Kaur means Princess

Tribute To Mardana - Dhan Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji

2012-01-15T16:43:00.000+08:00

Samelan part 2

2011-12-29T00:40:00.001+08:00

[Per's bag still lies in the hallway. Abandoned,like a broken discarded limb. Articles of clothing peek out,playing a silent game of peek-a-boo with me. As I type, she has finally started a load of laundry and the bag now looks at me with a blanket or two resting on it. My unwashed suits wait patiently in a pile, i've done all my laundry except this. I reason that im too tired and will do this soon.
Rewind to the saturday night before samelan when the bag had only just been taken down. I had tried talking,cajoling,forcing even my little sister ( not so little anymore,i tell you) to go and she pleads that she really does not want to. With a pitiful face she types her status and I watch a movie,resting after im done packing. Then suddenly as I lose hope , its 2 am at this point, she hauls out the bag. I grin from ear to ear.
The next morning some very lovely people give her the news she wants to hear, and wham! She's a happy kid. Thanks to you satpal,amrit penji and whoever else ;)
Now rewind to a couple of years back, when I had realized that as much as I loved being a JC, or how amazing langgar,utility or any other sewa was, my heart was into darbar sewa. It just was. Maybe it was the meetings,missing ips,etc. Or maybe I just liked being near Guru Sahib.
Anyway, imagine how I must have looked when Ajeet kaur says, oh ashvin, you're the emcee the next day. Casually nonchalant,i should think.
Boom. Just like that, I m semi initiated into the darbar team. Sheepishly I smile remembering how I found out how tired I was one night. Forgetting the next line leading Sohila. Oops.
I had an amazing time,helping out (i hope I did) with darbar sewa.

Now, lets move all the way forward to day 5. Amrit sanchar. EVERYONE knows how special this day is. Baney worn since morning,blue, orange,white,even pink. Boys in kurtas. Paggs extra nice. Girls all falling over each other to get their dastars done. This time there was a white theme, and boy,did I enjoy looking at the Million kinds of white suits to be had! Chikan work, sheer with camis, cutouts at the back,cutouts at the front ( windows), salwar,pajama, long, short, stripey material,plain white,patterned, white with colored flowers, among others.
Its after rehras. Kids stream out for dinner ( bhaturey or puri I think) while we stay back. Gurleen has assigned pinday and I water duty. Big girls we feel, as we set up the huge drums Logistics has sent up. Water filled,thanks to the ever ready guys,and then candles. Hundreds of tea candles are ready, and some of us set them up on the huge stage, while others light em up on a path to the darbar. There are candles outside the main door, and they flicker, reminding us that rain is impending.
It starts drizzling. There has been a whole discussion since afternoon. No,it wont rain. No it definitely wont rain when Guruji arrives. Well we should prepare the vans in case. They use the vans. Drizzling stops. We light the candles again.
Kids file in,pledge in hand. Some solemn,but mostly they smile, looking around at how pretty the scene is. Then sewadars go to metha tek and emerge.
3 minutes to arrival, says walkie holding person. Ajeet kaur? Manpreet? Both? Its a blur now, the candles are long gone,wind whipping and drizzle steadily builds up.
The Alphards pull up, and the skies open. Rain spills. The guy holding umbrella carefully escorts Panj pyare holding Guru ji and the water begins to flow. Pour water wash feet wipe feet tears drop. Suddenly, all the panj pyare, the new amritdharis are all inside. With one last look, we head in. Manage to get spots somewhat behind. And sigh.
Darbar sewa. Amrit sanchar.
Piercing screams. A snake is placed on her shoulder. Well, serves the dude right for doing it. Puzzled? Moving backwards to the mighties carnival. Biggies have their modified paintball ( colored water) and mighties have pony rides, dunking pool ( never have I seen a line that long to GET dunked!) , sand art, face painting, gladiator, some animals; snakes,birdies,a vechara looking deer, some carnival type games, popcorn and even a chicken dance by the penjis. Not to forget the jumpy castles ( kids LOVE this) and the football thingie.
I see the look of pure joy on the kids faces. Well on the adults too lah! Meanwhile the biggies are multicolored now, paint on their selves.

Penji, are you sisters? Pink tshirt day. We were all the talk, all day. Why pink,oh guys wearing pink, oh that certain place dey lok wearing pink. And such. I tried combing her hair during cha and chill, and as we debate ( read: argue) about something, a cute little girl makes us laugh. Yes,darling. We are.
Samelan 2011.

]

posted from Bloggeroid

Samelan 2011

2011-12-27T14:39:00.001+08:00

[Every time I listen to the vaheguru simran, im transported back to that hall in the school in klang. Our darbar it was for six days.
The moment I see in my minds eye is that time on friday night. I had tried,as I stood at the entrance, right at the bck, to take it all in.i feel like a movie cameraman on panorama,the view sweeping all over. That night when the darbar was filed with bodies,all white,moving in prayer. White gauzy curtains billowing under blue light. The jatha on stage , the magnificent look of Guru Sahib.
Rewind a few days to Day 0. Arriving at the school thinking, im here. Whatever may happen in life, whatever you go through, and no matter how long u missed out, this is how you feel. Meeting all these people, who make you feel like a million bucks.all these people that love,support, and are inspirations to us. Veer jagdave says in his interview in the latest Sikh that he was attracted by the brotherhood concept and well, aint it true.
The penjis i've had for quite a while nw,who never stop awing me and who never stop teaching,loving and inspiring me. The friends i've made and the loads of new ones I continue to make each time. The older generation that never stops to amaze me with experience,wisdom and love. The kids who never stop making me smile with their mad antics,reminding me of my own wild self,the questions they lean on you for,of how mature they are,how smart and how innocent and needing they are.
The endless endless sewa to be done,the endless endless sewa that gets done. Every time. All those unhuman strength people that work without rest.
I look back at the tropic thunder when the children had to make a cup of cha,and how I smiled when it was the perfect,sweeet one. The questions at are you smarter than a 5th grader when my heart swell each time they answered correctly. The day our team did darbar sewa and jagdish and rajkiran led ardas and hukamnama beautifully.
Every day charanjit's latest comment,pengay,shouts, you name it. He kept us entertained and baffled. And the time during langgar sewa that they rushed to decide who served,washed dishes,poured water and all else. Keep that spirit going.
Throughout the days all the little kids that just come and give you hugs and kisses, those little bodies emanating love and innocence and extreme adorability.
All those times we laughed like crazy over something reaaaly funny,and those times more so for not so funny stuff.
The tears sliding out of amrit penji's eyes at uncle dya singh's soul nation gig. I will never forget the goosebumps (gurubumps,says sukhindarpal) when he sings,voice soaring,flute sweet,tabla beating in my heart. Of how ajeets eyes were glassy when it ended.
Of how we shouted ourselves hoarse since veer vaar on the first day of SN.
Fast forward to the last day and the feeling of increasing dread in my chest. Nw this feeling starts for me on friday during samelan, knowing that, the panj pyare will come,and take Guru sahib away. And that Darbar will once again become a dewan. A measly hall in a school. And after He leaves, so will we.
Back up a little to cha and chill. Girly girl talk, women's talk with the best aunties and penjis. Hair and makeup sessions.
Classroom sessions. Realising that I m better than I thought ,thanks to gurpreet who got me to help out with waja. I enjoyed the sounds of waja,tabla,taus and rabab surrounding me. And of all the laughter,chatter,commotion and general shuffling with occassional bursts of voices by lecturers. I think all the kids,adults had something to learn from blast to the past,sikhi today, gurbani.
And our lunch/breakfast/tea/dinner sessions. Ahh those. Talking,debating,people watching,yes,even eating.
My fingers are cramping up I m typing on my phone. More to come.
Samelan 2011.
]

posted from Bloggeroid

Samelan 2011

2011-12-25T14:35:00.001+08:00

This year's samelan was fabulous. We just got back yesterday and all over the social networks there are posts of people being exhausted,who had greaaat times and that wanted more.
More in a bit, read The Star yesterday for an article on the annual camp.:)

posted from Bloggeroid

Samelan 2011

2011-12-15T22:12:00.000+08:00

i will be going for samelan 2011 at klang. the trending phrase on twitter is #samelan2011 if you would like to read on what kids are saying and doing in prep for the big week.
initially i was undecided and then just when i decided not to go, i decided to go. so anyway i think i am pretty geared up and looking at the kids' shopping and packing tweets, they are excited. as they should be! the
Annual Gurmat Parchar Samelan 2011 starts Sunday, Dec 18th and will last a week, till christmas eve. this is an event many a child and adult alike looks forward to not only in malaysia, but also Singapore, thailand, indonesia and well.. other countries. on the full magnitude of this camp, will post some old articles. for now, ciao.

100-year-old marathoner finishes Toronto race

2011-10-17T15:22:00.000+08:00

100-year-old marathoner finishes Toronto race

Fauja Singh JI is a great, big, INSPIRATION!!!

ugh. ramblings

2011-10-17T00:21:00.000+08:00

my blog is so lame. i have really got to spruce things up. and i most probably will too! wait for it. haha.. anyway those of you reading must have realised the whole article sharing thingie a week or so ago. yeah, a bunch of us youths organised the smile day here. and it was well received, seeing that we made the front page of a national newspaper. yah, that felt great.
also i have yet to write about graduation which was brilliant!
and now am in a really hyped state what with planning for Guru Nanak Dev JIs birthday celebrations coming up. as part of the naujawan group we figured we should come up with something fresh and something substantial. so the other night a bunch of us met up and brainstormed away. it was fab i tell you and at the end of it i felt so satisfied. some of the stuff we talked about had been on my mind for ages and was cool that the others loved em!
will post about those later. anyway its time to liase with the other people involved and then its all systems go.
besides that, there's a run as well (Chardikala Run) also by OMG (oh my guru) and the getaway for kids. thats gonna be fun and i m looking forward to spending time with the kids and getting a feel of being a facilitator in samelan again (hahaa).
then there's another idea that i wana run by the others. wonder how it will go, hmm will keep you all updated.

for now, feeling quite geared up for diwali - we havent really celebrated in a while - mostly to gurdwaras so this year thought of doing some fun stuff. hehe.
alright i wana talk to my baby bro now (he's a six footer, but still).
take care and love as always! :D

Sikh youths brighten lives on a gloomy day in KL

2011-10-09T18:47:00.000+08:00

Sikh youths brighten lives on a gloomy day in KL

this is awesome :) Sikh Youth, im proud to be u. :D
A greeeeat way to celebrate Guru Ram Das Ji's birthday :)

It is all in the smile :)

2011-10-08T22:33:00.000+08:00

out in the papers :)
world smile day, we celebrated our version of Hari Senyum Malaysia today
It is all in the smile#13180840445771&if_height=432#13180840445771&if_height=432

KISS keep it short n sweet yo

2011-09-21T15:57:00.000+08:00

ok ok. lets have a fast one. convo is coming coming coming soon! gotta do the shopping for that, planned on wearing a suit - punjabi suit/ salwar suit whatever u call it. probably a churidaar one. anyhoo. thats coming up. world smile day is also coming up and the OMG youth group of Malaysia are planning something for it. keep watching for updates. last saturday we did a BHANGRA FLASH MOB at KL sentral with Shaan-E-Punjab bhangra group and it was awesome! check it out in The Star, sunday 18th sept pg 16. then we were off to Subang Darbar for the Youth Kirtan Darbar. inspiring!
today met a very nice guy from NY who wants to do his pHD in SIkhism! coolness. more info on him later.
for now, just chiling and watching, of all things, Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein, a new soap on Zee Tv. (bt we dont get it here thou)

sorry for taking a million years to post, been tweeting more thou! check it out aite :) ciao!
http://twitter.com/#!/ashkaurKL is the place! hahaha

till then , Guru Ram Das Rakho Sarnaee||

I AM BACKK! :D

2011-08-15T14:59:00.000+08:00

I am Malaysian. Fully. And I love her! heck, my parents were born in Malaysia too. Then why the sense of attachment to India? The land were my Gurus tread once. The dirt lined streets, the roads and all its beauty. The land where my forefathers once worked in the fields, where they too lived once, just like us. :) happy independence day, India.

HAH! I know its been AGESSSS since I wrote. sorry folks. just one of those things. anyway, I am totally back now and I promise to write more often. (really, and I don’t mean every 3 months haha)

so what have I been up to?LOADS.

firstly, I finished school! yeah, completed my degree and came back home. then, there were sooo many activities to go for and fun to be had. So, I shall upload the pics and tell those stories later.

another major event was the Bayer Young Environmental Envoy 2011 competition that I took part in. it was a great journey and a superb learning experience. it also geared me up to continue the environmental experience at my uni and keep the spirit going!

well the awards night was awesome, what with many VIPs, amongst them the wife of the PM! :D

so for now, enjoy these pictures and I will be back real soon!

p.s p.s : am on the Twitter bandwagon now :)

ashkaurKL is my name!

The Miracle of Baisakhi / Vaisakhi

2011-04-14T04:02:00.000+08:00

KATHA & KIRTAN - VASAKHI

2011-04-07T16:08:00.000+08:00

KATHA & KIRTAN PROGRAMME INCONJUNCTION WITH VAISAKHI
BY SIKH NAUJAWAN SABHA MALAYSIA
Mon
4.4.11 7.00 pm to 8.00 pm G.S. Tatt Khalsa Diwan Bibi Baljit Kaur
8.00 pm to 9.00 pm G.S. Tatt Khalsa Diwan Bhai Gurpreet Singh Shimla
Mon
4.4.11 7.45 pm to 8.45 pm G.S. Petaling Jaya Bhai Jasbir Singh Paonta Sahib
Mon
4.4.11 7.15 pm to 8.00 pm G.S. Kg. Pandan Settle. Bhai Amritpal Singh Sangrur
8.00 pm to 8.45 pm G.S. Kg. Pandan Settle.Bhai Hariqbal Singh Bali
Mon
4.4.11
7.30 pm to 8.30 pm G.S. Bercham, Ipoh Bhai Tejpal Singh Mata Kaulan
Tues
5.4.11 7.30 pm to 8.15 pm G.S. Tatt Khalsa Diwan Bhai Jasbir Singh Paonta Sahib
8.15 pm to 9.00 pm G.S. Tatt Khalsa Diwan Bhai Amritpal Singh Sangrur
Tues 5.4.11
7.15 pm to 8.00 pm G.S. Kg. Pandan Settle. Bhai Kuldip Singh Hazoori Ragi Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar
8.00 pm to 8.45 pm G.S. Kg. Pandan Settle. Bhai Hariqbal Singh Bali
Tues 5.4.11 6.30 pm to 7.00 pm G.S. Titiwangsa Bhai Gurvinder Singh Gulshan

7.00 pm to 7.45 pm G.S. Titiwangsa Bhai Amritpal Singh Sangrur
7.45 pm to 8.40 pm G.S. Titiwangsa Bhai Gurpreet Singh Shimla
8.40 pm to 9.30 pm G.S. Titiwangsa Bhai Jasbir Singh Paonta Sahib
Tues 5.4.11
7.30 pm to 8.30 pm G.S. Gunong Rapat, Ipoh Bhai Tejpal Singh
Wed
6.4.11
7.15 pm to 8.00 pm
G.S. Petaling Jaya
Bhai Amritpal Singh Sangrur
8.00 pm to 9.00 pm
G.S. Petaling Jaya
Bhai Jasbir Singh Paonta Sahib
Wed
6.4.11
7.30 pm to 8.30 pm
G.S. Kg. Pandan Settle.
Bhai Baldev Singh Leo Travel
Wed
6.4.11
7.30 pm to 8.30 pm
G.S. Sentul
Bhai Hariqbal Singh Bali
Wed
6.4.11
7.30 pm to 8.30 pm
G.S. Kajang
Bhai Gurvinder Singh Gulshan
Wed
6.4.11
7.30 pm to 8.30 pm
G.S. Greentown, Ipoh
Bhai Tejpal Singh Mata Kaulan
Wed
6.4.11
7.00 pm to 9.00 pm
G.S. Pulapol
Bhai Gurpreet Singh Shimla
Thurs
7.4.11
7.30 pm to 8.30 pm
G.S. Sentul
Bhai Hariqbal Singh Bali
Thurs
7.4.11
7.30 pm to 8.30 pm
G.S. Kg. Pandan Settle.
Bhai Jasbir Singh Paonta Sahib
Thurs
7.4.11
8.00 pm to 8.45 pm
G.S. Tatt Khalsa Diwan
Bhai Amritpal Singh Sangrur
Thurs
7.4.11
7.30 pm to 8.30 pm
G.S. Sunway
Bhai Gurvinder Singh Gulsan
Fri
8.4.11
7.30 pm to 8.15 pm
G.S. Klang
Bhai Kuldeep Singh Hazoori Ragi Sri Dabar Sahib Amritsar
8.15 pm to 9.00 pm
G.S. Klang
Bhai Hariqbal Singh Bali
8.00 pm to 8.45 pm
G.S. Tatt Khalsa Diwan
Bhai Gurvinder Singh Gulsan
Fri
8.4.11
7.30 pm to 8.30 pm
G.S. Sentul
Bhai Jasbir Singh Paonta Sahib
Fri
8.4.11
7.30 pm to 8.30 pm
G.S. Kg. Pandan Settle.
Bhai Kuldip Singh Hazoori Ragi Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar
Fri
8.4.11
8.00 pm to 9.00 pm
G.S. Petaling Tin
Bhai Jaspal Singh Amritsar
9.00 pm to 10.00 pm
G.S. Petaling Tin
Bhai Jasbir Singh Paonta Sahib
Fri
8.4.11
Night
Wadda G. Penang
Bhai Amritpal Singh Sangrur
Fri
8.4.11
7.15 pm to 8.30 pm
G.S. Muar
Bhai Tejpal Singh Mata Kaulan
Sat
9.4.11
10.00 am to 11.30 am
G.S. Batu Pahat
Bhai Tejpal Singh Mata Kaulan
Sat
9.4.11
6.15 am to 8.00 am
G.S. Klang (Asa Ki War)
Bhai Kuldip Singh Hazorri Ragi Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar
Sat
9.4.11
10.00 am to 10.45 am
G.S. Klang
Bhai Kuldip Singh Hazorri Ragi Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar
10.45 am to 11.30 am
G.S. Klang
Bhai Hariqbal Singh Bali
7.30 pm to 8.15 pm
G.S. Klang
Bhai Tejpal Singh Mata Kaulan
8.15 pm to 9.00 pm
G.S. Klang
Bhai Hariqbal Singh Bali
Sat
9.4.11
7.30 pm to 8.45 pm
G.S. Rawang
Bhai Kuldip Singh Hazorri Ragi Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar
Sat
9.4.11
7.00 pm to 9.00 pm
G.S. Sentul
Balak Kirtan Darbar
Sat
9.4.11
7.30 pm to 8.15 pm
G.S. Petaling Jaya
Bhai Gurmeet Singh Shant Delhi Wale
8.15 pm to 9.15 pm
G.S. Petaling Jaya
Bhai Jasbir Singh Paonta Sahib
Sat
9.4.11
Morning & Night
Wadda G. Penang
Bhai Amritpal Singh Sangrur
Sat
9.4.11
8.00 pm to 9.00 pm
Sabha House, Ipoh
Bhai Gurvinder Singh Gulshan
Sat
9.4.11
7.30 pm to 8.15 pm
G.S. Pulapol
Bhai Jaspal Singh Amritsar
Sun
10.4.11
5.00 am to 7.00 am
(Asa Ki War)
G.S. Titiwangsa
Bhai Jaspal Singh Amritsar
9.00 am to 9.45 am
G.S. Titiwangsa
Bhai Jaspal Singh Amritsar
9.45 am to 10.30 am
G.S. Titiwangsa
Bhai Jasbir Singh Paonta Sahib
Sun
10.4.11
6.15 am to 8.00 am
G.S. Klang
Bhai Kuldip Singh Hazorri Ragi Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar
Sun
10.4.11
10.00 am to 10.45 am
G.S. Klang
Bhai Kuldip Singh Hazorri Ragi Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar
10.4.11
10.45 am to 11.30 am
G.S. Klang
Bhai Hariqbal Singh Bali
Sun
10.4.11
10.00 am to 11.00 am
G.S. Maindaub, Pudu
Bhai Jaspal Singh Amritsar
G.S. Maindaub,Pudu
Bhai Dawinder Singh ‘Shant’ Delhi Wale
12.00 noon to 1.00 pm
G.S. Maindaub,Pudu
Bhai Kuldip Singh Hazorri Ragi Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar
1.00 pm to 2.00 pm
G.S. Maindaub, Pudu
Bhai Jasbir Singh Paonta Sahib
2.00 pm to 3.00 pm
G.S. Maindaub, Pudu
Bhai Hariqbal Singh Bali
3.00 pm to 4.00 pm
G.S. Mainduab, Pudu
Bhai Tejpal Singh Mata Kaulan
Sun
10.4.11
7.30 pm to 8.15 pm
G.S. Petaling Jaya
Bhai Hariqbal Singh Bali (Katha
8.15 pm to 9.15 pm
G.S. Petaling Jaya
Bhai Jasbir Singh Paonta Sahib
Sun
10.4.11
Wadda G. S. Penang
Bhai Amritpal Singh Sangrur
Sun
10.4.11
11.00 am to 12.00 pm
Sabha House Ipoh Bhai Gurvinder Singh Gulshan

work.

2011-04-01T16:12:00.004+08:00

~~presentation~~ and report for EIA - new campus at Lembah Bidong. due ~~tomorrow.~~ due 17th.
40% for only the report?? thats crazy..
meeting - Pulau Perhentian Kecil. due sunday. ~~discussion today~~.
english reading program - book and article report. due???
forensics presentation - charlie manson - due 10th.
thesis - due 10th (sv on ~~4th???)~~ 6th
finals begin - 17th.
yeah i would say im pretty stressed right now :P
p.s - hope i ~~can nip back home~~ for Vasakhi ;D dont think its very likely now. Looking bleak.

and i start..

2011-03-29T18:16:00.006+08:00

well well.. i knw i've been promising to write.. so here goes. we'll start with the most recent event. the Chemistry Club's annual dinner. now i know i sound nerdy but the club is really cool (and it happens to be my major, no duh!) and the annual dinner has always been a no miss for me. this year, it was more special i suppose because of us being seniors and about to graduate. i wasnt aware of it before but it is a night for the senior class.

alas! i dont think that the juniors had the same thing on their mind. we'll leave that part now. lets move on. there were too many things going on and many of my closest friends also decided not to go (not related to each other). anyhow, we all prepared with outfits, shoes and accessories. the day arrived, raining cats and dogs. we bundled up and off we went. well the night was poorly planned, the food not worth how much we payed and so on. but there were a few highlights of that night, which i smile now thinking of, the motivation guiding my tapping fingers.

first was our head of dept, a beloved lecturer of ours, and a frequent guest in my posts, dr marinah's speech. the juniors (who as we've mentioned did a less than pristine job) did not inform her of her speech and officiation ceremony, but she said a few words that, looking at the comments on facebook (where i posted it) the entire 3rd yr student body felt something. (the song fireworks by katy perry plays in my background now) she talked about how we looked amazing that night, and how they, the educators have been looking at us, watching us grow from the very first day that we stepped into this university. and now, it is time already for us to leave. she said to keep in touch (i think the lecturer's love our class) and to contact them if we need anything, any help, anything at all. 'i just really want you all to be successful and to do well' she said accompanied by oohs and aahs by us. that little speech is something that each of us, sitting there that night,listened to, and i mean really payed attention and listened to, will cherish and see a beautiful picture out of. all at once, it spoke to each and every one of us, maybe some more than others, and as for me, it is a huge boost and motivation.

and the most important part of the night for me was this. winning the best student award or the gold award, which goes to a senior. the lecturers decide and its based on academics and extra curricular involvements. im not just saying this, but i did not expect at all to get it. when dr m went onstage to give the award, like everyone else i waited for the emcees to read a brief intro about the winner, but instead they just announced the name right away. and it was my name. i was still sitting in shock when Kar yen shook me and pushed me to go, following behind with her camera. and the first thing i said to dr m was "seriously?" and she smiling said "seriously".

wearing pink was not planned and totally coincidental..

it was a really short program and we were just waiting gor it to end to take the gazillion pictures we were waiting for. as for me, i think i did pretty well getting shots with most of my friends, coursemates and all. but since the educators left right after i only have a few decent shots with my darling dr marinah. (dr k was really cute about it)

and it felt good. it feels good.

that we have so much love and they are telling me i deserve it and that as i look at the modest plaque saying gold award, i know that more is expected of me. i guess this is the push that i needed. i only told like 3 people about it and others found out by word of mouth and facebook. but some people were really enthusiastic about it which made my heart fill with love and (dare i say it) a little dread that soon, this will all be but a memory.

thank you kalai for the hug and for being so excited. thank you joey for the extremely lovely texts -i could actually imagine vividly how her reaction was :) thank you mom dad sis and bro for being proud of me and for sounding so happy :) thank you dr marinah - for being so amazing.. thank you to the lecturers who deemed me worthy of this. and thank you my friends, the people of the 2 courses, of the department of chemistry. and most of all, thank you, God. i guess this is my acceptance speech :) (i said, 'seriously, thanks' onstage - i know that was bad) i think thats it for now, i gotta do loads of calculations for thesis. but i'll be back real soon. stay safe, God bless and as always, my love. p.s. : will upload more pictures soon and thanks to kar yen for such awesome pics!

Glee Cast- Dog Days Are Over :)

2011-03-23T09:45:00.000+08:00

the dog days are over

2011-03-22T23:55:00.003+08:00

no, they're not. im just saying. wishful thinking (couple of mths couple of months)
anyway, the little date area tells me its been 2 months since fingers met keyboard. well, we'll have to do something about that real soon. just not now. but fret not, i return soon. with flexed fingers and pixel stories. for now, take good care of yourselves, loved people (even those who dont love me anymore). my love ,God bless,
Ash.

the answer to my unasked prayer.

2011-01-26T18:32:00.000+08:00

the answer to my unasked prayer

2011-01-26T18:29:00.000+08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0iCCUq7ET8&feature=player_embedded

INDIA

2011-01-20T17:09:00.007+08:00

traffic churned through the streets with wondrous and mysterious efficiency- a ballistic dance of buses, trucks, bicycles, cars, ox-carts, scooters and people.

those words are in the book im reading now, Shantaram. and a true story it is too.

thinking about India and all that I have to write (type) would most probably reduce this post to a long,nonsense ramble. so I think I'm gonna have to split it up and insert some stuff from the last trip as well. hmmm, and yes, of course there will be pictures =)

so last trip was basically last year, in the height of summer (and I mean like the peak!) which means it was sweltering hot. but having our Ishnaans were lovely to get out of the heat ;P
this year was winter (but it wasnt that cold yet, it was only December). this time around was better in some ways, and different in many ways.

lets start from the start. i got home, did shopping and off we were on the 10th of Dec 2010, 9am?flite. as I was super excited to go we were all smiles all the way. we landed sometime around noon, local time. we emerged into the new terminal built for the Commonwealth held earlier there (in October).This terminal 3 was awesome, with paintings, sculptures, carpeting and even cool loos!;P

the bharatnatyam gestures hot guy and girl not included :P

then we got into the best ever Delhi taxi ;) and got into an hour-or-so long hunt for the hotel..hahaaa..

and immediately upon settling in, who should greet us but Big B himself on tv(love their cable!).
that night, mom,dad, Perv and me went to Gurdwara Sahib Karol Bagh (the hotel was extremely close by) and yes, we totally laughed thinking that there is a serial on karol bagh.hahah!

the next day we took the train to AMRITSAR, but not before going again to G.Bangla Sahib and G.Sis Ganj Sahib, after which we dropped by at Haldiram's (obviously!)

ok seriously there was a wedding going on a few hotels away (check out the REAL horse)

the mad mad place called Chandni Chowk :) (view frm Sis ganj Sahib)

Place of Martrydom Guru tegh Bahadur Sahib Jee

yehaha

As it was a last minute booking, we got 3rd class seats. now, we were pretty skeptical (although I was kinda excited thinking it would be adventurous)- but amazingly, those seats on Shan-e-Punjab were allright and we had a great time (yes, for the whole 8 plus hours). the last trip had us on 2nd Class AC- Shatabdi Express, and eventhough that was cool, this was fun :) the endless stream of chai wallahs, snacks and cold drink guys, magazines, trinkets, food, and even paper soap kept us well entertained. not to forget the-um, transvestites in sarees, sweeper folk and people who for some strange reason, crash the coaches and STAND although they have tickets (I suppose for open seating). since the windows opened, endless gusts of wind swept my face and got my hair,looking as it always does-:Lion kIng-esque.

the moment we got there, bags were left in the room, and we headed to HARMANDIR SAHIB at promptly: midnight :)

the most beautiful of times to go down the marble steps towards the Oasis of LOVE that Darbar Sahib is, we rested our foreheads on the cold marble and walked around the parkarma. Now, as we arrived at NRI nivas, there was a guy (I guess everyone knows about him, he's rough around the edges, as are most Indians, but he was ok after that) who made us kinda sad with his attitude. NOw, as we walked in the cold midnight air, smiling at the fact that we were there and a little frown of sadness, a Bhai Saab at the Shabils for Jal smiled a dazzling smile at us, and invited us for water.
That was what we had needed. Our hearts positively swelled with gratitude and we knew, Guru RamDas Jee had welcomed us.
.....................to be continued.

i may not say it..

2011-01-20T17:05:00.002+08:00

but i say it all the time..
this post goes out to as usual..the people who are always there for me (willing or unwillingly).
so like always, it was some big crisis (for me) and in the super melodramatic-ness that's me, i was pretty freaking out.
enter:
Dr.Marinah
Dr.Kerol
Dr.Jam
Mom
Thuls
Gurps
jadoo di jhaphis to them :)

INDIA WINTER 2010

2011-01-08T22:50:00.002+08:00

as soon as pre-viva was over, I was like 'vacation,in the S-U-M-M-E-R-T-I-M-E!!!hahahhaa..
a) it wasnt even summer,if we actually had seasons. it would be winter-ish (anyway it was rainy)
b)it was more of pilgrimage-cum-vacation, but still
c)i still had labwork
but Guru RamDas is always there for us, as shown by the results of my 5th sem :)
and so it was India, me and the camera (oh and mom dad p and s);P
will write and post more on that later.ciao!goodnite and lots of Love.

FORENSICS!:D

2011-01-08T22:43:00.003+08:00

i know I just said like 5 seconds ago that the bed is calling me, but this is big news!!!
on the 4th of jan 2011 I finaallyyy went for the FIRST EVER FORENSIC lecture!!
after waiting 5 whole semesters, anticipating every sem,it was seriously,like heaven.
seriously. i tried really hard not to grin like a foolish person in love(haha!!)and instead kept a nonchalant look (wonder if it worked) while Dr M went through the intro and to the first portion of things. *sigh*it was awesome, as I said to anyone who would listen that day, and mom positively laughed hearing me fawn over the phone. yea well.
anyhoo,i better end this session of the rambling and start the last planned post before hitting the sack(lab in the a.m.)
weehooo FORENSICS!!

yea,i knw its been a month!

2011-01-08T22:29:00.003+08:00

deuter bag :) yeeha!

a whole month!
and so, i begin with a humble and simple entry about a day that some people completely ignore, some spend a lot of money on and some, are differential towards.
the day i was born.
haha!
my birthday weirdly, has never(as far as I remember) been away from home and family. even when we came away to uni, it always happened to be in the sem break.
so this time, thanks to pre-viva and exams, i was Stuck.
at first dr sukeri, the coordinator announced my bday as the presentation day, bt then it was the next day's batch that my name was in.
hence, the day was spent with me glued to my lappy; looking at the slides and preparing for the attacks(as I'd heard some horror stories; what with Thuls getting shot on pH meter usage and whatnot).
suren, bro kumar and manes were the heroes i suppose.
suren said to me earlier in the day that we'd go for dinner. it was just gonna be the 4 of us, since dunno what happened to the others that remained (school had let out about a week before).
after dinner, they drove to the beach and had a small,cute and totally touching little celebration for me. thanks guys, ur the best. and so that was my bday. suren and anne gave me CHOCOLATE!heheheheh which no-duh, was awesome esp since it was like coooold.
then i come home and get the best presents ever.
mom gave me a trip to INDIA and brand-spanking-new Levi's. -the skinny new range that was out.
Gurpreet gave me an awesome Deuter backpack which according to his wise-guy-knowledge is like hotstuff. haha!(no those are my own words :P)
my dear Goopi sent me a suit that she had gotten frm India (which i consider my bday present)
and everyone else gave me love,support,encouragement and a whole lot of texts and FB posts :)
so I'll post the pictures tomorrow,mr.Beddy is beckoning already, outstretching the mess of pink comforter, blannkie and pillows to invite me :D
as always, Love from me,stay safe and God bless.

alrighty, last nite i tossed like a salad anyway and couldnt drift off.hmm.

so continuing the story, it was Thulasi's bday and as usual we had the cake cutting at midnite and then spending some time together.

the big catch was that just a few minutes after i casually commented to Suren that my bday was probly the most tragic one, there was a second cake with my name on it. they'd made us both signed t shirts and i had a lovely gift from janet, dar, gayu and kisha. pink bangles!haha..so..i guess lucky to be part of this heart of gold Ulekule (the name of our pack which i think literally means the inside or act of it). love u guyss lots.

so that's about it for this post, i gotta go eat my corn on the cob and chill out for a bit. LOve and hugs!

PRE TRIP =)

2010-12-09T14:28:00.002+08:00

so thank God i came back 3 days before the flight. i mean its been a mad dash anyway and if I'd come back at the last minute it would have been realllly messy.hehe.
so anyway i did not sleep at all the whole nite before coming back. even when I reached home I couldnt sleep yet, so in the end I had like 2 hours sleep for like 2 days. haha.
obviously once we were in Mid Valley I was awake ;P
so we shpped away and headed home. (after abt 4 or 5 hours hehe)
then, I met up with a good friend, Gurpreet who wanted to give me my Birthday present.
thank you so much! it was awesome and I love it. Its a really cool Deuter backpack which is like of really good quality and heavy duty and stuff.
I got home from the teatime meeting (bt I drank coffee ;D) and chilled for a bit while mum cooked and fed us.
then, it was out again to get some warm wear and stuff. phew. by the time we were done there, I was sooo tired!
but I still hung around before going to bed.
Day 2
slept in (like really slept in) and then chilled til mom came home then we went out to get some more supplies. earlier in the day dad had already gone to get souvenirs, a new luggage for me and he ran some errands methinks.
so we see these cute shoes, and my sis says, lets get them and she can get the green ones and I take the pink. hahaha..well the sizes weren't available so then she got the pink and me green. pretty cool anyway,so now I'll be more colorful ;P
Day 3
dad takes the kiddies out while I decide to stay home and sort out my stuff i.e, wash,iron,pack. haha..and then watch tv and blog. alrite time to unload the washer, stay tuned for more updates! (and I'll post the pics;P)
love, Ash.
p.s
the temperature is like 1 to 5 degrees at night!

HARJAS KEERTAN IN MALAYSIA!

2010-11-26T21:47:00.004+08:00

HAR JAS KEERTAN SEMAGAM..

1ST TIME LIVE IN MALAYSIA!!

30th nov(tues) 6.30-9.30pm:titiwangsa gurdwara

1st dec(wed) 5.00-8.00am:titiwangsa gurdwara

6.30-9.30pm:pj gurdwara

2nd dec(thurs) 5.00-8.30am:titiwangsa gurdwara

6.30-9.30pm:kg pandan wadda gurdwara

3rd dec(fri) 5.00-8.30am:titiwangsa gurdwara

6.30-9.30pm:klang gurdwara

4th dec(sat) 5.00-9.30am:parliament gurdwara

7.00pm-5.00am:rehansbhai at titiwangsa gurdwara

for further info call veer Dheeraj: 016-3055 218 or Fareed : 016 637 1347

keertanis include : Bhai Gurbir Singh Tarn Taran

Bhai Mehtaab Singh Amritsar

Giani Gurdev Singh Australia

Har Jas Keertan Semagam Promo

2010-11-26T21:43:00.000+08:00

shabad kirtan

2010-11-26T21:14:00.002+08:00

i was watching Delhi 6 again yesterday, after a long time. i feel the movie has pretty good messages and also, MUSIC!!masakali and genda phool were the tracks i still remembered, but now i've realised there are 2 other tracks which were really awesome.

the first is a qawalli type, arziyan, which shows the muslims (lots and lots of people) praying at one of the huge mosques in Delhi and its 8 plus minutes long.well i think the long tracks are nice. =)

then there is the Bade Ghulam Ali Khan composition- bhor bhaye which has been edited with Shreya G's voice in. now this track was shown in the movie at the raamlila part where Sita awaits Ram Ji to save her (i think). and also the heroine (Sonam K) realizes that's the best song to sing for her Indian Idol audition. hahah.

so what are the nice messages??

one, racism/religiousism haha. the people somehow managed to bring in racism, so its nice to see how they put away those differences, as is said in the beginning, everything exists in a delicate balance. different, but existing simultaneously, together.

then there's the whole Caste thingie. when they act all silly, not even allowing the lady who takes the trash in their house and stuff, the kiddies poin out that Ram also ate the jhoot (leftover) of a low caste person. hah!the aunties and uncles couldnt reply to that.

then i posted the song to FB, being excited and all, and darling Manpreet posted a link to a blog on Raag compilations! i may have seen it before, but now i've saved it and it should be an interesting and informative read =) thx babe.

so, i should stop talking abt the movie and get back to water treatment.

Head loss awaits (hope my head is not lost in the process hehe!)

check out the site by clicking the icon in the bloggies list or click here:

http://shabadkirtan.blogspot.com/

take care and lots of love!

updates?

2010-11-23T03:31:00.003+08:00

well well. there was like a whole week after the last paper, during which i did nothing much.- as opposed to the multitudes of activities that ideally should have been carried out, i.e. studying water treatment eg how to design a tank??? and completing my proposal properly. so now on sunday the latest paper was done with, which i have to say, thankfully it wasnt just me frowning about the first question after the exam was over. we were all like, phew.the calculation was just weird for one part. so then on the day obviously i do nothing, due to feeling like i was the one who was in the Futsal tourney- CONGRATS ballu, gurleen,pinday and everyone in Inspire Girls team and the other teams(not too sure who came in 2nd and 3rd) and well done to the coaches (Ajeet Veerji and Gurpreet - sorry if there's anyone else) and go to bed only to be jolted awake after the first few minutes of drifting off.
and I proceed to watch Charlie and the chocolate factory, smiling and stifling laughs watching the oompa loompas and remembering.
I remember the time in (primary?) school when Har, Rish? and I found the book and we read it delightedly =) =) and Mathilda too. ah. those were the days.
the oompa loompa songs are just way too cute too!
then today the whole day is gone again (seriously, i dont know how) and its almost 4 am now. so i m gonna read some notes and feeling a tiny bit relieved that (like Thuls said) at least we looked at the method for our proposal.
also the lack of panic might be due to the fact that the paper is MCQ (althou the true false is just gonna be mad mad mad)
anyway, to the SPM folks: Jiwan, Harjeet and urm anyone else, i forget now, GOOD LUCK!! u guys are gonna totally ace it ;D
muaxx everyone. good night. hope everyone had a blessed time for the BIRTH OF GURU NANAK DEV JI and enjoyed the full beautiful moon :)

Praylist =)

2010-11-18T00:56:00.003+08:00

currently three tracks are playing pretty much on repeat, all raags;
1) mere hai avgun too gunsagar
jat rasathal ooat teeharee
which is just lovely, sung by bhai ranjit singh
2) ਬਿਰਹਾ ਬਿਰਹਾ ਆਖੀਐ ਬਿਰਹਾ ਤੂ ਸੁਲਤਾਨੁ ॥
Birhā birhā ākẖī▫ai birhā ṯū sulṯān.Many talk of the pain and suffering of separation; O pain, you are the ruler of all.
ਫਰੀਦਾ ਜਿਤੁ ਤਨਿ ਬਿਰਹੁ ਨ ਊਪਜੈ ਸੋ ਤਨੁ ਜਾਣੁ ਮਸਾਨੁ ॥੩੬॥
Farīḏā jiṯ ṯan birahu na ūpjai so ṯan jāṇ masān. 36Fareed, that body, within which love of the Lord does not well up - look upon that body as a cremation ground. 36
sung by bhai niranjan =D
3) track of the video i posted below, Baba Akhey Hajiaa =)
totally awesome for accompaniment of studying/notes taking ;D

Baba Nanak - baba akhey Hajian loving this!=)

2010-11-18T00:52:00.000+08:00

Akhand path

2010-11-17T14:12:00.003+08:00

during the diwali/bandi chorr/holidays in general, there was akhand path going on at gurdwara. it was a good time as always for me, as going to gurdwara is something i welcome fully when back home, thanks to the lack of, here. so anyway, the first two days went on as usual and at night on the second day some friends had some fireworks display. =) then on friday after the path da bhog, Gianiji and veer Surjit did kirtan. it was lovely, and here are the shabads sung.

ਕਹਿਆ ਕਰਣਾ ਦਿਤਾ ਲੈਣਾ ॥
Kahi▫ā karṇā ḏiṯā laiṇā. As You command, I obey; as You give, I receive.
ਗਰੀਬਾ ਅਨਾਥਾ ਤੇਰਾ ਮਾਣਾ ॥
Garībā anāthā ṯerā māṇā. You are the Pride of the meek and the poor.
ਸਭ ਕਿਛੁ ਤੂੰਹੈ ਤੂੰਹੈ ਮੇਰੇ ਪਿਆਰੇ ਤੇਰੀ ਕੁਦਰਤਿ ਕਉ ਬਲਿ ਜਾਈ ਜੀਉ ॥੧॥
Sabẖ kicẖẖ ṯūŉhai ṯūŉhai mere pi▫āre ṯerī kuḏraṯ ka▫o bal jā▫ī jī▫o. 1 You are everything; You are my Beloved. I am a sacrifice to Your Creative Power. 1

ਐਸੀ ਲਾਲ ਤੁਝ ਬਿਨੁ ਕਉਨੁ ਕਰੈ ॥
Aisī lāl ṯujẖ bin ka▫un karai. O Love, who else but You could do such a thing?
ਗਰੀਬ ਨਿਵਾਜੁ ਗੁਸਈਆ ਮੇਰਾ ਮਾਥੈ ਛਤ੍ਰੁ ਧਰੈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Garīb nivāj gus▫ī▫ā merā māthai cẖẖaṯar ḏẖarai. 1 rahā▫o. O Patron of the poor, Lord of the World, You have put the canopy of Your Grace over my head. 1Pause

ਜਾ ਕਾ ਮੀਤੁ ਸਾਜਨੁ ਹੈ ਸਮੀਆ ॥
Jā kā mīṯ sājan hai samī▫ā. Those who have the Lord as their Friend and Companion -
ਤਿਸੁ ਜਨ ਕਉ ਕਹੁ ਕਾ ਕੀ ਕਮੀਆ ॥੧॥
Ŧis jan ka▫o kaho kā kī kamī▫ā. 1 tell me, what else do they need? 1
ਜਾ ਕੀ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿਉ ਲਾਗੀ ॥
Jā kī parīṯ gobinḏ si▫o lāgī. Those who are in love with the Lord of the Universe -
ਦੂਖੁ ਦਰਦੁ ਭ੍ਰਮੁ ਤਾ ਕਾ ਭਾਗੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Ḏūkẖ ḏaraḏ bẖaram ṯā kā bẖāgī. 1 rahā▫o. pain, suffering and doubt run away from them. 1Pause

and also
paavan pavithr mithr aaj maerai aaye hai
divali di raat divey baliyan
then langgar - which was a feast! was served, full of love and seva by the veers from india. they even had jalebis and laddoo made!
the whole time i was thinking, i wonder how does Harmandar Sahib look like at that time, lit all over..ah bliss.. =)

GATKA (Bibi Rashpal Kaur)

2010-11-14T13:44:00.002+08:00

Gatka demo
Kg Pandan Wadda Gurdwara
14th November Sunday
7 p.m.
Bibi Rashpal Kaur is the blind exponent of Dance India Dance
Bhai Kuljit Singh (gold medalist) will also join
Langgar will be served thereafter
please forward as well.

enjoying this now :)

2010-11-11T22:40:00.000+08:00

Raag Bhairo

2010-11-11T20:42:00.003+08:00

want my waja now ;)

RAAG ooh RAAG :D

2010-11-11T20:08:00.003+08:00

as you may have noticed i have posted two videos. it all began with gurmukh veerji saying to me yesterday to listen to raag chander kauns. i was so excitek;klkljkhgd i went to check it out and found that video. then i totally stumbled upon bhai nirmal singh, and it was so coicindental as i wanted rain (thanks to the mosquitoes bugging me). and look!well,Gurujee has everything we can ever think of. haha.. so from now on i am going to post videos on raags daily, mainly for myself to learn. so what better way than raag mala? the first would be raag bhairao. here goes!hope its the right one.

well as for me, finals have begun!it really and seriously does not feel like it though. had the first paper today, and i was thinking, i need a raag to calm me down and help concentrate. is it hindol?

then i found another track, bhai parminder, sydney 08 thurs.

ਰਾਮਈਆ ਹਉ ਬਾਰਿਕੁ ਤੇਰਾ ॥

Rām▫ī▫ā ha▫o bārik ṯerā.

O Lord, I am Your child.
ਕਾਹੇ ਨ ਖੰਡਸਿ ਅਵਗਨੁ ਮੇਰਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

Kāhe na kẖandas avgan merā. 1 rahā▫o.

Why not destroy my sins? 1Pause

and im just enjoying now!=)

time to start for the next paper after this.

oh yes, sunder, congrats ;P upsr was like a long time ago haha..

raag malaar very awesome!Barse Megh Ji

2010-11-11T20:06:00.000+08:00

raag of the day (thx Gurmukh veerji)RAAG CHANDRA KAUNS-BAHADUR KAUNS

2010-11-10T18:56:00.002+08:00

weee ;D

2010-11-02T10:50:00.002+08:00

going home tomorrow!!!!=D =D cannot wait. ;) ok, on that positive note, i'm off to the lab now!

lalalalala

2010-10-25T10:03:00.002+08:00

phew..its yet another week that's going to fly past, and its action packed!yesterday was molecular spectroscopy test, which Dhan Baba Nanak was pretty okay, then next up there are three presentations, one test and one assignment. oh and one report. then there's labwork and finals are just round the corner.hahah! yesterday after class i decided not to worry and watched a movie. then i listened to Sukhmani Sahib. and then watched mahabharat. yesterday the episode i was watching was interesting, the pandavs started living in the forest and get this, they had jooray!haha..yeaps..so then i decided to go to bed early. today, i am feeling allright and its time to get the work done!take care and God bless =) the picture is of us at the sampling/expedition =D

sikhi 101 crash course

2010-10-19T18:18:00.004+08:00

I changed the video to Veer Gurmukh singing Mere lalan ki sobaa in raag kalyan. (will post full shabad later) He's totally awesome in the raag department and I just saw that video so, enjoy people!

since I have quite a bit to write about I decided to break it up into a few posts. the first post was about something I have been wanting to vent about. Now, there are people always asking me about Sikhi and being an Amritdhari, so for now, I'll just post wikipedia's version for general knowledge. please excuse or point out mistakes, its from wiki.sheesh i should have gotten it from sikhiwiki at least ;)

Khālsā (Punjabi: ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ, IPA: [xaːlsaː], literally "Pure") refers to the collective body of all baptized Sikhs. The Khalsa was originally established as a military order of "saint-soldiers" on March 30, 1699, by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru. It was the name given by the Guru to all his disciples baptized in the Amrit Sanchar ceremony.
The symbolic meaning of Khalsa literally translates as "pure" from the Arabic word Khalis meaning "pure." Guru Gobind Singh describes in his book, the Sarbloh Granth the qualities of Khalsa:[1]
The Khalsa is the reflection of my form, The Khalsa is my body and soul, The Khalsa is my very life.... ....Our enemies are vanquished by the steadfastness of Khalsa, Unlike countless others, we are adorned by the Khalsa.
Khalsa Sikhs can be identified with the given Five Ks and given names Singh and Kaur. This happens after being baptised to Sikhism. The tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar in 1699 initiated that every Sikh must follow the Five Ks; they are not merely symbols but commitment of faith which collectively form the external visible symbols to identify and clearly and outwardly advertise and display one's commitment.
A Sikh who has been initiated in Khalsa is known as a Khalsa Sikh or Amritdhari, as opposed to Sahajdhari the non-baptized Sikhs who believe in all the tenets of Sikhism and the teaching of the Sikh Gurus. Sahajdhari Sikhs do not don all the Five Ks.
Thus, the Khalsa (Arabic خالصة) ("pure/devoted") word khāliṣa[h] is the recognition of every Sikh that follows the disciple and text from the Granth Sahib.

In 1675, Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of the Sikhs was executed by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. In 1699, his son and the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh decided to establish a military order to stage resistance against the Mughals. He sent hukmanamas (letters of authority) to his followers throughout the region, requesting them to congregate at Anandpur on 13 April 1699, the day of Baisakhi (the annual harvest festival).[5]
Guru Gobind Singh addressed the congregation from the entryway of a tent pitched on a hill (now called Kesgarh Sahib). He drew his sword and asked for a volunteer who was willing to sacrifice his head. No one answered his first call, nor the second call, but on the third invitation, a person called Daya Ram (later known as Bhai Daya Singh) came forward and offered his head to the Guru. Guru Gobind Singh took the volunteer inside the tent, and emerged shortly, with blood dripping from his sword. He then demanded another head. One more volunteer came forward, and entered the tent with him. Guru again emerged with blood on his sword. This happened three more times. Then the five volunteers came out of the tent unharmed. These five, who were willing to sacrifice their lives for their Guru, were called Panj Piare ("the five beloved ones").[5] These five volunteers were the first Khalsa Sikhs: Daya Ram (Bhai Daya Singh), Dharam Das (Bhai Dharam Singh), Himmat Rai (Bhai Himmat Singh), Mohkam Chand (Bhai Mohkam Singh), and Sahib Chand (Bhai Sahib Singh).
Guru Gobind Singh then took an iron bowl, and poured some water in it. Sahib Devan (later Mata Sahib Kaur) added some sugar crystals to the water in the bowl, and Guru stirred this mixture with a double-edged sword whilst reciting the Five Banis.
These actions allude to the nature expected of the inductees to the Khalsa: that they must have the will and the strength to fight oppression (symbolized by the sword), but must always remember that their actions are born from protection and not hatred (symbolized by the sweetness of the sugar).
Each of the Panj Piares were given five handfuls of the Amrit to drink, and had amrit sprinkled in their eyes five times. Each time, they repeated the phrase, "Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh" ("The Khalsa belongs to God, the victory belongs to God"). Then they received five sprinkles in their hair and sipped from the bowl of amrit.
Guru Gobind Singh gave them all the middle name "Singh" (meaning "lion"). Similarly, every subsequent male who takes the ceremony are also given the surname "Singh", and every female is given the name "Kaur" (meaning "princess,").
The Panj Piare were thus the first baptised Sikhs, and became the first members of the Khalsa brotherhood, who symbolically regard Guru Gobind Singh as their "father", and Mata Sahib Kaur as their "mother".[5] Khalsa claims Anandpur, where they were created by Guru Gobind Singh, as their home, and celebrate Vaisakhi as their birthday.[5]

The Five Ks, or panj kakaar/kakke, are five articles of faith that baptised Khalsa Sikhs wear at all times at the command of the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh who so ordered at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar in 1699. The Five Ks are not just symbols but Articles of Faith which collectively form the external identity and the Khalsa devotee's commitment to the Sikh Rehni (Way of Life).

Kesh - uncut hair. Sikhs believe that hair, like everything else, is a gift from God, therefore it remains uncut.
Kanga - a wooden comb. Used for combing the hair and keeping it tidy and in place under the turban.
Kara - an iron bracelet. Serves as a reminder for Sikhs to follow the morals of their faith.
Kachera - a specific style of cotton underwear. Reminds Sikhs of the Guru's message regarding the control of the Five Evils.
Kirpan - a strapped curved sword. Symbolises the safety of all and the carrier's personal duty and responsibility as a Sikh to protect the innocent in the message of peace.
[edit] Kesh
Main article: Kesh
ਜੋ ਪਗ ਨੂੰ ਬਾਸੀ ਰਖੇ ਸੋ ਤਨਖਾਹੀਆ। ਇਸ ਲਈ ਹਰ ਗੁਰੂ ਕੇ ਸਿੱਖ ਲਈ ਲਾਜ਼ਮੀ ਹੈ ਕ ਉਹ ਰੋਜ਼ ਦਸਤਾਰ ਸਜਾਵੇ।One who does not tie a fresh turban is liable for penalty. For this reason it is mandatory for every Sikh of the Guru to tie a turban every day.
– (Rehitnama Bhai Chaupa Singh ji)
The Kesh or unshorn long hair is an indispensable part of the human body. It was created by Waheguru as the mainstay of the 'Jivan Jaach', the Rehni that was prescribed by Guru Gobind Singh Sahib by which a Sikh is clearly and quickly identified. A Sikh never cuts or trims any hair to indicate the perfection of God's creation. The uncut long hair, and the beard in the case of men, form the main kakaar for Sikhs.
A Dastaar is a turban worn to protect the Kesh and guard the Dasam Duaar (the Tenth Gate), a spiritual opening at the top of the head. The turban is a spiritual crown, which is a constant reminder to the Sikh that he or she is sitting on the throne of consciousness and is committed to living according to Sikh principles. Guru Gobind Singh jee told his Sikhs: "Khaalsa mero roop hai kaas. Khaalsa mai ho karo nivaas... The Khalsa is my image. Within the Khalsa I reside." Wearing a turban declares sovereignty, dedication, self-respect, courage and piety.
[edit] Kangha
Main article: Kangha

Kangha - one of the five articles of faith for the Sikhs
ਕੰਘਾ ਦੋਨਉਂ ਵਕਤ ਕਰ, ਪਾਗ ਚੁਨਹਿ ਕਰ ਬਾਂਧਈ ॥Comb the hair twice a day, covering it with turban that is to be tied from fresh.
– Tankhanama Bhai Nand Lal Singh
A Kangha is a small wooden comb that Sikhs use twice a day. It should be worn in the hair, and only the hair, at all times. Combs help to clean hair and remove tangles from it, as well as being a symbol of cleanliness. Combing their hair reminds Sikhs that their lives should be tidy and organized, too. The Sikhs were commanded by Guru Gobind Singh to wear a small comb called a Kangha at all times.
The comb keeps the hair tidy, a symbol of not just accepting what God has given, but also an injunction to maintain it with grace. The Guru said hair should be allowed to grow naturally. For men, this includes not shaving. At the time of Guru Gobind Singh, some holy men let their hair become tangled and dirty. The Guru said that this was not right. Hair should be allowed to grow but it should be kept clean and combed at least twice a day.
[edit] Kara
Main article: Kara

kara, kangha, and kirpan
Kara - one of the five articles of faith for the Sikhs
The Sikhs were commanded by Guru Gobind Singh at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar in 1699 to wear a steel bangle called a Kara at all times. The Kara is a constant reminder to always remember that whatever a person does with their hands has to be in keeping with the advice given by the Guru.The Kara is a steal circle to symbolize life as never ending.
[edit] Kachera
Main article: Kachchhera

The Kachera - one of the five articles of faith for the Sikhs
ਸੀਲ ਜਤ ਕੀ ਕਛ ਪਹਿਰਿ ਪਕਿੜਓ ਹਿਥਆਰਾ ॥The sign of true chastity is the Kachera, you must wear this and hold weapons in hand.
– Bhai Gurdas, Var. 41, pauri 15
Originally, the Kachera was made part of the five Ks as a symbol of a Sikh soldier's willingness to be ready at a moment's notice for battle or for defense. The confirmed Sikh (one who has taken the Amrit) wears a kachera every day. Some go to the extent of wearing a kachera while bathing, to be ready to at a moment's notice, changing into the new one leg at a time, so as to have no moment where they are unprepared. Further, this garment allowed the Sikh soldier to operate in combat freely and without any hindrance or restriction, because it was easy to fabricate, maintain, wash and carry compared to other traditional under-garments of that era, like the dhoti. The Kachera symbolises self-respect, and always reminds the wearer of mental control over lust, one of the Five Evils in Sikh philosophy.
Kachera follow a generally practical and roomy design. It features an embedded string that circles the waist which can be tightened/loosened as desired, and then knotted securely. The Kachera can be classed between underwear and an outer garment, as in appearance it does not reveal private anatomy, and looks and wears like shorts. As with all of the Five Ks, there is equality between men and women, and so women are also expected to wear it too. Considering the hot climate in India, the Kachera is often worn by men as an outer garment, keeping the wearer cool and being practical in manual work such as farming, however it is generally not considered respectful for women to wear the Kachera as an outer garment (on its own) as it is considered too revealing.
[edit] Kirpan
Main article: Kirpan

Typical Kirpan worn by modern Sikhs
ਸ਼ਸਤਰ ਹੀਨ ਕਬਹੂ ਨਹਿ ਹੋਈ, ਰਿਹਤਵੰਤ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਸੋਈ ॥Those who never depart his/her arms, they are the Khalsa with excellent rehats.
– Rehatnama Bhai Desa Singh
The Kirpan is a short dagger which symbolizes a Sikh's duty to come to the defence of those in peril. All baptised Sikhs should wear a short form of Kirpan (approx. 6" to 9" long) on their body at all times as a defensive side-arm, just as a police officer is expected to wear a public-defensive weapon when on duty. Its use is only allowed in the act of self-defense and the protection of others. It stands for bravery and protecting the weak and innocent.
Originally, the kirpan was kept sharp and was actually used to defend others, such as those who were being forcibly converted by Mughal rulers, women who were raped in the streets, or a person who was being robbed or beaten. The true Sikh cannot turn a blind eye to such evils, thinking that they are "someone else's concern." So today, it is the duty of the true Sikh to help those who suffer unjustly, by whatever means available, whether that means alerting the police, summoning help, or literally defending those who cannot defend themselves, even if that means putting yourself in harm's way.

lab.work.

2010-10-09T15:40:00.002+08:00

allrite.i've just put a different video on my video tab. its a lovely track from Asa di Vaar, and the shabad is written by Dhan Guru Nanak Dev Ji about women.

anyway, the reason I'm actually typing away here is that I couldnt carry out the planned labwork today =( its one of those parameters I was dreading to do, and after getting up early and heading to lab, I started with the little things to do; soaking the sampling bottles, getting the reagent ready and weighing crucibles etc. Then it is sad to determine that in order to get accurate readings the scales at the other (closed) lab should be used and my new samples are frozen so I head back. on the big scale it is actually nothing to write about but at the moment the whole day of a weekend seems to have been wasted due to not doing labwork. but in reality, it may be Gurujee's way of making me come back and study for the quiz tomorrow and test on Monday. Also there are other pieces of work waiting patiently for me to attend to them.so I guess I should put a smile =) on my face, suck it up and move ahead (to the meeting at 4.30).

In only 5 days from now, we will be going for the next sampling. The gap between the previous and next sampling is pretty tight, nevertheless, the next one is estimated to be pretty interesting.

when my sv said, the sampling is an expedition, and will last 3 days, we were ecstatic. Then when he said 4 days, k yen got worried as we have a full day sunday. now it has been confirmed that we only need to go for two days each, and return after the sampling. we are pretty looking forward to it, Guru Rakha to ensure all goes well and smoothly. this week I will have to work hard to finish off whatever is possible, be it project or other subjects. allrite, enough of my ramblings for now, take care and love as always =)

the busiest ppl ever =)

2010-10-05T19:15:00.002+08:00

it always seems in my posts that im going on and on about being busy, doing this and that and generally sounding swamped. but i think its pretty true though!haha..this past week has been another eventful one, with the entrepreneurship expo held for us to showcase (um..our skills??) and perform sales. although tiring - 8 am to 10pm, it was a fun filled time for us, and writing about that will require another post =)

so anyway as you might have noticed, our work always (always) comes in bulk (bulky groups, chappard padh ke) hahaha and today was another one of those. after the expo ended on sunday, we had the following today : 1. quiz- 2 chapters- a lot of memorizing and words involved 2. presentation - water softening hahaha where it was quite allright for me as I didnt have to prepare slides 3. handing in prof yati's assignment on IPM - pest management.

so, Dhan Baba Nanak, what happens today is, in the morning xinnie and I are all geared up and go to the lab to try out our little experiment when the news comes ~ we present the next week! weehoo, although the efforts of getting seawater late in the evening was all futile after all then? hmm not really, we managed to prove it anyhow. (more on that later)

then after class its edit and finish off IPM time and after lunch, another piece of good news comes abuzzing on my phone ~ quiz postponed to sunday. oh the joy. but no rest for the evil, a meeting at 9pm and then tomorrow its heavy dating time with the lab =D Rehraas time now, more later. love!

some of the sampling pics =D

2010-09-28T02:18:00.011+08:00

alahai muka cute-nyer..hahah

the rest of our sampling pictures (the other half is on FB)

enjoy, Goodnight folks!

Dr Marinah's 21st =D

2010-09-28T01:37:00.001+08:00

pada suatu hari, seorang budak bernama Ash mencadangkan kepada Hamka, jom lah kita celebrate bezday dr (since they didnt know abt it). Semua orang berasa hyper dan agak ter-excited dan bersuka ria. hahahaha.. Gana telah direkrut sebagai mangsa kejadian untuk membeli kek dan mesej dihantar dengan segera kepada budak2 lain. inilah plan segera yang di-initiate-kan jam 2 lepas kelas polisi dan di-elongate-kan malam itu. further elongation dilakukan pagi seterusnya (yana beli card,serviette sape beli entah hahah dan lighter diketemui). then director yang drama queen cakap pada Hamka, msg her la buat appointment nak jumpa. lepas dapat reply baru lega (kang tiba2 ada kat kL??hahah) then, director kate, fyp students pi la masuk dulu.. buat2 tanya soklan (mummy shila's word).. so depa pun did some pura2 apa entah, then kitorang light the candle sume dah, masuk bilik..

masa tuh dr nih tengah hadap pc..kekeke then masuk tu she say wah ramainya, kejap.

sambil tu aku fikir, oh, tak nampak ke nih cake i pegang??hahah i guess i was hidden behind the line of defense (the boys) - switched to english- faster i suppose. hahaha! so, she turns and we sing while i bring the cake to the table..she seems pleased (no dramatic reactions like me all, just a smile) and reacts very cool and calmly by blowing out the candles, cutting the cake and everything.

the funny thing was, she totally cut the cake and served us!!ahahaahah..i know rite she is just too much of a moommmy. well there can never be too much if a good thing and i guess her mom (and lec) radar just knew we would probly make a mess if we did it. so, anyway, cake passed around, some feeding session by me where i totally urm, let a small piece slip onto her scarf (oopsie, sorry love!!) and she claims im messier/worse than her lil girls. hahah well. then there was some speech giving, talking session, and salam/hugging ( i knw, still time for graduation) =P and off she was to class, me, lab awaited and the others dispersed as well. all in all, I have just found one of my handmade cards that now I remember we could have just given to her (aww shucks) instead of the store bought one. it is very late, im drained. goodnite folks, God bless.love lots =)

p.s p.s : the juniors thought the day before class was cancelled because it was her bday!hahahahah

2010-09-27T21:39:00.002+08:00

nope, not a physician - she just treats our brains =D

happy bday =D

2010-09-26T19:08:00.002+08:00

happy birthday dr marinah!!facebook was just way too slow so here the picture is. God bless!

palwin ohh palwin

2010-09-25T19:48:00.002+08:00

after palwin commented on the post i realized my thank u to her lacked what it had on FB and so here it is:

she was so awesomely helpful, being the mighties phenji for our kids session. palwin was the one who would run down to get the supplies; more pencils, paper, scissors, magic markers, u name it. she was the one I would turn to for something during the lectures - yes, when the kids made their mala bracelets, she was the one helping them tie them, and I asked her to help me too =P

since my hands were oily. (but in the end i did some thanks to my talons ;D ) well palwin, for all that and more (just being a sweetie) thnks babe. ur a darling. (but u gotta talk more la bebeh!) hehehe..muaxx.tc n God bless =D

back to work!

2010-09-21T22:05:00.003+08:00

and so the rest of my short break contnued (only ten days).
there was a ggood program, sukhmani sahib jaap but we only managed to go for a couple of hours (and heard some kirtan) as I would be returning to uni that day.
during the holidays we went to watch we are family (remae of stepmom) and it was good. it was really sad when kajol died haha.
then it was time to come back. felt like it was so fast, but hey, that means this torturous sem is coming to an end soon (ten weeks to go)
so reached on sunday morning. prepared everything for sampling as well as had discussions for TWO presentations on tue (also one test)
did not study much for the test.
monday:sampling day. spent all day on the lake and it was awesome!!we had an adventure, with taking the samples, almost losing the van Dorn sampler(it got caught in the bottom part which was methinks having trees etc). but we didnt give up and with some navigation by the boatman it got loose and we took it out.next we saw an amazing waterfall, at the end of one side of the lake. the boatman then stopped there (tourist spot) and we hung around for a bit. He gave us a scare by going up into the foresty looking area to get to the toilet. kar yen scolded me for talking about ghosts etc in the jungle area and our supervisor with the netloft staff guy called out for him and everything. (very dramatic) he soon appeared. meanwhile my camera suddenly was not showing the pictures we had taken earlier (more scolding from them - they said it was too coincidental at that point) .
so we continued on and went pretty close to the sultan mahmud (kenyir) dam. it was very beautiful there (boatman said at nite its really pretty)
at one point i laughed hard as one of my sample bottle's cap went overboard. but the quick thinking of mr.boatman (en.manaf) and the oar: rescued bottlecap.
the sampling was a good experience with the surface water (pail), van Dorn ( bottom) and YSI for every 2m parameters. it was pretty heavy pulling the water filled vandorn out though, kudos to karyen and xinhui for doing most of it (with the abang netloft) as my arm was already hurting. I did try it out though.
then after the last station we took pictures and relaxed on the hull- spacious and made it easier - we could walk there to take the samples, keep the ice box etc.
also, it was packing time. we had a good laugh with the cable for the YSI, wrapping it around my pail haha!
it was going to rain and got really windy. the water was really ripply too!but thank God we got to the shore safe and it didnt rain heavily on us. once we were at the shore it really rained cats and dogs..
got back at about 6 and had to stay at the lab till 8 to keep my BOD samples. tiredd!
settled the presentation (only one, thank God-the other was postponed) and fell asleep. studying to be done!!the test was today.
so this morning ran through the notes and went for presentation at 1 pm. test 3 pm. class 4 pm. phewwww..
now 2 more tests and a gazillion things to do. God bless us =)
take care all and happy bday to Manu Ka, Chenniye and karan/asees' mum..hahah =P

Sentul mini samelan

2010-09-21T20:25:00.002+08:00

i have a lot to write as its been a while and there is quite a bit to catch up on =)

so lets start with sampling being postponed and i am (pretty) overjoyed as i can go for the samelan..

i reached home to a pleasant surprise by ballween and deybu (he came back!) =)

and after two days of chilling at home, per n i packed our bags n mom dropped us off at sentul gurdwara.

i actually did not have any expectations for this one, come to think of it. all i knew was, it would probably be fun as the boys (sanggat, ajit etc) were giving lots of excited comments and updates.

day 1 : so we got there, and started meeting everyone (haha well I did since ppl were like: ur back!! and the likes)

it felt so good to tek matha and walk about in GURDWARA!!

then I helped out with the remaining registration (impromptu secretariat) and got myself a name tag.

sheetal, meanwhile had already asked me to help her out with the kiddies lectures (meaning I would talk) as it turns out, she said go ahead and talk, she would assist me. hahahaha..I know, storyteller rite.

day one was KIRT KARNI which means working with your won two hands or laboring.

so I told the kids the sakhee of Guru Nanak with Bhai Lalo and Malik Bhago. besides that we had to discuss with smaller groups on is kirt karni important, how to apply it and us as kids;applying it.

after that I talked to Ajit seeing that I felt I was still pretty free. haha.. and I asked for darbar sewa. okiedokie, he said go ahead. then spoke to Ajeetpal veerji (the usual in darbar) and he was of course very encouraging.

The first IPS was done by Raja. Father spoke on wealth for the other world (as we cant bring material wealth- Guru Nanak's story of the needle)

That night the IPS was done by Kemey Veerji. it was also alright. (oh wait was it him who told the needle sakhee now?) hmmmm..

then we hung out and laughed badly. (Menin and I)

then we like heroes went for heart to heart (the elder girls) conducted by Manpreet Pannu's mum. As the kids were a little quiet we started things off and lightened the mood with jokes and laughs. then the kids seemed a bit ready to talk. (not really but they wrote it down anyway)

Jiwan's mum had told us to get to bed early and we were tired so we did but I couldnt sleep!all night long..haizzzz...

First we were laughing alot. which was not helped by menin saying funny(and puthi sidhi) punjabi phrases. it was also freezing since the dorms had like 50 airconds on (in reality there were 2) and then enters Amit. now, she's supposed to be the 'checker' i suppose, but at one point she shines the torchlight on Menin's chaddar (blanket) which was Sabha/Gurdwara property and exclaimes

: aa ki ah? bling bling. viaah di chaddar

and that set me off la. we laugheddddd!!

because it was blingy..

then there was a group of girls that muz have had red bull in their cha coz they talked all night and yet , the next day I saw them looking fresh as daisies!

Day 2: wake up (when did I sleep) and after Menin goes for her shower fall asleep.

she comes back and scolds me to go shower. tell myself to hurry as Deybu is doing simran.

go for about half the simran session. The Japji Sahib for all kids would start at 7 so I filled up time before that and got the appropriate kids to see me for Ardass etc.

After morning Darbar (Japji, Ardass,Hukamnama) it was breakfast then nishan sahib selami and exercises.

the bhangra-robics and malaysian workout was led by Ajit,manjeet and Sanggat and Aukhvinder gave the Dhol music. The kids enjoyed it! and we did it along amidst much laughter.

then the kids had sewalogy. I did Darbar Sahib station (thanks to Nirmal who joined me) for the younger kids while Father was with the elder kids.

This time actually unknowingly I had spent time with the kids (eventhough I dont consider myself to be a Mighties phenji). But I have to say it was very entertaining and refreshing with them (and I think they had fun too;D)

So it was great to ask the kids about Darbar Sahib as very often we see children running about, playing and dressing shabbily etc to the court of the Guru. they responded very well, even the littlest ones were alright (I wanted to laugh at the things they did and said!)

me: why do we do kirtan /simran?

one little tiny cutie (girl) :so that it will cleanse our soul

me:look at Nirmal who's looking at me..

then Deybu did the IPS.

the theme for the day was Vand Shakne.

so for my story and lectures it was Guru Nanak's Sacha Sauda and also other sakhees.

the kids had Khalsa Challenge and Miri Piri had their Explorace / Amazing Race.

Sometime on Friday Jiwan had come (and contrary to what she says I never forced her mom to bring her! =P)

she went home and came back on Sat.

Pinday and Gurleen also came on Sat as well as Balween (oh no no she came on Fri)

Pinday asks me to help her in the station (DRama Minggu INi) like I know. its verry me. hahaha.

so Menin agrees to join me and we quickly plan on what to do.

the kids I think enjoyed it hahahah; especially kids would come to me saying phenji u so naughty just now (during the short skit). We did naughty kids and incorporated the 3 pillars of Sikhi.

That night was the Campfire. the Kg Pandan Gatka team did a short demonstration (my hairs stood on end at some points:it was really josh filled) and the atmosphere was one of much josh and chardikala.

there was Uncle Chamkaur doing his funny rendition of the Hindi song man dole mere tan dole in hindi, tamil, malay, chinese, english and raag versions. there ws also a four year old playing the dhol. the guys : Sanggat, Raf, Amritpal,etc showed some drums

and played some stuff (also the vuvuzela)

after the campfire we dispersed to talk and chill out together. that night I slept happily and everyone woke up (kinda late) the next morning.

Day 3: Naam Japna.

Sentul Jatha was doing Asa di Vaar and so the kids did their japji at almost 8 a.m. after he usual it was time for lectures. Spoke on Prahlaad Ji and the kids were totally into it, telling me the next part that comes and so on. then they made thier own mala bracelets with the beads given to them.

after that we had a small feel good package and hugging session with the kids. since we let them off early to go for langgar we joined in with the big kids. I think they were havin a bit of a recap session and so we managed to piece together what the elder kids had been doing.

For their challenge they had some Sikhi inspired games and they got to apply how the people (Singhs, MAta Gujree jee and Sahibzadas) had felt a little.

one game was where they had to keep their arms in icy icy cold water. there would be much 'encouragement' to wiggle their fingers, shake their arms etc but they held their ground and stayed still (to not feel so frozen)

besides that they had a lunch box of ginger, yucky juice etc which they must finish (sharing)

also, a caterpillar formation where they moved on the floor. I heard their hands and knees hurt and such, so the moral was to understand the pain of the SIkhs back then.

we stayed back to see what else we could do, as Gurleen phenji had to leave early.

the IPS was by the sentul Jatha.

there was no fear since Deybu was there! =P

and so after gotong royong, packing up, closing ceremony we had our cha and chit chat and went home.

the winning Jatha was jatha 4.

we got home at 5 i thnk and I talked to mum, ate etc. fell asleep at 10 pm.

so the samelan was in conclusion awesome. I got to learn A LOTTTT and feel glad that I went for it.

also would like to thank the following people for making it so eenjoyable :

Menin

Deybu (s.p - only certain ppl know this code =P)

Ballu

Jiwan

Sheetalee

Palwin

Pinday

Gurleen

Ajit

Manjeet

Per

nisha

deshy

dheeraj

himmat

that's all for this post, pictures coming soon (+ videos)

SUKHMANI SAHIB JAAP

2010-09-15T13:18:00.001+08:00

2010-09-15T13:08:00.002+08:00

just a quick post, the sentul mini samelan was a great way for me to spend the raya (eid) weekend. will be reporting soon on that. for now, being at home is an absolute joy!=D and am trying to absorb as much as possible. another program coming up is the

SUKHMANI SAHIB JAAP

18th SEPTEMBER

GURDWARA SAHIB PARLIAMENT

9.00am - 6.00pm - Sukhmani Sahib Jaap

6.30pm - 7.00pm - Rehraas Sahib

7.00pm - 10.00pm - Kirtan Darbar

so for those of us still free or wondering how to fill your saturday, get yourselves there! for further info pls dont hesitate to give veer ajit a buzz at

014 6299 639 Ajit Singh

alritey time for me to go watch a movie or something!videos and pics coming soon =)

2010-09-01T00:31:00.001+08:00

Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia

TODAY Bibi Baljit Kaur Khalsa LAST KIRTAN TOUR KL:

1st Sept (Wed) - Gurdwara Sahib Kg Pandan Settlement: 7.30pm - 8.30pm

sikhi movies

2010-08-31T10:00:00.004+08:00

i was saying how i am longing to go home.

that would mean physically leaving behind the workload and a stress free (i hope) time.

amongst the planned to do stuff i have thought of (dreaming of good times to come), i have now a new plan.

to find all the movies on sikhi that i've wanted to watch but missed, and watch them. there are some really good movies out there, by ish amitoj kaur and the likes, which have inspired me, but somehow i did not get my hands on. so, this holiday would be a good time to search for these. i've always liked watching movies like sat sri akal ucha dar babe nanak da, dukh bhanjan tera naam and so on, but like the article on sikhnet says, punjabi movies for me are basically those of the sikhi nature. once in a while,yes, I'll watch something, but on the whole like many other NRI punjabi sikh, its hollywood and bollywood.

so, kambi kalaai, ocean of pearls etc, here I come =)

realized the actor of chevaa dariya (sixth river) is the sat sri akal guy (a good looking guy too ;D )
Guru rakha and love!

kirtan

2010-08-31T00:36:00.000+08:00

For those of you in the Klang Valley:

Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia
TODAY

Bibi Baljit Kaur Khalsa Kirtan Tour:
31st Aug (Tues) - Gurdwara Sahib Titiwangsa

8.00pm - 9.00pm

mini samelan sentul (raya)

2010-08-29T18:44:00.004+08:00

Drop by and participate in one of the most happening camp during the holidays...══════════MINI SAMELAN SENTUL══════════“ SAACHA DHAN GURMATEE PAAY. KAACHAA DHAN FUN AAVAI JAAY ”True Wealth is obtained through the Guru's Teaching. False Wealth continues coming and going.▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀VENUE : GURDWARA SAHIB SENTUL, KLDATE: 10TH, 11TH & 12TH SEPTEMBER 2010 (FRI - SUN, HARI RAYA HOLIDAYS)REGISTRATION STARTS AT 8.00AM ON THE 10TH SEPTEMBERFREE OF CHARGEFROM AGES 5 TO 23▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀SIMRAN FUN & GAMES DISCUSSIONS AMAZING RACE GROUP DYNAMICS INSPIRATIONAL SESSIONS TALKS ON SIKH GURU'S & THEIR TEACHINGS ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀★★★★★ GURMAT PARCHAAR ★★★★★Sharing the message of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is one of thegreatest importance & central core of the Samelan.★★★★★ MIGHTY KHALSA PROGRAMME ★★★★★A children's Programme where the children learn about Sikhism and the Sikh way of life with some fun.★★★★★ YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ★★★★★Where youths accquire the cognitive, social and emotional skills & abilities required to navigate life.▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀Contact :Manjeet Singh - 016 390 7077, Ajit Singh - 014 6299 639Organised by : Gurdwara Sahib Sentul, Sentul Naujawans with Support from Sikh Naujwan Sabha MalaysiaSee More

someone shared this from sikhnet =)

2010-08-29T18:27:00.000+08:00

Becoming a Princess
August 20, 2010 by Harminder Kaur
It is easy to tell people that our last name means princess, but actually living as that is very hard to do. All my life, I have explained to people what Kaur means, but I think I never really understood it myself. Does a girl become a princess by perfectly styled hair, jewelry; make up, a gorgeous dress and an attitude to match? Or does a girl become a princess by her very presence and her words and actions?What is more important look, actions or both?I spent 20 years of my life chasing after the beauty queen look so I could be a princess just like my name. Fortunately (well, at the time unfortunately) for me my parents were against make up, cutting hair, revealing clothes and just about everything that I believed would make me glamorous. Yes, my parents were against it, but that didn’t stop me from trying. After all, I wanted to live up to my name. For 20 years I tried to do whatever was possible in order to look like a princess. But I never achieved anything more than becoming my daddy’s little princess, just like every other girl.Then one day I met a true Kaur who showed me what being a princess is really all about.She stood there, tall and proud, shining out in a crowded room and no one else could even compare to her. She was one of the three turbaned women in the room that day, but she was nothing like the others. She had on the simplest white bana, turban (with no ornaments) and an easy smile.I knew immediately that I wanted to be like her and approached her to ask her secret; how did she become a real princess? I asked question after question and she just smiled, laughed and answered each question. I quickly learned she had discovered Sikhi less than a year before and immersed herself so deeply into it that she wore her bana and turban at all times. I had been a Sikh for 20 years and had never worn the bana or a turban. She was going to take amrit after having been a Sikh for less than a year. I had been a Sikh for 20 years, considered taking Amrit but had never been so passionate about it, not like her. Talking to her that day, made me realize she was the true daughter of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and I was just an imposter. I wanted to be a princess, a true daughter of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and I knew I couldn’t do it alone.I asked this princess to give me a crown, a turban of my own. The next week she showed up to Gurudwara Sahib with enough turban material to tie turbans on the whole Punjabi class. That day, only two students had the desire to receive the beautiful gift she brought; luckily I was one of them. After that she came just one more week and helped me tie my turban. In those two weeks the sangat got used to seeing me in a turban and I got scared of going without it to the Gurudwara because I thought that people might think I was wearing it just to impress my new friend. So every Sunday for about a month or two I would tie a turban and if it didn’t work out nice, I would just cover it with my chuni. After Gurudwara Sahib I would head to work in my bana and talk to my customers about Sikhi and the turban.I became the Sunday Sikh.The Sangat didn’t mind, but my customers quickly caught up and questioned my Sunday Sikh appearance and attitude. I Realized I was still an imposter, and still not a princess. So, I started wearing the turban a couple of times a week. I figured it’s hard to wear a turban because it comes with great responsibility. Every time I tie it, I have to always smile, be kind, live up to Sikhi and represent the image of my Guru and pretty much really be the perfect princess. It is not easy work being a princess and I just wasn’t ready for it. It is easy to look like a princess but hard to become a true princess. It requires, grace, strength and real commitment. As I struggled to wear my turban every day and act like a true princess, the good Sikh Sangat in my life began pestering me about reading my nitnem. Slowly but surely with help of the good Sangat in my life I incorporated nitnem in my life and with the encouragement from the customers at work, I incorporated the turban as my daily wear.I took a big step towards becoming a princess by doing that.The Nitnem brought about a change within me and the bana supported that change on the outside. Without even realizing it, when I least expected it, I became a real princess.I am not a full-fledged princess of Guru Gobind Singh Ji yet because I have not received the blessings of Amrit to officially proclaim me a princess. But I am a princess in training who is almost ready to be blessed. Today a random stranger came up to me and said I looked like a princess because of the beautiful turban on my head. Here is random stranger who has no clue who Sikhs are or what the turban means but who was struck by the radiance of my bana and understood that I was a princess.I am sorry Guru Ji that I came so late to you and wasted 20 years of the precious life you gave me by trying to be a false princess. But I know that everything happens for a reason, that You are teaching me every day, and that it all unfolds according to His hukam. Guru Ji, please bless me with Amrit soon and allow me to remain your true princess for life.

=D

2010-08-29T01:41:00.000+08:00

1.40 a.m.

about 5000 browsers and tabs open, trying to (it seems) do an assignment. listening to channel 3 (raag) because channel 9 (Harmandir Sahib) when I turn it on, has some chinese people talking!hahaa i doubt there're chinese speaking parcharaks there all of a sudden =P

anyway, earlier today (or well, yesterday) sehley veerji got married to gurmit kaur!! (phenji/small maci)

i'm sure the whole world was there =)

so anyway, as I waited for lil sis and mom to update me (sis and dad :at another wedding, mum at pjabi teachers course thingie) my dear dear goopi calls! seeing th 04 number i suspect its someone calling me from penang (sis/dad/mom) but it was great hearing her say 'its me goopi' =D

and so she proceeds to tell me about the wedding!!

first and foremost : they wore orange, how Khalsa of them. veerji wore a white sherwani with orange dastar adorned complete with Chakkar and shingar. and they looked handsome (i'm sure)

sukhvin sang, and uncle Harjit read the laavan da paath.

goopi excitedly tells me about the shabad sukhvin sang :

Har Prabh Kaj Rachayea

Gurmukh Viahan Aaayea (ang 775)

and so she continued with the story and I imagined the Gurdwara and all the beautiful,blessed people.

and so I think, its time for me to go do Nitnem and fall into slumber. lots awaiting the souls named students this week!(as usual)

Guru Rakha and lots of love!

p.s : forgive the abundance of exclamation marks, I think its the wee hour haha..

2010-08-27T21:48:00.000+08:00

dear lappy (laptop) =)

having recurring dreams where my lappy is attacked by a virus. in the first dream it ate away all my photos and in the second, generally anything on the d drive. i think its due to the 'shortcut' virus that's going around here. guess subconscously im afraid it'll suck away all my precious pics (time to get an external, i think,folks!). kalai when i was talking with her asked, 'you're scared of losing the pics??not the journals and other info for the project??' hahaha..

on another note, happy 'nuzul al quran'day to all muslims. these past few days the moon has just been amazing (cant wait for a proper camera ;D)

i laughed reading shareen's blog where she's asking herself why did she ever want to be a teacher. i think its really cute, and cool too that she really has the passion to be a teacher (and is willing to deal with all the um,birocracy and stuff that comes with the package)hehe!

my dear mrs yap texted asking when i'd be back and as usual we'l miss each other again. here are the people i cant wait to meet (right nw frm the top of my head)

family
baby roshan (must be big now!)
phenjis gurleen gurreet balvin sharan pinder
aunties (PPPs and AAAs)
joey thev ballu sheetal har
kitties pearly beh menin

hmmm thats all i can think of. anyway i'm supposed to be finding info for an assignment (policy for science and tech) so tc and lotsa love!

=)

2010-08-26T23:40:00.000+08:00

well well well..its been a week or so?

lots (as usual) has been going on.. lets start with the proposal presentation. despite my weird sudden nervousness it went alrite. dhan baba nanak =)

then comes the series of tests..haha this sem is so jampacked that every day is so eventful.

and then of course all of the other regular stuff.

so the other day i felt like wearing pjb suit and so I did. i picked a light green short kameez with pajama and off I went to class. the whole world! (i knw ;P ) was asking why was i all dressed up/are u presenting today? hahahaha..

the reason I think I miss it was bcoz its been a really loong time since I went to gurdwara. yes, where I am, there is no gurudwara =( and so am looking forward to going home..

when of course, I'll be missing stuff like the kirtan prog at twins hse and the mini samelan at sentul. aww man..but am really hoping that the beach kirtan will somehow happen. oh Universe please help make it happenn!! =)

there will be 2 weddings this weekend in penang (which i'll be missing), one sehley veerji and gurmit macis (feels really weird calling her maci) and the other, my cuzz lado phenjis.

just yesterday grandma told me she had gone to help with the sakkarparey making and um, the brown sugar ones (what are they called again?).

at the same time the punjabi teachers course will also be going on at penang and PPPs will be all there i suppose. mum tells me they're going to put up a show (presentation) for PECs 12th anniversary. hehehe!! please record it, someone!

here everyone is getting ready to go home for the holidays (hari raya or eid). except yours truly, that is. due to the sampling which wil be on the 5th we will have to stay back a little (me, a little more). I dont really mind actually, seeing to its my project and that's the way it is. but the lack of people and resources may make it a tad bit challenging. oh well, i always remember ; Guru mere sang sada hai naaley =) right?

and so I feel extremely blessed that mom pays my broadband bill for now, at any given time I can get on sikhnet radio and listen to Harmandir sahib broadcasting or any other gurdwara available. just the other day I heard Kaise Kahao Jia Baydnayee sung beautifully (channel 1) and immediately missed the waja (harmonium) back home. smiled thinking that I should sing it with little sister. also, something else has been running in my mind; mum told me that mama ji use to sing this, its bibi nanaki singing for Guru Nanak Dev Ji, i think it goes like this (a kavta)

ay vagdee ay havaey

tu jane kehdey rahey

kehdi mere veer nu

Nanki bulavdii..

and I think we should sing it (the tune is lovely).

so basically before I start rambling on even more (test 2moro!) a good night and rab rakha =)

p.s - line's not so good or I would have put in a picture or two =P

line's killing me, got dc-ed twice!

sv has asked me to add in another parameter to the existing 7 (haha!) its oil and grease, sounds interesting,hope its doable! had another story typed out but dc-ing lost it.oh weelll =D

monday =)

2010-08-16T19:16:00.000+08:00

i watched dukh bhanjan tera naam ji.very comforting. before that i had talked to mum. after which i felt much better. still, watching 3 idiots was also not so bad. the movie was designed awesome.

dukh bhanjan tera naam ji made me play dar manday thaaday darbar on repeat afterwards. and after that, dhan baba nanak tuhi nirankar was all i can say. thank u Guruji. fo making me smile.for making me relax. for giving me a complete body, for making me healthy and strong.for making me free of disease. for giving me everything i need. for giving me even more. for loving me so. thank youu =) and thank u for giving me mum and dad. thank u, mum.

love and that's all for now!

drama continues

2010-08-12T14:18:00.000+08:00

i wore dark blue levi's. navy blue kaur tshirt. nike trainers. hair was up in a bun with a plain hairband. pink backpack (containing labcoat,bottle,books etc). i walked along, white earphones providing company + soothing music. jeevat jeevat and bhai taru singh tracks played on as reached the faculty.
that was a few days ago. the drama and lab was going on. a major problem occured(or so it seemed at the time) and i was a wreck (i think). after it happened,though, i was really glad for the people that i had around me. knowing that it had gone wrong, it was done, all they did was to 1) comfort me 2) assure me there would be a solution 3) tell me it would be ok 4) make it seem not so big a problem
and so i sat feeling totally deflated, when it struck me to see mummy s. and so i went.
well the 'session' was pretty effective =) i could smile again after a few hours. there was still a sinking feeling though, until the next day when i talked to my sv.
hmmm Guruji saved me from any wrath but it will still affect me due to the lost samples. well it was one little thing which led to another.
so i continue with what i can and now i wait for the samples to thaw (incredibly interesting) to do the next batch. the aim is to finish two thingies today, hope it happens hahaa..
then on sat is the pre-proposal presentation, the ind training report is due next week and of course..proposal presentation. after which there'll be tests,assignments due bla3..
then sampling.. which means i will go home superly late for the holidays (at least i'l be going home)
let me stop the rambling now, and check on the samples. thanxx everyone for the talks-moral support-pep rallys-
luv u all =)

drama

2010-08-06T10:05:00.000+08:00

the stripies

Guru jee is always looking out for us!

yesterday was the poster presentation session for our industrial training. a good amount of time was spent preparing the poster and it was rather exhilarating anticipating the awaiting questions and explanations expected of us (especially since we knew which lecturers were coming). so off we go in the morning and set up, and start even and the morning goes by. i had 3 lecturers who came to listen to my storytelling (haha!) and nothing terrifying happened (thank God!). so after we finish we're realxing, thinking that's behind us when i get some not so good news (involving some course reg thingie) and off we go running to get the forms etc.

what's awesome abt the situation was how two lecturers supported and calmly provided a solution to the prob. prof y, told me on the phone that i should ask the HOD for her signature and stamp and she was just lovely. dr.m was also caring +lovely+understanding + just awesome.. and so the form was given to the lady at our fac.. am really hoping all will be fine (aal izz well) and no further problems will arise from this.. haizz..
so, God pls bless

prof y

her PA

dr.m

seet

the acdmic guy

thuls

thankuthankuthanku Guru jee..

need to do anand sahib =)

2010-08-04T01:19:00.000+08:00

hmmm..decided not to go for this first sampling (this sat), since only 2 ppl can go at one time i decided to sit this one out. lots going on right now, with presentation, labwork, tests,quizzes, assignmnts and tasks that require visiting companies/ creating business plans all in the equation. yet, with my trusty mr.broadie =D going online is a breeze in the comforts of my room.. allrighty then time for me to get back to work (and sleep). =D rab rakha!

2010-08-01T23:33:00.000+08:00

its been a hectic few days. between coming back from kenyir and other activities it really was crunch time to get our final year project (FYP) proposals done. but with 2 all nighters (accompanied by sikhnet's channel 17 and raag channel) a 16 page paper was eked out.hahaha we'll just wait and see how it was done.. then today our sv confirmed the dates for sampling at lake kenyir (much to my excitement) and told me we'll be going all around the huge lake!!yayeee!! my excitement was heightened by our beloved HOD with whom we were speaking when i was supposedly 'reporting' about our camp the other day. since at that time i told her the basic details this is kinda a better view on what we did there.
day 1 : arrive/ ice breaking

day 2: morning - impact on the environ ; ecotourism/golf resorts/reclamation and other topics

afternoon - jungle trekking (forest rangers) ; exposure to flora n fauna; some exotic species etc.
- doe session : water quality; taking samples;in situ analysis and storage 4 lab analysis (very exciting for me!!)

evening - orienteering : use of compass and steps to find directions
night : forum; the development of a rural area for ecotourism (opinions of mp,nature lover society, head of orang asli, developer, residents rep)

pn.s was delighted as 3 out of the 5 panelists were umt-ians haha (plus 2 won best participants)

: ecology game ; identfying change in lineage and ideas on the evolution (Darwinian and Malthean we said)

day 3: morning ; nature games ; understanding how nature changes etc.
: presentation/performance on nature (skit/poem etc)
:closing ceremony

~FIN~

it was totally awesome!

p.s : pn.s wanted to take us kayaking bt there wasnt enuf time ;D

anyway i m totally psyched for our sampling and dr.m is making me itch with glee (gua bewah) =P

but before that, practical presentation and report submission/lab sessions to be dealt with. luv

2010-07-29T18:10:00.000+08:00

first of all..im reaaaally sorry fr not posting anything for so long.while FB continues to be filled with all kinds of pictures, videos and randomness, this poor little fella was cring for my attention.hahaha..so anyway it has been a whirlwind of a new semester, since i've been back its been one activity after another. and we've only been back for all of two weeks!!my buddy thulasi was shocked when i told her its only the starting of the third week we're here. and seriously, for me it has been like 4 new albums in facebook.yup. the week we came back was a blur of moving into my new room (same floor, thank God) and getting the FYP stuff together-title etc. then it was minggu mahasiswa here and it was a fun but tiring week! i was under the committee that did handpainting and sold tickets for Gaza's charity.that included emcee-ing for English day, watching the mock debate (on Paul the octopus) and having fun with the other MPP-ians and sahabats. there was a charity poem nite for the cause as well with the popular malaysian group Raihan performing. they were goood!especially their rendition of allahu(Nusrat). the cuteness was, they had songs in mandarin and english too. i enjoyed it and was thinking that around the world people must be singing waheguru's praises in different languages too? maybe songs, but bani i know that whereever we are, we all share the same bani and can understand the same message =) our juniors had joined the personality unggul contest and it was cheering them time as well. after minggu mahasiswa in which the days also included going to lab and getting the plastic and glassware ready , it was convo time! at the same time we were going to lake kenyir for an environment camp. needless to say, excitement of going to kenyir finally was kinda mixed with regret of not getting to spend time with my seniors who were coming, esp my 3 akkas who i spent a lovely year with =) so what happens next?

kenyir was aWEsome!! we had a great time, in the lush green trees with the lake lapping nearby and boats zooming past. the sounds of nature tickling my ears and in 3 days gazillions of pictures. in those 3 days it was nice to get acquainted with new people-students from other IPTs, meeting and getting to some really interesting people (cikgu ahmad,hashimi,siti) and of course bonding with pn.s (mummy).hahaha..the first day was 2 bus rides and then a boat ride,ice breaking and then for us, lepaking at petaling. the second day was the best i suppose, coz we went jungle trekking!!!it was so fantabulous as the trail was really steep and the lake was just below and beside us.fabbb.plus since it had been raining, it was also kinda muddy.weeee..needless to say we were somewhere at the back and had our own photoshoots going on! (luckily cikgu shimi was there to point out some stuff to us and tell me stories) but the forest rangers were really cool and we got to know abt many trees/plants/fruits etc. the bio-d fellas had a ball i suppose! after that it was orienteering in the afternoon. it consisted of finding the next stop and answering a quiz from each stop. the quiz was extremely hilarious with pn.s's sides in stitches-especially with the best ever question: bumi bukanlah milik kita manusia, kita adalah sebahagian dr bumi dan alam. apakah sikap yg ingin ditunjukkan??hahahahaa..and lots of really factual ques too. for me, we've actually learnt some of those before, but we were wondering how the other students managed. needless to say,phonecalls and texts were sent to ppl at uni asking if they remembered some stuff haha or juz 2 google it..God bless them,they helped =) that nite there was a forum, and i wasnt too happy as i didnt do my best (or maybe not even half?) i dunno bt it felt like i didnt do good. sleep was essential that nite to repair the damages!haha i had multiple injuries =P the next day i emceed for the closing ceremony and we took another gazillion photos. we also had to come up with a performance and all the groups did great! that evening we reached uni happy tired and me,superly hyper. convo was going on and believe it or not we went straight there!!happy times..coz i made it to my akkas convo =) then in my damaged state, hungry i was we went to hot hot and some good fooddd for me.. and now its academic time with proposal for FYP, industrial training presentation and the usual course load.phew. so thats my ram katha for now..till next time, Rab Rakha. lots of luv!!

road trip with mommy =)

2010-06-07T08:21:00.000+08:00

a few weeks ago mom and i went to penang to fetch her mom. here are some of the pictures of our little adventure.more to come!the triplets are super cute =P

pics time!

2010-06-06T18:12:00.000+08:00

ehehe.."naughty ah you.. =P"

opinions on gurmat studies

wow wow wow wow!

2010-06-04T09:10:00.000+08:00

i sat and felt the electric coursing through my body as the chants of waheguru,waheguru,waheguru,waheguru echoed throughout darbar sahib.voices all joined as one, forming a single entity whose vibrations was just amazing.

veer manpreet had come to our gurdwara yesterday and having missed many of his programs i was all geared up for yesterday. he started with mool mantar, then shabad sada sada japiey prabh naam (lovely!) and of course lots of simran. but since it was simran session at gurdwara he really did great especially with the no-waja + tabla-just meditate part.side waja was amrit phenji and then gurmukh veerji. belay veerji,jagjit,indi and ajit phenji were all there giving great backup. so i enjoyed it thoroughly and was smiling from ear to ear when the hukamnama for the nite was gur poore charni laiaa. =) after which it was the usual session of meeting everyone (haha!). ballu had come back and so sat talking and having langgar with her.of course meeting beloved phenjis (g + g) was lovely and all the PPPs,as well as veerjis.

but the funniest part was the PPPs choosing their new suit material. if you're wondering what on earth PPP is, Persatuan Phenji2 i have named the Punjabi School Phenjis.haha!! they usually have a suit made that they can wear together for courses, photo sessions etc. so we joined in the fun of checking out the options and of course just we were just generally creating a racket. lots of laughter there and i went home hyper as ever. i was surprised at how time flew because it was midnight when i went to bed. but the beautiful evening was and is still on my mind =)

anyway this weekend its punjabi phasa mela here and my friends are also having a small program at home. besides phasa mela havent quite decided what are my plans, as ballu will be leaving and am thinking of spending some time together. oh and there's naujawan satsang on saturday, may have sunil veerji or giani sarinder for kirtan + talk. any suggestions on talk topic? thats all for now..

2010-05-31T09:38:00.000+08:00

maa, i love you.

2010-05-31T09:18:00.000+08:00

mostly my posts have been photos, posters and one-liners. facebook's pull,and ability to show comments,likes and links has been more interesting probably. anyway,i;m feeling pretty blessed as there's beautiful things going on around us. i came back to vasakhi celebrations, but i was quite disappointed about the kirtan which i couldnt catch. then, a week of relaxation before industrial training began. the routine of 8 to 5 needed some getting used to, but life was good,coming home to find my darling naniji ready with cha. she stayed a good month with us, and although its been all but one day since she went back, i miss her dearly. its stupid how i always dont appreciate what i have and when the people arent there i regret. like i regret my actions of "scolding" her when she did my laundry or tidied up my room. thhe thing is, i didnt want her in her aging and weak state to do my stuff, as it should be us doing things for her. but like some people tell me, the older generation dont mind, they like it. then on saturdays the fun times of going to punjabi school. meeting the kids there and all the phenjis, and more kiddies, certainly it's a better way to spend a saturday afternooon then staying home watching tv =)
the bonuses were, uncle dya + gurmukh & raja veerji asa di vaar sess at kg pandan inside. mother's day felt good with a wholesome sess in the morning. the prog at titi gurdwara was also lovely,of course because khalsa ji did kirtan.
then came barsi of sant baba sohan singh ji.
once, khalsa ji said, the passing of a saint is marriage. that's why is cause to rejoice and celebrate.
and that's why i look forward to going to melaka, listening to jatha after jatha performing shabads, the vibration of sangat singing, praying.
the akhand path, of pathees voices in the wee hours of night, of darbar sweet smelling. of peace enveloping me. of people, holding gutkas.
of veer manpreet and khalsa ji.
of rehansebai and asa di vaar. and of returning home, stopping at mantin.
of penang, the gurdwara majestic.
where my mum grew up.
where my parents got married.
where i was named.
of ice kacang, ice cream + fruit.
cold, delicious, the best swatow lane ice kacang.
so much i miss.dates clash.other reasons.
now i think, only a month or so remains of holidays. what now? bani,music, naujawan.
what can i do to contribute?or what can i get?
something, soon.

2010-05-24T12:40:00.000+08:00

=)

2010-04-27T23:52:00.000+08:00

zSHARE - PaNiSa.mp3
loving this music =)

2010-04-22T20:32:00.000+08:00

it has been a really long time and while i was thinking of posting something pn laili got me going by asking abt the panj piare (5 beloved).
the story started by her asking her kids what they would do if anything happened to her, and her daughter said she would call dad. my mom also had asked the 2 kiddies that actually some time back when i was still away. on day she was unwell and my sister said they had gotten a little afraid, but if anything, she would quickly call the panj piare.they would come pray for her.mom told me this and i thought it was pretty smart of my sis,i wonder what my reaction would have been. then i got to think about the kesari clad panj piare, imagining them walking into the darbar after amrit sanchar at samelan, or bringing Guru Maharaj to a new place. anyway, i have to go do something, but look out for india pics which wil be reposted =)
for more info on panj pyare check out sikhiwiki
http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php?title=Panj_Piare

2010-03-31T13:10:00.000+08:00

VASAKHI GRAND EVENT 2010 DONT MISS IT!!

2010-03-31T12:49:00.000+08:00

one of the cakes. didnt take picture of the blueberry one! (the awesome one =P)

2010-03-31T12:45:00.000+08:00

baby misha

2010-03-31T12:36:00.000+08:00

2010-03-31T12:30:00.000+08:00

well well well.finals are here!that was fast, or was it now? =) loads to post but pictures will never get uploaded =P anywho had our first paper yesterday and then slept for four hours straight. after a briefing thambi took us for dinner at hot hot =) some good food..yum. had fun with them then we headed to the waterfront and beach. was exhausted !

back home everyone must be preparing for the vasakhi grand event which will be at the IYC Cheras. i will be missing it =( whats more with bhai manpreet singh!! and others coming...well at least this year i will be home for vasakhi..feeling really glad for that. just now there were some schoolchildren (form 6-ers) here visiting the uni. was involved too. remembered my own schooldays =) then pn.f my chem tcher added me in fb!that was cute. mom should really get it too =) alright thats all for now love and hugs..
xoxo

life..

2010-02-09T13:38:00.000+08:00

its holiday time again. and wow so much time has passed already. what with all the things that have been going on here it seems so fast. first it was the industrial training headache. which actually, still does not fail to make my heart jump and make me worry. i think i need to worry less. then came the final year project. this, with Waheguru's grace, went ultra smooth for me, as i got confirmed Immediately!! =) =) then there was more good news as my friends also got confirmed with the same lecturer. i hope, and please do pray that the industrial goes well and everything proceeds smoothly hereon. adoi..just glad we're going home tomorrow. hahaha and we have a million tests after the break, but i will just be glad to be home. also excited to see mom after her trip, God bless her and let her come back safely =) that's all for now battery really low. love u all!! =) *hugs n love*

2010-01-20T23:47:00.001+08:00

lots has been going on.or maybe it just feels like lots =) anyway i decided on something important.. and im glad that there were people helping me, giving advice and supporting me along the way. not much to say at the moment, enjoy this video.its pretty cool =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Hwf_8r-dzo

2010-01-16T16:49:00.000+08:00

some photos by nanjo n hargobind =)

Guru Gobind Singh

2010-01-16T16:25:00.000+08:00

Guru Gobind Singh
chatr chakar varti! n gobinday mukhanday by chardikala..shock!cant find downloads thou =( also indi kaur- sacrifice.

hmmm

2010-01-13T23:03:00.000+08:00

avoiding uploading pictures.takes too much time, causes frustration when the error page comes on. the good news is still there but my love affair with forensics is cooonfusing me.hmm.. not really in the mood to write anything much now. but. heard abt sentul. why? why is it that we make ourselves go against each other.make ourselves say, yes lets hate one another. make ourselves full of something, i dont know what. i don understand.maybe i never will.yes, maybe i am a romantic. these things take time to register to me.hmm.. menin told us a good story abt how someone dear to her stood up for her, without caring abt the religious differences. why?he remembered the things she had told him before. abt bani. abt sikhi. abt God.
raminder's msn says this : the game of God is impossible to understand.
signing off now. good nite, world.
pls pray. for everyone.

=)

2010-01-10T16:12:00.000+08:00

wow so its the 10th already!so far how has the year been 4 u guys? for me..its been all right i guess..some good news..bt i haven't told anyone..lets wait for it to be confirmed before anything =)

after a week in the new year, i went home(yes,again) ahaha.. for something (yes, besides samelan) that we'd been waiting and waiting for..and finally it came! it was gurreet phenji's wedding.

on friday we reached pandan lake club to see her doing work! hahaha have you seen a bride carrying tables and chairs before? she looked lovely =) and the mehndi on her was weeee!

the sangeet was soo cute and then before we knew it,saturday came.

i have to say i was smiling so hard when she walked into Darbar Sahib =)

the anand karaj was beautiful with cunted kirtan (Raja ;P)

and so im back here now, taking a break from an assignment now,since fb is taking a gazillion years to open..
missing all of u (esp mommy!)

love n huggiesss!

Ashvin.

p.s - i think i've lost d bday pics!yes i know..adoi..so anyone have any..please gimme k? thanxx loads!

2010-01-02T23:05:00.000+08:00

happy new year all!

wow its the 2nd already, and more importantly, 2009 has passed us by!

hmm..so this year new year was weird again, being here. but unlike last year, where we had classes!on nw years,it was a friday this year. so we were left with nothing much to do unless you count mulling over how it would be back home an enjoyable activity. so the gang called for a meeting at our favourite eatery hahaha the tong sampah shop. after discussion it was decided we would go to meg's place in dungun on new year's. so on the eve, unlike last year again when we were engrossed (and shocked) in an agm, we went to town to drop janet off and have dinner (good dinner it was too =B ) and then back to hang out at the hostel grounds.

then what happened was totally awesome! we were talking away, then went to the gazebo for our countdown when what happens to be there but cakes arranged in a circle for all our missed birthdays!it was soo cool with candles all around =) soo we ooohed and aahed and looked at the little cards and thanked the ones who pulled it off.. they did amazing! going out secretively and hiding the whole thing from us. so after all that i went back to my room..but before that a pit stop at the akkas' next door who were throwing their own party..hahaha and then it was bedtime. on new years we bundled up to dungun and a delicious lunch awaited us! haha after lunch we lazed about and the heroines went shopping for the big bad barbeque that night. and was it good. while we watched tv and erm..tried to help, the others (darish,purni, meg, thuls, kalai n archu) prepared..lets see..mashed potatoes, beehoon,vege balls, the creation (mashed potatoes + eggs), french fries, the grilled stuff.. and of course con,broccoli etc. well it was so sweet of them to specially make stuff for thambi and I =) so we ate and we talked and we stuffed, we fell asleep.hahaa..today we came back and slept! and now..are online. that's about it for these 2 days. when i know back home it would be gurdwara, khalsa jee and chardikala and everyone else doing kirtan and oh..but what can be done.Happy new Year all.

p.s- will post more samelan pics soon!

2009-12-28T00:39:00.000+08:00

beh,per,sugar,goopi and the cuties =)

Samelan 09!! =)

2009-12-27T23:51:00.000+08:00

WJKK WJKF all!

4 p.m.

that's about the time we reached home. being too excited, damaged or maybe just tired, we did not go straight to bed as would have been expected. instead i unpacked and just sat there amidst my stuff. mum and I look at the pictures and reflect on the past week.

6 p.m.

i do my laundry, and am quite unable to do anything else.

8 p.m.

packing to go back. yes, i returned on a 7 hour trip the same day samelan ended.and we came home first. believe me, it did not feel awesome to leave all that beauty.

10 p.m.

on the way back to uni. upon landing on my seat i pull my hoodie up and lean against the window to sleep.

it has been a whirlwind of a week, and who knows how one week flew past?suddenly it was time to come back here, and I was jolted to realization that hey, its back to the open world called life.

so today, we went for maths class..and then i had to do the assignment. thanks to the Uncles of Samelan i did it super quickly! God bless them =)

now trying to upload pictures on facey but its erroring so i guess i'd better go sleep. feeling quite damaged and class is at 8 am..lalala =P

so good nite all, and pictures will be up soon!

2009-12-12T11:51:00.000+08:00

have deleted all my old posts.decided to start afresh for the new year.take care, everyone. cannot wait for samelan.hoping everything goes well and will be able to go =)