Sunday, August 21, 2005

Cheers!!!

One of the best things about blogging is the interesting feedback. I am not suggesting that we blog for the comments but the back alley banter, a phrase Perfect Virgo used earlier makes for friends and is sometimes even better than the front page. That is what I think about my green post. It elicited such warm and wonderful comments, better than the post itself. Pecos Blue, posted photographs of the paddy field for me and Russell and Nasra were inspired to write poetry. Earlier, Angel-A posted pictures of roses and sweets for me and Joel picked up on how we all need friends. I got a mention at the desi pundit, Rumination, Blex and Every Seven. The woman, Pandora's box and Irina included me as friends and I am aware how childish I am sounding but it is a wonderful fuzzy warm feeling. I don't need to add how very fond I am of all my regular visitors and at moments like these I feel deeply, deeply moved!

I am an ordinary person living a small town life in a decrepit town in India. I have not traveled very much. To meet people of different customs has always been a cherished dream for me. Even as kid geographical boundaries did not make sense to me, they seemed to be lines decided by people I did not even know, let alone like or respect. This is before I learned about globalization and freedom of movement, intellectual capital and the World Wide Web. For someone like me, this has been an unexpected bonus. I have come across some of the most interesting and enchanting people, I know, here.


So here is to ALL OF YOU! Salute!


...and thank you Sue

54 comments:

Misreflection said...

Its an honour for me to meet an " "ordinary" person such as you living in a decrepit town in India :)with a heart the size of the world. I have travelled, mostly in the West, mixed with various cultures , met lots of people from all walks of life, and non have touched me more than those who display honesty sincerity and kindess, you are one of those. . Take away the riches , take away the fancy frills , you are you.. a wonderful warm hearted being.To me its not what you have to offer that matters at all, its how you offer whatever you have that really counts, remember a kind word, a sincere smile,is sometimes all its takes.. Thats why I believe that to pray to God is overrated , rather make him proud in the way you live and act and I'm certain you do.

the cowlick said...

The World Wide Web does make the world a much smaller and, sometimes, nicer place. It's given us many good friends we've never met in our lives.

Sindhuja Parthasarathy said...

and my guess is some people wudve mailed u to.........;)

Anonymous said...

RSS is for Geeks, Not Real People
Hard to believe when you're a techie that reads a LOT of blogs, but apparently it's so.
thyroid cancer treatment blogger...My wife and I saw a thyroid cancer treatment article in the newspaper this morning and wanted to search for more thyroid cancer treatment info. Thats how we found your thyroid cancer treatment blog. Nivce blog! If you have a second here is a link to our thyroid cancer treatment blogger...My wife and I saw a thyroid cancer treatment article in the newspaper this morning and wanted to search for more thyroid cancer treatment info. Thats how we found your thyroid cancer treatment blog. Nivce blog! If you have a second here is a link to our thyroid cancer treatment blog thyroid cancer treatment related site. It isnt anything special but you may still find something of interest.

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johnny boy said...

I really liked the comment posted by 'misrefection'.. Really nice write up that! [a perfect example, for what this post tries to convey!]
Gulnaz, since I am relatively new to your blog, I donno much about you... But going by the previous comments, looks like I am talking to a very simple/good-at-heart character! Thats very nice to know... :-)
And you are appreciating your visitors, which is a very warm thing to do! Not only are u happy, so are we! :-)
A lot of truth in what u said gulnaz, the comments section, is what every blogger looks forward to. Its like a 'coffee shop' where we bloggers meet up! :-) Cooool...
Looks like this comments section will become sweeter and warmer than the 'green post' one :-) Hope so!

Akruti said...

I remember your first post,i remember you coming to my blog first time and i am coming here from Day 1 and yes,This place is as wonderful and amazing as you are in person. That i can infer from the way you write.You are for sure not sounding childish,you are sounding sensitive and emotional and warm person who can feel and understand Human emotions.Be what you are,an ordinary person,Because they understand life and the colours of it,Its because of the ordinary that Life is said to be beautiful,Hugs and cheers to you:)

Sue hardy-Dawson said...

Dear Gulnaz, like you say, without this so many nice people, with a shared interest I would never have got to meet

sirbarrett said...

You bloom in beautiful words! I took a look at some of your poetry on livinginpoetry.com and you have a unique style that I enjoy. It seems to capture the impression of the moment, with all it's ambiguities and the sensualities of nature. "Snapshots" was a pleasurable tease: him watching her with such tension, with the pathetic fallacy of the storm. "She turns over." Keep it up.

Anonymous said...

Very nicely put Gulnaz, the WWW has certainly opened up 'borders' and broken barriers. And it's liberating !!

Comment boxews do have the most fun conversations going ... though spammers, like the ones above, do kinda spoil the party ! :P :)

Khakra said...

getting emotional? :) you know, some folks I have met online have been equally as fun as the people I've met over idli dosa and madras coffee.

Pecos Blue said...

I know that warm fuzzy feeling, because as I was reading your blogg--I saw my name and excalimed to my husband I am in Gulnaz's blogg--he said "what does it say, what does it say". So I read it outloud and the warm feelings are being felt thousands of miles away.

small squirrel said...

ah, so nicely put gulnaz. you know, I have had much the same experience as you. of course there have been some ups and downs, but mostly I have met such interesting people who have opened my mind and helped me to learn things I would have completely missed otherwise.
big grin for you!

Anonymous said...

Argh... why can't I say something nice and long like the rest?! *slaps her head*

Oh blah.. Gulbaby, You know you have my love.

Take care!

Lorena said...

hi gulnaz, yes i have run into some of these blogs who have mentioned you and i thought it was so sweet and well deserved. very touched by your words. i am also amazed and enriched by the people who i have met here and it's such a great way to enliven our spirits. fyi: i consider you a dear friend too :) happy to have met you!

Dale said...

I don't think I believe in ordinary people, but if I did I certainly wouldn't believe you were one of them :-)

You're a continual, continually changing delight.

Mridula said...

I so much agree with you about interacting with different people without ever going anywhere. Now travel is really a religion for me but I always feel I do not get to travel as much as I would like, so the net is the next best option. Your blog is a plesure to read.

ShaanCho said...

Salutes to you too, Gulnaz! I regularly read your posts and the comments as well. They are like additional decorations on your lovely creations. It's nice to see a community of like minded people gathering at one place and discussing a common theme.
As for the spam creeping into your comments page, you can delete them when you are logged in! Maybe you would like to try.

bablu said...

It is indeed a pleasure meeting so many varied people from such diverse fields in the blogworld !

anumita said...

You are so right. Yours is also one blog I look forward to reading, for the sheer magic you weave with words, for the things you write about, for the person you are.

gulnaz said...

Missy- *tightest hug* love you baby!

cowlick- true :)

Samudraa- well emails are fine too. :)

johnny boy- that's really sweet of you! :)

Akruti- hugs and cheers to you too! you are being too kind to me! :))

Sue- yes! isnt that a wonderful thing!! :)

sirbarrett- i'm glad you enjoyed what i wrote! thanks!! hope you visit again! :)

Ash- yes, its amazing you meet people on a level which is much deeper.

Khakra- idli dosa mmmmm yummy! :)

Pecos Blue- wow, this feels wonderful!! i;m so glad that it made you smile!! :))

small squirrel- i learn best from people and when you have an opportunity where you meet bright minds, its just wonderful!

woman- you are precious, darling!!

Lorena- its such a tender feeling to know that you have touched someone miles away....
and yes we are freinds and am just as happy to have met a romantic dreamer like you and one who brings alive that romance in her pictures! :)

Tomas- am happy as well, poetic and romantic hearts make for wonderful freinds! :)

Dale- aww stop already, am blushing! :))

Mridula- its a mutual pleasure then as i read about places at your blog, which i hope to see for myself one day!

Santanu- i use a dial-up connection which disconnects more than connects and so its a pain for me to delete them individually, i will someday though or else maybe i'll turn off anon. anyway am happy to know that you are of the regulars here. thank you. :)

bablu- hey, its been a long time since i saw you here.

anumita- awww! i don't know about the magic, sometimes the words string along nicely and somedays nope. i'm not just returning the compliment here but i love reading yours.

Rat said...

Well you are interesting and enchanting :)

Akruti said...

No,i am not being too kind:) I have a quality of saying exactly what i feel,if i dont like then too i am known to be ruthless about it:)
Whatever i wrote in the above comments is true and i mean every word there,Havefun

Sue hardy-Dawson said...

Hi Gulnaz I did you a green poem, got to tidy up but couldn't resist leaving you a few words

Enigma said...

i love your blog gulnaz.. it's so.. thoughtful.

none said...

well said. the world is tinier than it was because of blog interlinking and commenting, i think.

i tend to imagine that aside from existing physical barriers, we draw our own lines and mark our own bounderies. and then, we cross those lines and extend the bounderies. its always good, unless theres an idiot with a gun on the other side :-)/

Bonatellis said...

ahhh ... u mentioned my name :-)

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful and thoughtful post. Thank you for visiting me earlier Gulnaz. I will peek around here in your blog home and hope to get acquainted. Look forward to coming back.

G Shrivastava said...

That's a sweet post...though I'm sure the anonymous spam comments you get weren't included in that salute ;-) Seriously though, I know what you're talking abt...the world has shrunk so much since I've started blogging!

Anonymous said...

wow! gulnaz...you never cease to amaze me! you always make a very good read! thank you.

Paul said...

Different situation, but some similar feelings.

I am severely disabled and can't get around. So virtual reality, even though frankly I get tired of it sometimes because I miss so much of real reality, is wonderful. I don't know what people like me did before computers.

Russell Ragsdale said...

The place under the leave a comment box always asks me to choose an identity; that can be a real problem sometimes. In this case it's easy: I chose to comment as Gulnaz's friend. We have no borders because we are friends. The several countries in between us keep me from giving you the big hug I have in my heart right now! We are all living in nowheresville until we find each other.

. : A : . said...

And cheers ... to even more!

KJ said...

the world has become a smaller place ever since i started blogging.

beautiful post. keep'em coming!!!!

have a nice day.

KJ

Jyotsna said...

Hugs for you Gulnaz..promise to be more frequent here!
Jo

gulnaz said...

Rat- and you are most flattering lil one! :)

Akruti- well then i'm glad you do like me :) thanks, you have fun too :)

Sue- oh wow!! this is wonderful, can't hardly wait to read it! :)

Enigma- thanks, its really of you to say that. I notice that your av has a chinese charcter, what does it say?

finn- Missy is a darling and so are you! :)

yes technology is wonderful that ways, rendering distance if not meaningless but much over-powered.

Monster Spank- lol, yeah we don't need them anymore than we need icecubes on eskimo tummies!

I like the observation you made about our personal boundaries, the more secure we feel, the more we extend them.

Bonatellis- so i did. :)

Iliana- thanks for coming by, i hope you enjoy your stay here. :)

Geetanjali- oh those spammers, they are like terrorists. blogger should have an anti-spam filter like they have in the email systems. it would help i think.

reading blogs of people living in different places is such an amazing peek into their worlds.

M- :))

Paul- technology is an amazing tool and when it brings a world closer to you, it is no less than a cherished freind.
reading your blog, there is such positivity there that i would never have thought you to be in such pain...you have amazing courage, bravo!!

Russell- hey i got that hug! :) thanks!!
:)

.:A:. - :)) Cheers!

KJ- thanks, glad you feel so too! :)

gulnaz said...

Jo- Thanks a lot Jyo, always good to hear from you! hope you and your daughter are doing fine. :)

Anonymous said...

I dont think I can put it much better than misreflection...but let me just say that it has been an honor as well as a joy to know such a warm-hearted person as you...something I try to learn from you...

Pincushion said...

What a sweet post and its so you :)!
I can't tell you how happy I was when we actually spoke! And it never felt like I was talking to you for the first time! Friends are friends virtual or otherwise! The world suddenly seems like a much nicer place..and..that certainly is a thing to cheer, :))
So here goes..
CHEERS!!

superflywebpimp said...

Ah India, how she doth call my name still. May 15, 1902. I was hunting yellow backed lemurs off the tip of southern Maduria when my elephant fell into a burmese tiger trap. Luckily, my lemur guide was top-notch, and patched me up with several bamboo chutes and some gensing root. I will never forget you sweet India.

superflywebpimp

venus said...

that is very thoughtful what you've said. Thank you to you too for making efforts to reach people. I don't find this quality in many people who make efforts to reach out to others!

stella said...

"I am an ordinary person living a small town life in a decrepit town in India. I have not traveled very much..."

Gulnaz, I never would have guessed that... You seem so extraordinary in every sense of the word!

So glad our blogs have crossed. :)

Patry Francis said...

Lately I've felt as if I've had some of my most meaningful conversations with people I've never seen, people separated by age and distance and culture
and time zone. People, in the end, who are not separated at all.

And yes, I, too, agree with misreflection
about your clearly extraordinary nature and sensitivity.

Joel said...

We're all ordinary people. I think that is worth celebrating -- instead of being tied into the affairs of a few thousand aristocratic politicians, we choose to extend our hands to our neighbors, loving them and the soil on which we stand.

Neel said...

I agree with Stella. There are many great aspects to blogging. Continue to write and to dream, you will soon be traveling to anywhere you like. Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Gulnaz, my dear, I echo what everyone has said. Your beautiful soul shines through your words.

gulnaz said...

Anil- hey it takes a warm-hearted person to know another, so you are already one! :)

Pins- I had been wondering where you are, had been checking your blog daily for news of you, are you still in mumbai?
I was just as happy, talking with you, its a pity we couldnt meet. :( I think it was you who put me at ease and you are right freinds are freinds virtual or otherwise, besides even ppl i know otherwise, most of the time i keep in touch with them is through technology, so where is the difference? :) cheers!!

Eden- I have got the silliest grin on my face right now, so thank you for making me look silly. :)

Superflywebpimp- wow, is than an intersting story or what, i am going to add you to my faves even before reading your blog. :)

Venus- thank, reaching out to people is a joy for me. :)

Stella- I am glad too! you make me want to see ny someday! :)

Patry- . "People, in the end, who are not separated at all." I could not say it better than this!
thanks, i am overwhlmed!!

Irina- Hey good to see you! Have you settled down in UK? Hope things are shaping fine for you. For me it is a surprise to see that people are interested in what i say, its a new feeling. :)

Joel- Yes, that does make ordinariness worth celebrating and i guess that is what counts after all. :)

Neel Sen- :) ah! i wish! :) glad to see your gettting better. :) Cheers!

Natalie- aww, thank you!! :)) i read your latest god interview yesterday and was thinking about it late at night. Love is an energy, all right! You have the knack of saying the most complicated things simply. I really wish your book is published soon, for its success is assured. my instincts are usually right about suchthings.

Vasu the terrible said...

yo,

I tried to scroll up it took more than 20 page ups and half an hour to read all the posts. Tells how popular and well liked you are.. good for you..

I used to think are you for real ? you are way too nice.. hope you are always happy..

would love to read more of your stuff...

how do you do that anyway ??

have fun and take care..

vasu

Vasu the terrible said...

yo,

I tried to scroll up it took more than 20 page ups and half an hour to read all the posts. Tells how popular and well liked you are.. good for you..

I used to think are you for real ? you are way too nice.. hope you are always happy..

would love to read more of your stuff...

how do you do that anyway ??

have fun and take care..

vasu

gulnaz said...

Vasu- i'm not that nice and even i'm surprised. i'm just lucky in the sense that i have got kind and warm-hearted people coming to my blog, you being one of them. :)
you take care too! :)

iamnasra said...

Mashallah...You are such a popular beautiful humanbeing...you have this kindness in you that lingers in where ever you go..even if it through a distance..

I for one. started my blog with no readers at all..and because of you Im (okay not so popular as you) I have gained friends that came all from your side....

As poetess I feel you poetry is so magical for the haiku style is hard to master...

Keep up the good work...

Shukran Shukran (Thank you)

for taking the time to read our blog

Perfect Virgo said...

Late as ever I'm afraid G. But I couldn't let your poetic thanks go unremarked. Guests at a party a put at their ease by a genial host. Finnegan and I will continue to gossip and prattle in the back row now we have your seal of approval!

Aleksu said...

Osasuna!

Cheers to you Gulnaz.

Lets continue to link our respective universes, with complete disregard for time and distance.

You will a lot more of me around here once I complete the transfer to Mexico.

gulnaz said...

Nasra- thanks but its only your kindness which makes you think so. :)
your blog has readers because of your own wonderful writing. My haiku if it can be called so would be found lacking in the rules dept but its ok. :) thanks for the encouragement, feels good! shukran! :) in urdu we say, shukriya. :)

PV- dont worry about being late, i myself find it hard to keep up with all the blogs. :) I like the idea of playing a host, so enjoy the party! :)

Aleksu- thanks for teaching me a new word. :) Hope you reach Mexico safely. :)
i like the way you write about linking universes.