Memoirs of London - 5

5.

When the springtime came I decided to search for another job. I was grateful to the pizza’s factory ‘cause they gave me the chance to start a new life in London but I needed to change.

 I needed to stay at open air and I started walking on the streets, aimless, enjoying the people going on, the shops, the parks and all the life which ordinarily goes by.

One day, along  Oxford Street, in one of those tourist’s shops which sell with sweets a lot of Londoner’s souvenirs, I saw a notice like they were looking for staff. I got in and questioned the boss. It was not for his farm, he said, but for another firm which used his entrance for selling fresh ice-creams and drinks, made by personal machines on the place.

He gave me a phone number. After the interview and a three day training , just to learn how to use the machines for making ice-cream (an Italian made Carpigiani) and properly clean it, I started working on one of the pitches they had placed exactly where the shop chain had its selling points.

I was happy to stay finally outside and the weather was  nice and mild. The wages increased as the hot season advanced, so I could save some money to go away, may to India or to Mexico, who knows?

I met a lot of good people staying outside.  Susy, who introduced me to some English poets and her friend Angie, a nice, blond, blue eyes girl.

But not even her kindness could prevent my departure ‘cause nobody can stop the will of leaving, the desire of traveling, the search of someone’s way.

After the summer season, I decided to leave.

In that time I was profoundly fascinated by the Indian culture. I went through the reading of several books like Hermann Hesse's Siddharta, The Indian Upanishads and Tagore's poems.  As a matter of fact I had a lot of confusion into my mind but when you fall in love with something you easily lose your reason. So I thought that I had to go there, where the quintessence of spirituality resided.

In  a certain way it occurred to me  what happened to the great traveler Cristobal Colon: as he did, I landed to America while searching for India.

After wandering for six months between Miami, Panama, Caracas and Bogotà I was back to London, as I’ll count to the patient reader hereinafter. 

6. to be continued...

Mi Mantra

Mi mantra me lleva lejos

fuera de las diarias fronteras

del espacio físico circundante:

y me parece tan diferente y engañosa

la concepción ancestral del mundo,

cuando la mente se establece

en puntos indistintos sin forma y sin  color

ahora ahoga en ellos, felizmente inconsciente,

y persigue las golondrinas

a lo largo de los pasillos de sonido

que ellas trazan por  el aire ,

perdido en sus  cantos

que nada explican al intelecto humano

y  todavía aligeran sus mentes inquietas!

Y mientras el mundo recupera

sus formas habituales,

una duda resurge lentamente a la superficie:

si no fuera mejor para nosotros descubrir

cómo estamos conectados a la naturaleza

antes de buscar nuevos mundos,

remotos y distantes

!

En Cerdeña 1985

My Mantra

My mantra leads me far

out of the daily usual borders

of the surrounding physical space:

and it seems to me so different and deceptive

the ancestral conception of the world,

when the mind lays down

on shapeless spots of indistinct coloured flashes

and now drowns on them, happily unconscious,

then pursues the swallows

along the sounding corridors they trace in the air,

lost in their twittering accents

which nothing explain to human intellect

but yet lighten up all its restless minds!

And while the world regains

Its usual forms,

a doubt re-emerges slowly to surface:

if it were better for us to discover

how we are connected to nature

before seeking

new, remote and distant worlds!

In Sardinia 1985

Short History of Chess

Nobody knows were chess come from. Some say from India, others from China.

What seems for sure is that chess spread in  Europe through the Muslim's conquest of south territories. Among the first best players, in modern times,  are remembered the italian Gioacchino Greco, the french Philidor and the spanish churchman De Lucena.

The current rules are the result af a complex evolution made overall for quicking the game.

The first official tournament was held in England in the second half of the 19th century.

Generally speaking the strongest palyers seem to be Indians and Chinese players, though in the last fifty years the world's championship has been won by northamericans and russian players (Bobby Fisher and Gary Kasparov are may be the best known players in the public opinion).

There are millions of players all lver the world and the world champion on charge come s from Norway.

May be Chess will be included in the Olympic games since the next edition.

Wherever it comes from thanks to our ancestrors, whoever they might be, who grand manhood with a great, clever and enjoyable game. 

The story of the 3 elephants

Once  upon a time, in the jungle of India, lived three little elephant  called Tanèmi, Kangèpi and Shiva. These three  cubs always played together: they used to play  hide and seek, the guessing game, or making circles, linking to each other with their long trunks.

One day it happened that Shiva, the smallest of the three cubs, losing his balance, fell into a hole in the ground, injured his right front leg with the sharp blade of a sword that some thieves had hidden in that hole along with other valuables, the spoils of a robbery they had consumed against the powerful Raja Betankur.The  deep wound,  caused the poor little elephant, such a  great pain that he uttered a sharp and prolonged trumpet which shook the ground so strongly that  it is said that people from the nearby village of  Laicòn poured out of their huts thinking that this was an imminent earthquake's signal.The two brothers, passed the initial moments of shock and fear,  decided to go to the Shailesh's house,   a famous doctor's animals vet who had his own house on the edge of the jungle. So, after building the best shelter for the poor Shiva, galloped up to the doctor's house, whose door, with their  trunks, energetically rubbed their anxious restlessness.Dr Shailesh was quick to understand, and prepared his bag, was quickly  loaded on the rump by Kangèpi and conducted in a gallop on the site of the accident.When they arrived it was already night: full moon lit up the small coin where Shiva,  was lying on a soft carpet of leaves, moaning softly, now semiunconscious because of the large amount of blood that gushed from the incisive wound.Dr Shailesh deftly washed the wound with sterile water, and he disinfected after  applying an ointment coagulant, covered it with large banana leaves, so that the bandage wrapped tightly around below, would not cause him pain at the bending off time.After the operation, the  good vet, looking all around to pick up away the tools in his bag, he was attracted by a glint in the foliage. Tanèmi, who had guessed where was  directed  Shailesh's attention, blew with his trunk all the surrounding area, thus exposed a deep hole, where, along with a sword drenched in the blood of Shiva,  they found the precious jewels ruby and sapphire stolen from the Raja, for the discovery which he had promised a reward of thirty guineas of gold.Placed in a bag that stolen stuff the doctor had himself driven to the Royal Palace, and woke up the Raja himself, told him the facts accurately, giving all the credit of the discovery to his friends elephants. Nevertheless, his selflessness, earned him the prize money while the Raja ordered that the three elephants were housed during life, in the royal stables and offices without fatigue. Shiva, delivered at the Royal Palace the same night on a huge litter drawn by six pairs of white horses, sat in a few weeks, coming back stronger and more cheerful than before. And the three friends lived happily for the rest of their days.

Religion and Spirituality

Outcry has risen in Great Britain as Secretary School Michael Gove has announced he's intentioned to include a Yogi School in a batch of private institutes to be financed with public funds.
The School is set in Ormskirk, Lancashire and is based on the teachings of Yogi Mahareshi Maharesh, former spiritual giude of sixties  rock celebrities from Liverpool Beatles.
The pupils, aged from four to sixteen years study, among the other subjects, make twenty minutes of trascendental meditation, staying steady and silently.
Critics say the through this trascendental meditation a sort of religious message could be transmitted to the pupils.
I personally believe that Spirituality includes all religions, because there are some oriental philosophies which don't recognize at all any God.
Of course, as a Jesus follower I also believe that the God Allmight has created all the men and all the religions and spiritual movements ever appeared at any time all over the world.
But this is another matter.

Read more on this
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1351995/emailArticle.html

Whose writing is that?

If we find the author of this note, will have into our hands the murder of twentyfive-year-old wonderful girl, newly wed, killed two years ago in Birmingham while she was six months pregnant.
Her name was Kuldeep Kaur Sidhu. She was married to Mr Baljinder, alleged to belong to a higher caste than her's, who denied to have an affair, as described in the note.
The inquirers believe the killers faked a suicide.
As matter of fact the scene was very strange, with the presence of bottles of whisky and rhum and the note written by an unknown person, selfdeclaring it was done by appointment of the same victim. Furthermore Pathologist William Lawler declared that the unhappy woman probably died from manual-strangulation.
After two years the killers are still undiscovered.

To know more details read the Fay Schlesinger's item of news on the Daily Mail on line linked below:

A pregnant newly-wed was found strangled, hanged and burned alongside a fake suicide note accusing her husband of having an affair, an inquest heard yesterday.
Kuldeep Kaur Sidhu, 25, was discovered half naked with a rope around her neck following a fire at her home in Birmingham in May 2008.
The nursery nurse's killers, who are believed to have attempted to make her murder look like suicide, have never been caught.
Birmingham Coroner's Court heard that the Sikh family of Mrs Sidhu's accountant husband Baljinder were unhappy about their marriage six months earlier because his wife was from a lower caste.

But Mr Sidhu, who denied having an affair, said the couple were happy and had been trying for a baby.
He discovered his wife was six weeks pregnant from the results of her post-mortem examination, he told the inquest.
After her death, police found a handwritten note that was addressed to 'mum and dad'.
It claimed Mrs Sidhu faced 'living hell' and had been 'mentally tortured' by her husband, then 27.
It said: 'I want to forget my husband who is having an affair with a white woman. I have seen it all with my own eyes. I can't take it any more. Today I am so upset that I do not want to live any more.'

The writer of the letter has never been traced, but handwriting experts ruled out Mr and Mrs Sidhu.
On May 14, 2008, Mrs Sidhu took her Samoyed dog Lassie for a walk before returning to her semidetached home in Quinton, west Birmingham. Neighbours spotted smoke coming from the house at about 3.30pm.
Firefighters who broke into the house found Mrs Sidhu's body at the foot of a flight of stairs, where the fire was allegedly started.

Mrs Sidhu's body was discovered following a fire at her home in Birmingham, West Midlands, in May 2008
She had been strangled before a rope was tied around her neck and attached to an upstairs banister, it was claimed.
When the fire burnt through it, her body fell, the court heard. Pathologist Dr William Lawler said: 'The most likely explanation... is that the deceased died from manual-strangulation.

Attempts were then made to simulate death from hanging before the fire was started.'

Bottles of whisky and rum had been placed in the house after Mr Sidhu left for work at 8am, the inquest heard.
When Mr Sidhu returned shortly before 7pm, he told police: 'I will get the b******s that have done this.' Sergeant Andrew Taylor told the inquest: 'He said his family were not happy with their marriage due to his wife being from a lower caste.'
In police interviews, Mr Sidhu denied having an affair and detectives found no evidence of this. He said his wife complained she was being stalked by someone on a bus, and he believed someone had been watching their house.
Enlarge Part of the written note left at the scene of Mrs Sidhu's death. Handwriting experts have ruled out her or her husband writing it
However, Detective Sergeant Andrew Houston, of West Midlands Police, told the court the circumstances of her death did not suggest a murder by strangers.
He said: 'The scene was elaborately set with Bacardi and whisky that was foreign to the house. The note was foreign to the house. There is no reason why a stranger would go in and set up such an elaborate scene.'
Mr Sidhu was arrested over the murder in October 2008, the court heard. His mother was arrested on suspicion of threats to kill in November 2007. Both were released without charge.
The inquest continues.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1273262/Pregnant-newly-wed-strangled-hanged-burned-alongside-fake-suicide-note-accusing-husband-affair.html#ixzz0n7tlwV82

Would you like a drink?

If you would just stretch your feet and help yourself!

That's what you could really say to this young indian man if you had to invite him at your party!

He has been named the "rubber man" because of the very high flexibility of his body firstly noticed while training for martial art in India.

And now he aims to fill the Guinness Book of World Records.

To learn more about the real-life flexible friend: India's very own 'Rubber Man' makes the Guinness Book of World Records
By Daily Mail Reporter on 28th February 2010

Vijay Sharma can wrap his legs over his head, wriggle through a tennis racket and wind his arms around his back.
His flexibility has earned him the title of 'Rubber Man' in the Limca book of Records, India's version of the Guinness book of World Records, and he hopes to one-day achieve global fame.
'It was when I was training for martial arts I realised my body was so bendable I might be capable of setting a world record in flexibility,' the 27-year-old said.

Write caption hereThe village boy from Rajashtan's Jhunjhunu district started taking martial arts lessons in 1999 in a bid to learn Chan's acrobatic fighting style
ts became a source of motivation for me.' Shop assistant Vijay claims his bendy obsession stems from watching Jackie Chan movies when he was a youngster.
The village boy from Rajashtan's Jhunjhunu district started taking martial arts lessons in 1999 in a bid to learn Chan's acrobatic fighting style.
It was during these lessons he discovered the extent of his flexibility and started experimenting.
He squeezed into tiny spaces, curled his body into boxes and attempted to drink from bottles held between his toes.
After seeing the tennis racket stunt in Guinness book of world records, he became curious and bought a tennis racket the next day. He quickly removed the strings and tried to pass through the nine-and-a-half-inch surface.
'I tried to get through it, but got stuck for the entire night,' he said. 'I had to shut myself in my room and sleep with it. I got up at 3 o clock and tried to get out of it.
'I began to bleed but that didn't stop me.' Vijay, who practices up to four hours a day to improve his elasticity, has performed on TV Shows and various tournaments at national level. But he believes, he has performed the toughest stunt on a Zee TV show.

Least interested in his father's clothes shop business, Vijay wants to achieve fame by working on martial arts and body flexibility
'I added a kick to my stunt, that is I pulled my leg up all the way so it was perpendicular to the floor and pushed my torso along with my leg out of the racket,' he explained.
'It was such a stunt that I couldn't breathe for a moment while doing it.' He has won a silver medal in body flexibility at a country level tournament, held at Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh in 2001. He also claims to have broken the world record for wrist-egg-crushing - which involves pushing your hand backwards to lie flat against the arm - set by a Lissa Patterson (CORR) in 2005.
'I made the claim and even got some documents from Guinness Book of World Records to complete, but I couldn't get back because of constraints of time and money,' he said.
Least interested in his father's clothes shop business, Vijay wants to achieve fame by working on martial arts and body flexibility.
'Anything for fame,' he said.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1254391/The-real-life-flexible-friend-Indias-Rubber-Man-makes-Guinness-Book-World-Records.html#ixzz0gu7a1izy