I looked at my phone today and questioned my existence. I had no Pokemon Go app to explore the world. There were no new friend requests on Facebook. The news was depressing – violence, rape, hatred, disasters and accidents. The internet connection was slow and frustrating. The streaming audio skipped and paused. My friends were last on WhatsApp 8 hours ago – no messages. The filters on Pixlr looked dull and boring now. The battery was down to 20%.As my five year old son threw the ball at me, I ducked and discovered my existence. We ran out of the house together past little lanes to explore the park as we kicked the ball around. Three new kids joined us…

Remember, God looks at your heart …… not at your Facebook profile. So honour Him in all that you do…. not just in all that you post. — Benji (@a2jesus) August 13, 2016

We’ve got a narrow balcony behind our home on the fifth floor. This was my second attempt to grow some plants there – the effort included dropping into a nursery and picking up whatever JJ thought looked good. Pots, some soil, some vermicompost, some accidents and they mostly survived (My previous success rate was 17%). I know one was a rose plant, there were a couple of cacti and the rest were mostly green with one which was a fancy shade of purple.So when a friend dropped in and excitedly said, “Wow you have a desert rose!” She stared at it like it was a pot of gold and said, “This will survive. Water it once a week. Blah blah……

I had to wake up super early this morning to work on a deadline and was rewarded with a beautiful sunrise. Vellore comes across as a dry, crowded, dusty place and moments like these are a precious reminder that beauty is there – you just have to look for it!

My tweet for the day! Objects in the Fear View Mirror are actually smaller than they appear. Let Faith overcome Fear. #jesus #ross #addicted2jesus — Benji (@a2jesus) July 22, 2016

In protest against the terrible verdicts recently in the Indian courts relating to drunk driving and rape, I hereby return all the awards I have won in the last few years…… and then I come to the terrible realisation that I don’t really have any awards to return. Guess I’ll just relax and have myself a merry little Christmas and a blessed New Year with friends and family. This is what I penned as my status update on Facebook. Although written in a lighter vein, I hope you understand the deeper layers in my thoughts.While I am deeply confused by recent verdicts in cases in the Indian judiciary with regards to a Hit and Run and a Rape, I really…

The rains have started again in Tamilnadu and Chennai is bracing itself for another round of floods and boats. Some random thoughts that came to my mind:1. The floods show the risk of trying to build an economically attractive city on an infrastructurally weak foundation.2. If only the people stopped throwing garbage down the drains (literally) and the government stopped throwing the tax money down the drain (figuratively) the flood situation would not have been so pathetic.3. As the officials proudly announced school and college leave in view of rains and flood, another basic right of children – education – was taken away. Food supply was threatened and Shelter was compromised already.4. Chennaiites have an amazing sense of humour and…

It was touch and go – exams at VIT and incessant rains meant worship at church today could end up being minimalist. After a few text messages, the team was assembled. Dan hopped onto a bus at Bagayam and made it to Hospital before it rained too much. I picked her up and drove through slushy roads to pick up Sam. Andrew couldn’t join us as the bass guitar was not working. Arpudh whizzed in from Karagiri.We entered a dark church with no electricity. Power had been out 4 times since the morning and the generator was not working. We also didn’t have a laptop! Would we end up with acoustic worship as we struggled to remember full lyrics?! I’d…

If you ever thought your little child didn’t know anything about your profession, you are wrong! JJ had an itchy spot on his calf this evening. He finally dozed off in his bed and was fast asleep. Close to midnight I feel a tiny hand shake me awake and say, “The skin is very itchy and it is irritating me. I think I need to sleep next to a doctor and a dentist”. He climbed into bed and plonked himself right next to us. I guess these are the hazards of our profession!To all the engineers, IT guys, racers, architects, celebs and non-medicos out there – sorry if your life does not have such blessed moments!

I love the fact that the #digitalindia revolution will completely modernise India and help every human being on this great land in some way that is mysterious. We will soon be able to live in equality and brotherhood and everyone will have enough food to eat, be vaccinated, access healthcare, be educated through tweeting and googling.Meanwhile elements like an overnight rain will try to wreak havoc on Chennai Roads. #digitalindia will set it right in the blink of an eye!Here’s how – all it takes is Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Paint or iOS Preview: So all you Chennaiites – leave your cares behind and drive into the new #digitalindia roads! Note: This is a novice effort to fix the problem. The…