Written in the stars ...

Is it so? Is it really written in the stars? You may want to think so. Especially if it is something good. Truly speaking, how do you know? Or is that you just know? The arabic word 'maktub' means 'it is written'. Where exactly? Probably in the stars. May be the stars are just a metaphor. The stars are always there. Across rivers. Across lands. Across ages. They are always there. Probably to remind you. Is it already written? Or do you need to work towards achieving your dream?. Do you need to write something up there...

More specifically, would you attribute all your fortune, good or bad, to those stars? Destiny? 'Depends' is the most likely answer. You may say that your hard work is the reason for your success and fame. Or that a little bit of luck never hurt to get going while making money. Then what is the most obvious place where you count on your stars to be generous? Is it in relationships? Could be. Lets narrow it down to love. Okay. You wait a long time for that someone. Then you meet her. And then you decide. Is she the one? Hmmm. May be. May be not. Here is an interesting question. Do the stars write the same story for both the boy and the girl? I really dont know. But it would be pretty boring for the stars to only write about one and not the other. Leave either one to chance? Naah. Second question. Do the stars exert a force to bring the two stories together? If it is written, then certainly they have to twinkle enough to play their part. Third one. Probably the most puzzling one for me tonight. Do the stars make mistakes? Say the boy and the girl met. However. Hmmm. Each went their own way. Never met again. And they lived their lives happily. Would they have been more happier if they had been together? Or would they have been sad? Is there a twist in their tale? Will they meet again? May be once more at the least. Where? When? How? What will they say to each other? I dont know if the stars have all this plotted down too. That would be something, wouldn't it? It is a really beautiful night. I dont know what the boy or the girl may be thinking. Do they know what lies in store ahead for each? Do they even feel that the stars gazing at them tonight know something they dont?

Written in the stars. I guess thats where the mystery lies. Not how the story of that boy and girl shall end. But, how it shall not end...

A second chance...

I wonder why. Why does almost everyone look forward to making a new start? A second chance. Yes. The weak. The strong. The sad. And even the happy lot too. I do not think there is any price tag that one can attribute to a second chance. Where do you need a second chance? In career. In love and relationships. In photography. While cooking. Well, in casinos too (probably more).

May be this is why. No one likes to lose. And you want to finish on a high. So, a second chance gives you a way to make a new beginning. You try hard. You work hard. Not because you want to win second time around. But because you want to forget the first time as fast as possible. I could be wrong. Should we be glad about this? May be. May be not. Though a second chance gives you another shot to get it right, it also might make you complacent. The thought that there are no second chances might keep you on the tight leash. Think about it...

A new chapter. Thats what I would call it. As I look forward to another phase in my life, I begin to take stock. What I have learned over the past few years. What I am yet to learn. Where do I go from here. The funny thing is that a new chapter does not necessarily mean writing a new storyline. Sometimes, just looking at the same chapter with a different point of view gives it new meaning. An open mind. A more flexible mind. I would love to make the most of the second chances that I have got. With career. With friends. With relationships. With love. But truth be told. Its never a fairytale, except in animation. I do not know how many more chances I have got. But I hope to make some of them count...