment ( or criticism ) of the post posted by that ilander. Well, amazing thing is this that many other people have written good, appreciative comments on the same post. It was a post where someone had posted a few lines from a Hindi movie song with a picture along side. I felt something and I wrote....That was my 1st mistake.

2/ Then followed a string of messages between the ilander who posted that post and me. That was all Ok. It happens all the time. But then entered another ilander who was I thinking closely following our communication, and he posted a comment on my GB. After reading his comment I wrote him a mail. That was my 2nd mistake.

Wanna know what happened in detail - read yourself !

***

This is my original comment to the post:

ramesh agnisharma said...

11:30 PM | 2/Jun/08 |

well, these lines are from a very famous Hindi Movie song and I don''t understand why you stole them from there and looting all Wah Wahi from every one here??? any way...write something original, authentic and your own. (Read shikha's post at http://terracotta.rediffiland.com/blogs/2008/05/19/Aakhon-mein-nasha-cha-jata-ha.html )

then follows the string of back and forth comments and mails:

shikha said...

12:36 PM | 3/Jun/08 |

Ramesh, Thank you for your comments. Yes ofcourse these are lyrics from an old hindi song which probably everyone knows @, like you do. There''s nothing secretive @ it. I am not a poet to come up with something as original as this......but I definately can feel the same, although cannot express it that beautifully. Love finally is Love. Every heart feels the same while in love. So, what is wrong in borrowing some lyrics from a song, to express yourself??? Friends who are appreciating the blog are not necessarily appreciating the originality of the composition but the way it has been put here & my feelings which are originally true! You can also check out my other blogs wherein I have again used those hindi songs to express myself & I do not find it wrong in any of the ways. But If you feel so, you are kindly requested not to go through any of them & post those hurting comments anymore.

***

shikha |12:25:35 PM | 03/Jun/08

This is some of your own hidden complex that's surfacing itself. I am totally contended with myself & my blogs. And I am quite aware of where to show my courage & where not to.

***

ramesh agnisharma | 12:36:44 PM | 03/Jun/08

hey! this is getting too hot here... I just told you the truth...and initially yu accepted it...then what is this fuss about hidden complxes???

I am sorry...if i touched some wounds which i was not supposed to...but aren't we suppose to take all kinds of comments with positive attitude....??/? what say???

***

ramesh agnisharma | 12:39:18 PM | 03/Jun/08

as far as it goes for hiding things...yu have not even disclosed where yu belong to...what does yur profile says.....DREAMLAND....ha...ha...ha....that's where yu belong to....then i'm double sorry...i don't belong to your place....mistakenly visited your iland...

***

shikha | 12:52:01 PM | 03/Jun/08

I am glad you realised that soon. Kindly do not commit that mistake again. Ofcourse you do not belong to where I do. You probably never can! & now will you please leave me alone?? Try to happy with your originality & your intellectual blogs. You can not expect everyone to be as intelligent as yourself. Good Luck to you!

***

Ramesh Agnisharma wote on Jun 3, 2008 1:01 PM  

Subject : give peace a chance  

hi shikha,

how many sorrys would it take to let peace prevail between us?

i don't want our communication to stop in this manner.

i hope you will show some grace.

***

shikha wrote on 5 Jun 2008 05:15:50 -0000  

Subject: Re: give peace a chance

Well, no hard feelings for you & I think I am sorry if I had been too rude to you.
Happy blogging & best wishes to you.

***

Ramesh Agnisharma wrote on Jun 5, 2008 2:13 PM  

Subject  Re: give peace a chance

Thank you so very much!