I know I have done this several times, with friends, family and people at work - but we do things that are similar in nature everyday and not get bored like brushing your teeth, taking a shower and going to work. It is said that about 80% of the time our brains are going through recursive thoughts and when it comes to me, thinking, contemplating or simply day dreaming of Goa is not just a recursive thought, its very much a dominating thought. It's almost like a drug that instantaneously takes me to my happy place that is Goa.... but there are times when I could just forget about it for weeks as I might be under the spell of another recursive thought pattern.... and then it would come back again.... old habits die hard.

I remember a TV show sometime back where a guy was tying to help people who had the fear of flying. To relax them he asked them to hold one of their ears and then think of a happy thought or place and when the happy thought reached its peak, he asked them to pull one of their ears with just enough force to give out a sweet pain. By this simple technique, this guy was re-wiring their brains. Now he asked them to pull their ears every time they were stressed or thought that they were scared of flying. The show concluded with about 100 once scared passengers flying with no iota of fear.

I closed my eyes and thought of Goa, the beaches, the markets, the streets, the lost travelers, the food, the smells, the tastes and the people - then I pulled my ear. I was born with a shorter ear (the bottom part of my right ear is a little shorter than the left ear) - but it looks like in a few years, all that pulling will size it up and match with my left ear...

What I like about being in Goa is not just a holiday or one of those weeks you take off from work and spend a few days in a beach resort. To me it starts from planning the trip, the journey and the approach into Goa and the departure and then thinking about it for the rest of the year planning another trip. It has a very special place in my heart...

With all the urbanization and modernization, I hope Goa does not lose it inherent charm that lingers in its magical soil.

Now all Goa lovers, pull your ears!