Living a life

Moving

2011-07-23T03:03:00.001+05:30

I have moved to a newer blog :) .

Lady in the loo

2010-07-31T13:54:00.002+05:30

She opens the door and sees a woman in a red dress, neck twisted back at a weird angle and looking at the ceiling with the whites of her eyes. Her hands are propped on both sides of the flush bowl and all in all it is not a very pretty sight. She pushes the door further in and blinks her eyes once; and finds an uninterested empty white bowl staring back at her. Another one of the gory images she sees each time she opens the door to a toilet. But every time she finds an uninterested empty white bowl staring back at her; and a few toilet papers lining the floor.

She opens the door. A woman with blood leaking from her neck is lying on the floor, knees and elbows folded to stop her body parts from leaking into adjacent cubes. She peeps inside and blinks once. Again there is no one; an imagination that moves faster than her ever blinking eyes. "Are you all right?" asks the woman stepping into the next stall. She realizes that her face was contorted in anticipation of a horror show. A weak smile, "I am fine" and replaces the brown cardboard roll with a fresh roll of pee-yellow tissue. And she had thought that a loud unsteady pee ranked highest among embarrassing moments in silent public toilets.

She decides to find another job. She opens the door. A man with a knife. She peeps inside. She blinks; a different image. She has never seen two images at the same time. She blinks again. A woman in a red dress; her skin taut and agony writ upon every muscle visible; she lifts up her face, blushes and says "Oops, I forgot to lock the door".

I didn't want to write another 'I am back' mail with excuses about why I was in exile from the blogging world. So, I just decided to copy paste a piece of fiction I wrote a while back.

Obituary

2009-12-23T20:54:00.013+05:30

Tis the holiday season . No one at work, too many cars on the street, too many people in malls.The looming holiday season which has been waiting like a giant ball ready to roll and squash everything in its way.

Smart people out there are using their days off idling at home or buying and wrapping gifts. Forget the wrapping of gifts, I could have used the idling at home. But here I am working my ass off. My left over hours staring at me, crying at me to be used and saying 'There are unfortunate people out there with no days. And here you are wasting good hours.You are killing us.We are dying without achieving our purpose in life.' They know that they will putrefy to a 0 on Jan 1 at midnight. A screenshot dated today will be all that will be left of them.

And then I will be like everyone else;in poverty. Waiting for those numbers to slowly trickle back in.There shall be new promises to commit and love again; to give them their worth in life.

Amen.

[Staying away from your blog = forgetting your default font :(( ]

Adults

2009-09-26T02:49:00.002+05:30

I just remembered something. When I was in the first grade ,we had to write a 'Myself' composition. 'My name is Shikha.' 'I live in..' and so on. I wrote 'I am five years old'.
And the teacher sent it back after correcting it to six. How did she decide that I was not right? I was really five.

What's even more disturbing than the fact that grown ups always think they are right , is that I still remember this incident :P

Bouquet pookalam

2009-09-12T03:58:00.003+05:30

I was by myself. And I got more than a few knowing looks and smiles when I walked all over Walmart and then out of it with two bags full of roses in all colours. What do they know.
Even if I was single ,does anyone give rose bouquets to guys? Maybe they thought I was giving it to my girlfriend..

Overdose

2009-08-16T09:15:00.003+05:30

After today ,I will never again complain that there aren't enough Malayalis around!

Life and so on

2009-07-13T07:09:00.002+05:30

This must be the zillionth time redeclaring my rereturn to blogging.
But I really miss blogging and reading blogs and leaving comments. I miss writing about every leaf and bug and whiff that flew past me.When not in office-life zone or home-life zone,time goes into the strenous task of maintaining the increasing number of social websites and catching up with everything thats going on in the world. A scrap there,a wall update there, a comment on a photo there,a twitter there. I dont have a twitter account. I can't even get myself to update that status column others seem to love to update on orkut and facebook. "I feel sooo very super excited about going on that amazing trip which is really going to be exciting and amazing" "It was such a bad day that I puked all over my desk". Maybe from there stems my lack of blogging ideas these days.
But at the end of typing this, the words above are so reminiscent of my 'sudden outbursts at everything for no reason at all' episodes which were common when I was an active blogger, that I feel confident about my return to blogging.

Tattoo : A love story

2009-03-07T04:30:00.004+05:30

I have decided not to pierce my nose. Sources say that it leaves a permanent hole.

So it is going to be a tattoo instead.

The unbearable lightness of being

2009-03-07T03:23:00.006+05:30

The new hookah was by far the most exciting thing in the past few days. Unexpected tax returns in a recession world=an unnecessary hookah.

Then there was Omen and Omen 2, continuing our tradition of watching movies and their sequels back to back ,which had started with three Alien movies in a single night. I had withdrawal symptoms when I couldnt get hold of the fourth movie.

And there was the screening of a Filipino movie 'Serbis' which shows a day in the life of family running an adult movie theatre lovingly called the 'Family' .With an adult theatre and overflowing hormones all over, the nudity and blow jobs were expected but why did they have to fixate on that guy's butt boil and the way he gets rid of it? Does reality have to be so real?The not-too-subtle metaphorical closeups pushed behind the intensely sincere and human situations and the superb performace by the grandmother of the family. That and the too shaky hand held camera and the pop corn and the red musty curtains and the dust raised by people who walked out, and I was all set to puke,but I did not.

Attempts to log into Blogger and change my template .But I slunk back in defeat after an epic battle with html and css.

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes Books 1,2,3 just came home with me from the library. Hundreds of pages about a misunderstood genius.
What is misunderstood about him?
Calvin: Nobody thinks I'm a genius.
:)

Pink Panther 2

2009-02-10T23:20:00.005+05:30

It is slapstick,I know. But I laughed so much at 'ambuzhger' in the first movie(and at many other things) that I wanted to watch this movie no matter how bad it might turn out to be.

A couple of priceless antiques are stolen and a very eager and bumbling Inspector Clouseau leads an international 'dream team' of investigators. Cluelessness and klutziness seem to go on and on with Clouseau destroying things he comes into contact with including a restaurant. And between the layers 0f toppling lines and jokes,they tried to put in a 'ambuzhger'esque etiquette training session, but it was not really funny.

There is a bigger cast this time whch includes Andy Garcia,Alfred Molina and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan; and Jeremy Irons in a small role(all of whom are underused, but it is Steve Martin's movie anyway)

Then what did I like? It was a PG rated movie and there were many small kids. In one of the etiquette training sessions, when the trainer inorder to gauge Clouseau's expression for appropriateness,describes a scene where a wonderfully endowed woman in itsy bitsy attire bends down to pick up her pencil, the reaction of Clouseau brought restrained chuckles from adults and hearty laughter from tots ,which was cute!And another scene where Clouseau, after a few fake introductions with the love of his life ,says '..enough of this foreplay..' it was said so matter of factedly that it was easy to miss . But a tiny voice somewhere in the theatre laughed out really loud along with the grown ups,and then quietly 'What is foreplay?'

How to become a violin maestro (for absolute beginners)

2009-01-31T23:37:00.004+05:30

Step 1: Watch this video and become inspired.

Step 2:Google for classes,register and pay fees using your credit card which gets deducted auotmatically first day of every month.

Step 3:Wait for the first class hoping to end the day with a concerto.

Step 4:Watch videos like these (he actually sounds good..I cant find the rest of the videos which deflated my confidence).

Step 5:Go for your first class.

Step 6:Sigh and practice painstakingly.

Audacity of Hope

2009-01-21T04:35:00.011+05:30

It seems like the entire country/world is partying(atleast liberals) and it is hard not to be affected by all the words of hope and change. The adrenalin driven (thanks to the media) contest first drew us for want of nothing more exciting to watch.But it got us hooked and we seem to have become more loyal and knowledgeable observers of the American election process than most citizens :P. (In an absolutely inspired moment he tried to donate a few dollars but the site threw a 'you are not a citizen' error).

And so how could we miss the inauguration even if a working day played spoilsport. I listened in to the radio (and watched sputtering online streaming video now and then)through the entire ceremony. And heard the speech again while on the way back home(thanks to the still ongoing coverage and the first reviews of the speech and the oath taking and the first lady's attire and the way he held his wife while they danced at the 10 balls).

Whether Obama will be good for USA or not has to be seen. But the symbolic significance of the event, especially for a country like India defined by its diversity and meaningless differences,some natural, many man made, is huge. Years from now people ,me included (who is getting goosebumps over a foreign president's speech) might not remember his words;the clear lucid words that seemed to dart across the sea of people like sun rays from where he stood;but the image of a colored person,someone from a discriminated class taking control of one of the most powerful countries in the world is iconic(and ironic in a country that gave voting rights to blacks less than 50 years ago) . And symbols do a better job in conveying hard to forget messages.Can we do it too?(Can I along with many others get rid of the cynics in us who choose to speak within parentheses?)

hic!

2009-01-03T05:41:00.008+05:30

While people are busy thinking up resolutions either to follow them or just for the heck of it,all I can think of are the blunders I made..like when I went for my drivers test and drove the car on hand brake, realizing it only midway and then too scared to push it back and lose the test. Or the other time when I happily gobbled up half a dozen kiwi fruits in one sitting and ended up bloated and itchy the next day(which lasted a month :|)..or when I tried to shave a small dry patch on my leg to 'experiment' the effects of shaving small dry patches and almost ended up thinking nothing special happens until there were rivulets of blood streaming from multiple points.

When I think of all my embarassing situations,I close my eyes tightly; also when I think of those scary moments like when I cross a road,almost get hit by a car and they stun me with their honks.The tighter I screw my eyes, the more effectively those memories are removed from my head. Of course it didnt work that time when I screeched my tyres to come to a standstill at that traffic light.When I opened my eyes and lifted my head from inside my rib cage,I was still where I shouldnt be.

Yes,there are not so scary moments which are also blush worthy like the one where my love for quiet public toilets made me check out its echo by tapping away with my feet outside the loos. Only for someone to open the door and for me to get caught in a very awkward and painful position which looked like my leg was in the middle of a free kick,which I had to then delicately fold and check for any gum or toilet paper.

And all this reminiscence-ing after only two glasses of wine.Here's to a another blunderful year :)

Layoffs in winter..

2008-12-25T03:32:00.002+05:30

..makes it even more depressing than it already is.A few discussions, emails, and the words 'as of now'.Xmas lunches and parties were canceled and familiar faces just disappeared.

I have only heard on the news about layoffs all these days but since I actually saw it happening ,I think maybe it isn't all paranoia after all...

Terror

2008-11-28T03:44:00.009+05:30

We might have been among the first unaffected people to hear about the attack;from two casualties the numbers grew rapidly and from what seemed at first like an isolated shoot out somewhere in Mumbai turned out to be this; an irreverent in-your-face attack. My first concern was the travel plans of a dear one to the same city next week. But then, isn't it crazy that you cannot feel safe in your own motherland?

Anger,fury, a knot in the stomach,a feeling of helplessness on having to watch live, maniacs terrorising and keeping an entire nation on its toes; unbelievably still happening as I type this. American news channels have been broadcasting this news continuously yesterday and today, analysing and dissecting; they have described this as India's 9/11. America's 9/11 and Britain's 7/7 led to a complete upheaval of security measures in both countries; some of those measures still affect the way we travel by air. An event in Britain two years back and we still cannot carry a bottle of water into an airport. But India's 9/11? What about the 1993 blasts? The train blasts in 2006? And the recent blasts in Assam,Ahmedabad and Jaipur? Indifference? Numbness?Resilience?Is that why this attack is so brazenly arrogant and disdainful? The eye witness accounts and pictures unfold a horror story..composed men who unleash bullets at a restaurant after a round of beers at the same place; gun wielding men at the railway station shooting at flesh and bones with eerie calm.

The security measures are in place, but what is the use if they are not being used properly and gives a false sense of security? Last month I was in Chennai for a few days. And Spencers mall was one of the places I visited. After I got in through a narrow single door, I realised that I should have walked through the metal detector/counter placed a few inches away from the door. But the security guy did not seem to mind. A few walked through it, many did not. At the railway station, the bags had to be screened before we could get into the station, but ladies handbags, people with small single bags, seemed to get lost in the crowd without detection. India is a place teeming with people and it is so very easy to create mayhem. Maybe that itself speaks for Indian security measures. It is possible for costlier attacks in terms of human lives, much more easily than is happening now. Maybe the fact that we do not have as many reminds us of some of those low profile successes in finding and defusing weapons and bombs.

When will all this end? Along with the death counts, these attacks seem to be a counting game.When can we feel safe enough to step out of our homes without having to worry about being holed up somewhere?We watched the news when it started, then at a restaurant we went out to have dinner, late into the night, and from early morning next day,watching as police officers,soldiers and people from all walks of life succumbed to terror. And then in the evening , we switched off the TV and went on with our lives..

Update

2008-11-20T21:48:00.005+05:30

I know, I know..I pinch myself sometimes to pay more attention to my blog. After all, it is three years old and has thousands of words typed painstakingly... mostly during idle office hours or lonely PG days.

I am back after a quick trip to India. Short and super hectic and the last day ended with me getting an injection on my butt because of some allergy and asthma and horrendous coughing. I guess that about sums up my vacation. Needle in the butt. All because pristine clean USA(atleast our apartment community) has weakened my immunity. And you thought NRIs were overdoing it with the bottled water and crisp white masks when they foray into the smoke and dust on Indian roads. Next time, I might borrow one of those masks.

I missed the craziness and obamania. Or did I? Local radio channels, newspapers, grandfathers, everyone had only one word on their lips,or rather two. Obama, and the other not so nice word was recession. Ah,we Indians, dont we love opining and speculating and discussing about everything under the sun:). I didnt stay long to discuss the job situation though.

A few days of wrong bed times and back to almost normal. Unfortunately, Quantum of Solace came out during one of those days and I slept through most of the movie, and then I wanted to know why that girl ;of course the question 'who is that girl' would have betrayed the fact that I was nodding off and not wagging my head at Daniel Craig (actually there was nothing much wag-worthy even when I was conscious); why that girl on the bed was covered in chocolate.

Conquering time

2008-09-11T18:45:00.000+05:30

One of my most favorite TV shows as a kid used to be the one in which a schoolgirl pressed her index fingers against each other to stop time.And it goes without saying that a part of my childhood was spent with sore fingers,index and every other combination I tried for a moment of peace (yeah,right..moment of peace for a seven year old.I used to be an extra studious first rank holder who wouldn't have minded more last minute time during exams).

Now I spend most of my time trying to figure out if there is any way to fast forward time(boring days in office).Looking at the watch every other minute does not help.Counting seconds does not help either. But there is one tactic which seems to work a little. And it is the same tactic used by the British, and then by me when there was too much food on my plate and not licking the plate of its final dregs would either bring a hiding or another guilt trip with a photo presentation of starving kids in Ethiopia.

Divide and conquer. I used to tear my chapati into four pieces.Dip one piece into the curry and then stuff it down my mouth. Four times of almost gagging but one chapati down in just four moves. This is exactly what I do with hesitant,slobby time. I take an hour 15 minutes at a time and celebrate when one quarter is down.

Sounds a little pathetic, but it sees me through the day.Of course now comes the question,'What do you do when you don't want time to fly past?' I take it one minute at a time,just like the chapati with chicken curry or the last bar of chocolate.

Speaking of food,it is almost Onam and I am gearing up for that grand feast :P

Murphy's favourite

2008-08-30T05:21:00.011+05:30

When I started to write this post, I was torn between deciding whether it is Murphy’s law or that notorious saying about man proposing and a sadistic god disposing, which is making life seem like a snake and ladder game.

Maybe the uncanny agreement between all traffic signals to show their red faces as soon as they see my face can be explained by Murphy’s law. And the way my checklists and to-do lists and shopping lists for a vacation get thrown up into confetti every month can be attributed to the someone up there who must be making boats or rockets out of my requests. And the way a school bus always seem to stop right in front of me, no matter how well maintained and crisp my list of school bus timings in this town is, can also be explained by Murphy’s law; no parent must have such a comprehensive list of timings for all the school buses that run on that particular route. (In case you are wondering what harm school buses could do; in the US, the road rules state that when a school bus stops to pick or drop kids, it puts up a stop signal at the front and back. It’s like a red signal and every car behind the bus is supposed to stop while the bumbling kids take their sweet time to say ta ta to their parents and get into the bus; one of those moments when no kid would want to be near me).

But after I painstakingly drew this cartoon in MSPaint, taking care to slice off extra dots and dashes, and making sure that the lines are straight and of the same measure, I realized that my paper boat was rewritten and signed for approval before it was let into the water.

So I guess I will have to stop writing about Murphy’s law and the disposer.. for now.

For Anak-su-namun and Imhotep

2008-08-03T20:38:00.014+05:30

01/08/08 finally arrived after months of teasing trailers.We missed the first night.The next day quarter and three-quarter starred reviews did not stop us from racing to the theatre to catch the movie and seats just seconds before it started, only to find an empty theatre with four other people. And an even emptier movie.

The Mummy,though a cheesy series with a meaningless plot about a pissed off bandaged guy rising from the dead too often,was fun.And I have watched the first two movies more times than I would like to admit. Those movies had lovely sounding names and dialogues, and atleast no one suddenly broke into perfect English,definitely not with her daughter like Michelle Yeoh in this movie.

The third installment has nothing which can technically be defined as a mummy but has thousands of crumbling undead bodies teetering and tottering dangerously with axes and swords heavier than them,a king who has better emotions on his after life face thanks to special effects than when he was alive, and live humans with dead expressions. All in all, a dying brand.

Far away from the sweltering deserts of Egypt, in snow capped mountains, Rick O' Connell (Brendan Fraser is still dashing,I must say,but definitely has the look of 'been here too many times,done that too many times,now just give me my cheque' look about him), his wife(not Rachel Weisz;probably the Oscar winner decided the movie was not for her) and his grown up son(unfortunately Luke Ford was a welcome distraction),his brother in law(pass) and two Chinese women, kung fu and jump and fall and slump to save the world from the evil emperor,with the help of a few Yetis(yes,I lost count of strange creatures they showed in the movie for no reason;were they trying to pull off a lowly Guillermo del Toro?).The movie starts and ends with a lot of fast paced action sequences,or should I say boringly pieced together scenes, which made my head throb and eyes water after a few seconds. I wonder if that happened only to me.

All said, it was a kind of curtain raiser for the upcoming Olympics, with glimpses and mentions of Shanghai,the Great Wall and the terracotta army. And the special effects were okay;on par with the earlier movies(if we don't consider the fact that the last movie came out about seven years ago). That is the only non-negative thing I have to say about the movie so far.

If you had been waiting for this movie eagerly,do watch it. It doesn't help being the next movie to be watched after the Dark Knight, but atleast you will not wait as eagerly for the next episode,which might be set in Peru,which the climax alluded to not very discreetly. God save the souls of mummies...

In the company of beauty queens and henchmen

2008-07-09T04:07:00.016+05:30

It was a 'la fiesta' waited for with sweet anticipation;dance,music and food and spirits concocted in the kitchens of exotic far away lands and a chance to observe,ogle and feel completely out of place.

We were invited to a Venezuelan friend's birthday party last weekend; a place miles away from home and in the wee hours of night. We settled pretty comfortably among all the spanish syllables,considering the fact that the only spanish we were confident about including in a conversation was 'donde esta el bano' or 'where is the bathroom' (which we had a chance to ask after all the beer he drank).

The food was great;spaghetti and meat balls,rice,chicken,something like samosa stuffed with beef and other colorful things. The drinks were great too, with me doing most of the experimenting since he was the driver.

The people..sigh..no wonder they produce a Miss Universe every year. Tanned dark haired women and almost-women; not- so- tall,broad shouldered stocky men; which gave us something to chew on for the rest of the time we spent at the party. What were their real jobs? Was the guy in the Hawaiian shirt,shorts and the Panama hat the leader and the rest of the guys hanging out in the corners his cronies? Were those patches of rough skin we thought we saw on the palms of a few guys ;you know the kind on people who use guns?Where did the all the money really come from? And so on and so forth. Knowledge that they were family, doing ordinary jobs like the rest of us did not shake us from divining misty tales which passed between us as the drinks flowed.

It stopped the minute they started to dance. We considered hitting the dance floor but having to be in very very close proximity to strangers somehow hurt our otherwise flimsy Indian sentiments. The music was just too good; it slowly teased us out of our seats but sensing our handicapped sense of salsa rhythm we decided to retreat and go home;leaving behind beauty queens and henchmen.

The girl with 100 grannies

2008-07-06T03:49:00.006+05:30

Kids are smart.Really.

For a long time now I have had this idea about teaching dance.But I always backed off at the last minute wondering if I was good enough.Respect for the art,I guess.Anyway boredom finally made up my mind for me. And I now have students whom I teach the tenets of natyashastra.

One of my students is a small girl who stated during the first class that she does not like to dance, as soon as she unclinged herself from her father who was eager to expose his princess to anything remotely Indian. After a few cajolings she finally relented to do a few steps, not without scrunching up her face a few times to mean that she was not pleased at having to tap the floor meaninglessly instead of playing with her barbies.And I had my first experience with the dreaded monotonous questions 'Are we done yet?' 'Is this the last time?'

Second class saw a more eager student but this time she just became a little more vocal. When I asked her if she likes India,she said 'Not really' and the reason,because she won't get chicken nuggets there. When I told her that chicken nuggets are available,she said she likes to go to Taco Bell and eat burritos and many other things which I was not able to decipher through her American drawl.Well, I had to agree that I did not know of many Mexican eateries in her home town.

Constant 'I am hungry', 'I have to go to the toilet' and stories about her hundreds of grannies and three dozen relatives in India(which she said she will recount and verify the next time she visits India) ; smart attempts at not having to bend her diminutive knees and go tap tap tap and complete the one hour with her dance guru. 'I have to eat 2 more pieces to satisfy my hunger' and 'I have a few small pieces left in my mouth' when I asked her if she was done with chewing the apple I cut into pieces for her( I can't remember the last time I cut any fruit into small pieces).

Am I being tricked into losing my patience and wits by a five year old kid? Were kids always this smart? :P

New love

2008-06-09T05:00:00.008+05:30

A few months back I decided to use the enormous number of opportunities here to do new stuff and enrolled for flamenco classes. It is a gypsy dance said to have originated in Andalusia in Spain. And it is also said that it travelled all the way from India and then settled in Spain.

I was not really sure what to expect but my dance bones were itching to do something new.

And a few weeks back I had my first flamenco stage performance. And boy, was it thrilling. I mean the experience was thrilling. The dance itself was kinda mellow if you consider the performance of top flamenco artists.

If you are thinking about my employment status, the fact that I am keeping myself busy with dance, spanish classes and other things might tell you that it has been over a month since my resume went online and I am still at home,waiting for the US economy to recover. God knows when that will be..

A tentative foot..

2008-04-11T20:52:00.004+05:30

..into unemployment..and it's numbing cold. Well, I won't lie. It seems warm and syrupy now,the kind you want to slowly melt into and sleep for a while. I seem incoherent already. And it's only been a few days. I have lost count of days and I don't have weekends or weekdays anymore. That mental calendar you form in your head where Saturday and Sunday are colored with balloons and all other things nice, and where weekdays are cold, black and white, has completely disappeared from my head.

I am on a job safari,started only three days back, which explains why it's not become icy and cold yet. After a few days of lazing about in the house, I have reached the next phase where you feel guilty for opening websites other than those related to jobs, for not preparing for interviews, and for not doing a job search every ten minutes.

And right now I am thinking of '3 strengths and 3 weaknesses' for my next interview. Strangely those kind of questions are still alive after more than four years after my last interview.And my thinking is not being helped much by the school spring break here. All the best to me!

Palate-ial experiments

2008-03-21T06:00:00.005+05:30

A child who puked everything she ate, especially the smelly viscousy half boiled eggs, can’t be called a food lover.

And cooking which I was tutored to believe was the only way to get a husband and then pave my way into the heart and stomachs of future in laws, did not seem very attractive. I never cooked at home because it was like admitting that I was ready to get married. So once I found myself away from home I started my cooking experiments which were always only to create something edible. That requirement changed to something 'tasty' after marriage. Food is really the foolproof way into a guy's heart. Its like this secret weapon by which you can make guys fall at your feet..lol

Ok, so I was saying I got into cooking and I have started to love concocting stuff. But how do I really love to tickle my palate? Restaurant hopping. Because I have realised that it would take a long time and a lot of effort for the perfect hummus, the perfect satay chicken, the perfect enchilladas and the perfect sushi to be created in my cooking bowl.(Yes, I am a perfectionist). No, sushi is not a great idea. I will never forget the expression on his face the first time we had sushi. First he was tortured into eating with chopsticks and then when he tasted his beloved fish naked and devoid of any life, it was as if he had betrayed the fate of the fish which should have died for a Kerala fish curry. But since it looked good and didn’t have any tentacles sticking out, I happily tossed them in (I usually eat anything).And I have been good with chopsticks ever since I snitched a pair from a nice little Malaysian restaurant in a town far away.(I was a tourist eating exotic food. I was allowed to do that.)And then there are the appetizers we order at every restaurant without having any main dish. Sometimes the amount of food I gorge on shocks me and I slowly retract my claws from the table.But I still haven’t come across the perfect Persian/Arab food; hummus, falafels I have a weak side for ;but no restaurant here has given me the taste from many years ago. And that gives me a nice excuse to continue my hunt, which some day could include these :P
http://www.wackyarchives.com/featured/worlds-most-expensive-foods.html

There will be posts..

2008-03-17T20:50:00.004+05:30

It was a pretty long sabbatical,one which was never intended to be.But the lure of one's own space in the www, displaying pixellated words born in your head and a few comments to keep you going, was hard to escape. So were the frequent 'dont you blog now' questions for which I did not have an answer other than a sheepish grin betraying my laziness and a new found partiality towards paper and pen.
So here I am again..after exactly a year:)

Mute sadism

2007-03-22T05:17:00.000+05:30

The mechanized gates sway to and fro
Opening its mouth for wheels
Coming back home.

Like uninvited guests
Who don't ask,
Some tyres screech and huff and puff
And race into the portal
Without even a request,
Missing by inches the jaws of wrought iron.

While not far away
Hidden by white blinds
Eyes peeping out
Wait
In silent anticipation
For the sound of metal against metal,
For glee,
For sadistic pleasure.
...........

On temples and praying

2007-03-15T02:16:00.000+05:30

As the last rays of the sun faded away,our house would fill up with the scent of incense and the grey smell of cotton wicks burning in coconut oil.White wicks burning in a golden coloured lamp before a multitude of gods and goddesses.

The blare of the TV would be replaced by devotional songs and the drone of mantras and yearnings.Unfortunately for me,all my favourite TV shows were aired from 6 to 7.And I would either mute the channel or sulk in a corner.My father is very strict about this.Father being very devotional naturally led my mother,then her brothers,her sisters,her mother to be frequent temple visitors.So when I was staying at my mother's house,I wasn't really surprised at the daily lamp ritual.This is one end of the string.

But there was something else that came as a surprise.One person would be watching news at that hour.And then started my prodding.Hmm,TV is on.You are not supposed to watch TV at dusk.We have to sit and pray.Or God won't be happy with us.On the frequent temple trips,there would always be one person missing.at any religious event at home,there would be one person sitting outside with the paper.

Among all the temples,mythological tales,closed-eye murmurings,offerings,circumambulations and prostrations,my grandfather is an odd one out;an atheist.He says 'God is in your mind'.This is the other end of the string.

And then there's my husband who calls himself an agnostic.The midpoint of the string.

Where am I?Like a lonely bead,I keep moving from one end to the other.

........

Cinema paradiso

2007-02-25T02:17:00.002+05:30

I have found one reason for loving America. There is an online DVD rental called Netflix. You can watch all the movies you want:). I have already created a huge list of movies. And every alternate day I keep getting dvds from them.I love it!

The first movie I watched was To kill a Mocking Bird. I love the book, love the movie too.In some previous post,I had put a link to TIME magazine's list of 100 great books.They also have a list of 100 movies.

Netflix has all these movies and I plan to watch them all :P..ok,atleast half of them.

But I just hope my company keeps me here long enough for me to see all those movies..

.........

Caricature

2007-02-11T03:51:00.000+05:30

#I forgot my specs at the hotel..I want to go back
--Oh,thats bad..its almost time for the flight..was it an expensive one?
#Yes,it cost 100Rs
--Hmm(worth missing a flight)...can you see without it?
#Actually,its plain specs..no number..you see,a friend of mine told me that I look like a rowdy without specs
--(and so you wear specs 24x7)Ok..thats interesting..did you return the key at the hotel?
#Umm..no,noone asked me for it,so I took it with me
--Great...

Too bad we don't come across such people very often..the dream of every writer and cartoonist.
(And too bad I cant write more:P)

Lost in America..!

2007-02-04T23:07:00.000+05:30

This time I am not to blame for the delay in posts. There was this sudden requirement and here I am, grappling with the icy winds in the US.

All thoughts like ‘wow, I don’t believe I am here’ stopped the minute I stepped out of the warm, heater protected confines of the airport.
I had a connecting flight which I missed thanks to delays and I was stuck at Chicago. All thoughts like ‘how nice of the airlines to put me up at a nice hotel for the night’ again stopped the minute I stepped out the airport. It was a very nice -10 degrees celcius .All the temperatures here are specified in Fahrenheit. And by the time I converted it into celsius I was already out in the open.

All thoughts like ‘this place must have seen floods a few days back..there is so much water everywhere’ which I had on the plane while looking out of the window also stopped the minute I stepped out ,because I realized I was looking at snow. And all I had was a jacket. And there I was, doing a miniature belly dance, thanks to the over cool winds while waiting for the bus to take me to the hotel. I had forgiven America for ‘Are you under 17?’ which was the first question they asked me when I landed , but blowing winds all over me was very rude.

Fast forward 10 days. I am in an apartment. I am working in a place where there is no public transport. You see so many cars and very few people. The nearest supermarket or any shop, except for many restaurants, is about 3 km away (or should I say so-n-so miles, even people who landed a few days before me seem to think in miles.. or is it because their conversion abilities are worse than mine :P ). Someone with a car has to take everyone else everywhere.
And I don’t have a mobile yet. So I am still unconnected. For the first few days, when I had no net connection, cell phone or access card to office, I did seriously think about doing a Dasan and Vijayan (all Malayalees reading this, I don’t think you need an explanation… for others, I’ll explain later :) )

As for work, India or America, there is no dearth of it :)

Happy New year:)

2007-01-06T17:32:00.000+05:30

I was just checking my third last post and noticed that it was in July..that is sooo long ago.To think that I was someone who used to put up a new post every single day...My new year resolution is to write more,and that includes blogging:)

This was a trip planned eons ago,but we finally made it.It was a three day trip to Aurangabad,Ajanta and Ellora caves.The Taj Mahal look alike in one of the pics is Bibi ka Maqbara at Aurangabad built by Aurangazeb's son for his mother.

Laziness personified

2006-12-17T13:51:00.000+05:30

Almost every morning this is what happens:

At 6.00,I decide I'll cook dosa and some curry.
At 6.30 ,I decide I'll make the curry ,but have it with bread.
At 7.00,I decide I'll make the dosa and have ghee and sugar with it.
At 7.30,I decide we'll have bread and jam.
At 7.45,I decide we'll have corn flakes.

Breakfast depends on what time I get up..and its pretty cold nowadays:P

Multitasking

2006-11-23T21:28:00.000+05:30

I am back..actually I was back eons ago.But I have been at office almost everyday since then.The flat is piled up with things screaming to be put back in their places.Since I am at office on Sundays too,I don't know when that is going to happen. I am thinking about bringing my face wash and other stuff and keeping them at office itself.Maybe that face pack also which I bought 2 months back but never got a chance to use.Maybe I'll start cutting vegetables here when the application hangs.
But the best part of this is that I can productively vent my anger on people who ask during lunch time 'Where is the tiffin?' It's like a rule that you have to cook at home after you are married.Then there are questions like 'What??She doesn't wash your clothes??'.Thank god he washes his own clothes.Marriage doesn't give you extra time,does it?Nor does it give the wife extra strength to do the work of two people.Sadists,all(except hubby,that is :) )

I had typed this almost a month back.But blogger was behaving strangely and I couldn't post it.And we have have finally got a broadband connection:)

Post long overdue

2006-07-28T20:02:00.000+05:30

I am back after such a long time.Where did I go?My office has blocked Blogger.com.I can read other people's blogs but when I click on Comments,I get a blocked message.And it isnt really fun looking for a proxy each time you need to open a comment window.And worst of all,they have blocked my blog thinking its a proxy :(

I have been busy both at office as well as trying to set up a new home.No,I am not married yet.But we got a flat and I am shifting tomorrow.Wedding is three weeks away and it took a couple of invitations from friends getting married after us,to remind me that I am geting married too.

Hope to get a broadband connection and come back to blogging with a vengeance..after coming back from Kerala:P

A to Z about me

2006-07-04T11:13:00.000+05:30

I almost died a blog death.Since all other ideas got drowned in work,here's something I picked from Keshi's blog.

Accent:Having grown up in the Middle East ,I had a pretty neutral accent all these years.But when there are people around you who don't understand what you are saying ,you have to change your accent, drop a few words from your vocabulary and add a few ones,like 'no' at the end of every sentence(god,that is scaring me a lot)

Booze:Orange juice :)

Chore I Hate:Washing clothes I guess

Dog or Cat: Dog,preferably a golden labrador(if someone is listening)

Essential Electronics:Mobile phone and laptop

Fav Perfume:Poison

Gold or Silver:Not really sure.If in moderae amounts ,I like both.

Home:I am a gypsy.After I left the place I was born,I have never stayed anywhere for more than three years.And I always feel like moving(I wonder what my fiance would think about this)

Insomnia:I was an insomniac when I was a kid till I read somewhere that drinking hot milk at night makes you sleep soon.But nowadays I am asleep even before I hit the pillow.

Job Title:Programming analyst

Living Arrangements:I live with a collegemate

Most Admirable Traits:Hmmm..someone once told me that I am unbiased..I dont take sides blindly.

Number of Sexual Partners: Nil till now :P

Number of times in hospital:Once..when I was a few months old,I was admitted due to severe diarrhoea

Phobias:Crossing roads must be my biggest phobia,though I don't show it out very often.

Quote: 'One life.Live it'

Religion: I am not a very religious person but I like going to temples.

Siblings:One younger sis

Time I Wake Up:6am the days I go to gym,7.30 the days I dont,10am on weekends

Unusual Talent or Skill:If moving ears and eyebrows aren't unusual enough, I have a teeny weeny bit of ESP.But theres something else which I love telling people.I was born with two teeth.And in some countries,it is believed that a child born with teeth will be a vampire....heheh

Vegetable I Love:Lady's finger,carrots

Worst Habit:Day dreaming

X-Rays, Last time:Last and first time was during medical checkup when I joined this company

Yummy Food I Make:Why did Yummy have to come there?

Zodiac Sign:Aries

Krrish

2006-06-27T10:00:00.000+05:30

The movie wasn't really good.Reminded me of those old Hindi movies with Rishi Kapoor and of course Rakesh Roshan prancing around with their heroines with lush green hills in the background.But then I tuned myself to think that this is a movie made for kids and so I sat through.The first half has all those mountains and the second half has sizzling Singapore.But Hrithik Roshan was simply suberb.The guy dances so well,acts well and he even did a kung fu sequence to perfection.In fact he's the only good thing in the whole movie.And he is so immensely dedicated to what he's doing.I am not really a Hrithik fan,but each time I watch his movie,I become a fan:P

To say about the rest of the cast,Naseerudin Shah was good.Rekha's makeup was over done and so was her acting.And I dont want to waste any precious bytes by writing about Priyanka Chopra.The songs sounded really good in the theatre.But in the end it was Hrithik who saved the show and the world.. and it was worth sitting in a corner in the first row right under the speakers.

Side effects of gymming

2006-06-19T09:24:00.000+05:30

-You feel like doing more than just gym..maybe sports too..tennis or cricket or football or..and you end up either trying nothing or trying everything and being sore all over..

-You start walking very fast,wherever you go..to the next cubicle,to another room,to the toilet..which makes people think all sorts of things..

-When you stand listening to someone explaining something on their screen,you keep stretching sideways and twisting till someone stops to stare at you.

- You look at your biceps(okay,this is for someone who has never had even a molehill of biceps) and feel so funny,that you keep laughing to yourself all the time,which isn't very good for you especially if you are walking alone on the road.

-You start taking push ups if you happen to be near a wall or any bar.

-You start feeling invincible and start doing stupid things.

-You are in a state of 'I am very hungry' all the time.

The rest,maybe other gymmers can put in:)

The yet-to-be-named poem

2006-06-10T11:26:00.000+05:30

He touched her face
Brushing the new red boil.
She jerked and then smiled.
Touching leads to marks.
He smiled at her eyes.
Will it be there on your face
The next time we meet?
Not on my fair face,she chided him.

She looked across the fields
And touched her face with her withered hands.
A pit on her face
A scar on her heart
He had never come to see her again..

Random notes

2006-06-05T19:19:00.000+05:30

I get up in the morning praying its either raining hard or I have cold or I have diarrhoea so that I dont have to go the gym.Prayers were not answered.

After breakfast both of us sleep till 2.45..and then my roommate gets up in a daze and walks straight to the kitchen to cook sambhar.Hunger pangs brought me into the kitchen too..just then the doorbell rings and her friends take her away to watch Da vinci.Pieces of drumsticks,potatoes and ladysfingers that my roomie cut in record post-sleep time,look at me waiting for the judgement..A timely grumble from my tummy passes the verdict..dal.And with nowhere to go,I sit there longing for payasam.

I get up in the morning praying its either raining hard or I have cold or I have diarrhoea so that I dont have to go the gym.Prayers were not answered.

I finally reached the gym when people started cooking lunch.

We decide to go Pune seeing.An 8th century cave temple in the heart of the city,Pataleshwar caves.After taking many pics of the place,we ended up taking even more pics of each other.

A cute kid in the temple comes towards me,sits in front of me and says mausi..He looked foreign,so it could have been Merci,even though I don't see any reason why he would want to thank me.

One more trip to Crossword.Seems like pretty soon the bookstore will include our names in their hall of fame.

After books,we sit on the steps outside Crossword.And I start reading a book holding it perpendicular to my line of vision.No,not a result of long hours before the monitor;it was drizzling.

I have roadcrossophobia..So a suggestion to use the subway was a relief to my nerves.And it was pretty clean too..with white tiles on both sides.Only there were steps going up in many directions,and I finally ended up choosing the wrong one.I guess I'll have to practise.

And so I survived the weekend without any movies.But all those who are planning to watch Da vinci code watch it as soon as you can because seems like it wont be too long before every state in India bans it.Anyway nice thing,this one week screening..atleast some of us get to watch it..after all there has to be some incentive for belonging to a 'secular,socialist,democratic,free country'..And in case you miss it you'll have to go to U.S or U.K or a theatre in the Pope's neighbourhood..

Rim jim

2006-05-30T09:30:00.000+05:30

New colourful umbrellas
The fresh smell of damp soil
Wet bags and uniforms and then the long journey back home
Dancing in the puddle in the courtyard
Flying and bent umbrellas
Sandals filled with water and wet pants
Paper boats
Sneezes and soups
Glistening trees and flowers
Cool,misty early mornings
Green carpets
Bright brown roofs and white washed walls
Rumble in the sky
Watching the fireworks in the sky
Sleeping to the sound of the rain
Hot coffee by the window

Monsoon is here:)

When I grow up...

2006-05-22T09:12:00.000+05:30

When I was a kid I wanted to become a doctor.Well,this was the official version.There were many other choices up my sleeve and it didnt include doctor and engineer.

-Astronomer:This was after Shoemaker-Levy comets hit Jupiter.It's okay if none of you remember it because it was about ten years ago.I still have the paper cuttings at home.I would have preferred being an astronaut but someone told me you have to have perfect vision for that,which unfortunately is not one of my strong points.

-Palaeontologist:Okay,this is easier to guess.This was after Jurassic Park,but when I realised that after all it deals with reptiles and since I am not particularly fond of the descendants of those huge reptiles,I decided to let go.(I know palaeontology isn't all about dinosuars,but botany was my least favourite subject)

-Archaelogolist:I liked History classes.I liked anything old,battered and antique.But people seemed to have dug out everything already.And I was left with nothing to discover.So pass.

-Air hostess:Well,which little girl does not wish for a glamorous high flying future.

-Pilot:The strange sensation I have in my stomach when I go on the pirate ship ride told me I'll have to stick to huge commercial planes.Anyway ,someone told me we need perfect vision for this also.

As I grew up,I kept shedding each of these professions.After 10th,I decided ,doctor it is.But one year of Biology classes was enough for me.I couldnt imagine enduring it for about 6 years.So after 12th I finally decided that I wanted to become a journalist.All my teachers told me to go for it.Actually I was ready to become anything other than a doctor or engineer.Now,I have started feeling bored and I am thinking about a career change.Its too soon to be thinking about it,but isn't it better to start planning early:).But even then,I can't go for a full time course.And I wonder how good distance courses are.I wish if I could just fill up a form with all my details and someone could tell me what job would suit me the best!(If someone like that is reading this blog,please contact me :D)

Huff puff

2006-05-15T10:21:00.000+05:30

I finally joined the gym last week.It was my new year resolution and I am proud I joined before I include it in the 2007 resolution list.I get up at 6 everyday(I usually get up at 7.42),reach the gym at 6.30 and I am back by 7.30.And the self pity about getting up so early dissolves by the time I come back.It feels soo good.You feel very light and good about giving the rest of the muscles(other than typing fingers)some kinda movement.

Okay,now the not-so-good part.All those weight machines we see on TV,where the people pull and push so easily;I just found out they are not that easy.By the time I pull a few times,I am drained.That machine room seems like a torture room to me,with those creaking weights and chains.And that pull up machine.I tried to fool my instructor by bending my knees so that it looked like I am raising myself.But she found out and made my poor arms lift my whole weight.My arms are still complaining.Another way I try to fool her is when she's counting and she turns to look somewhere,I enter into suspended animation mode.My push ups are the funniest.After about three push ups,my hands become wiggly and I wait for her to say 10.Even the treadmill and cylce aren't really fun after five or six minutes.Most of the people there are atleast ten years older than me.There are a few in my age group.We 'younger' ones seem to be the ones with the least stamina!

Anyway its only been a week.And I joined for a three month period.Lets hope I survive till then:)

Ahemm

2006-05-11T09:36:00.000+05:30

I almost forgot about this...to introduce my guy.Shouldn't have,especially since he's a fellow blogger.But he has agreed to frame my 'abstract' paintings and use them when we move in together.And due to the sudden outburst of love for him,I decided to dedicate today's post to him:))

Nostalgia...

2006-05-08T12:31:00.000+05:30

Anoop tagged me.Here goes...

-I miss the days when a teacher used to come home to teach me ABC and the only thing I would do is run about the house,the garden,and finally tell her bye in my unique style..'Teacherrr,when you come tomorrow wear a new saree'.I dont remember her face,only an image of her walking towards the gate.

-I miss those vacations in Kerala when I used to sleep on the top floor right under the brown roof..when all cousins would huddle up to tell each other ghost stories..and those nights when we would lie waiting for the phantom bike.

-I miss the lunch breaks in school where we did more talking than eating.

-I miss those rainy days when we would be drenched to the bone along with our bags and still hold on to the umbrellas.

-I miss those days when it was the end of the world if your house lose points..those days when my house won overall championships.

-I miss the days of fights and squabbles over my career choices with my parents.

-I miss that cocktail of feelings you have when its your first day in college.

-I miss all those silly as well as serious conversations,arguments,relations in college.

-I miss mugging up late into the night in my corner of the room under the table lamp..those ten minute naps during exam time.

-I miss the journey home from hostel on weekends,when all of us would be either boywatching or commenting or talking loudly till the conductor threatens to throw us out of the bus.

The rest I'll put in when I get time:)

Home alone

2006-05-02T12:31:00.000+05:30

I hate not being able to blog regularly like I used to.

Today morning I was supposed to write about a trip to Aurangabad and Ajanta Ellora.But last minute change of plans saw all the guys going to Goa(girls strictly no-no)and my roommate to Mumbai.And I ended up in office on Saturday.And then two days at home all alone.Sunday saw me cleaning and washing and chatting and cooking and lots of TV.Monday morning,I had noodles and half a litre of milk(I didn't get a smaller packet and I didnt want to drink milk two times a day).And then there was no space for lunch.So I was spared the ordeal of cooking dal and bhindi and rice again.I watched the strangest shows on TV..My big,fat,obnoxious fiance(or something like that)I have no idea what it was about but I watched it for some time.And I must have checked my orkut account about a dozen times.

When all you people out there went to exotic locations,I was cooped up in my room lazing around.But it was good(yeah,what else can I say!)

But I feel like doing something mean and so here goes.This was spotted on a yellow post-it note lying innocently near a guy's keyboard.He is sitting somewhere in my vicinity.The first two lines were written by him,the third line by the girl and the next by him.It was lying there till Saturday.X and Y actually stand for their real names..with their surnames:)).Now I cant be mean enough to put that as well,can I?:)

'...adorable,beautiful darling!
Ms Y is a good girl! :)
Mr X is a naughty boy! :)
:((---- '

Buried in work

2006-04-24T10:28:00.000+05:30

I was running and running.I could hear the whoosh of something huge flying behind me..coming closer and closer.A dragon.Its flames kept stinging my behind and I wasn't sure whether to run or stop to tend to the burning feeling.I ran and ran till I reached a cliff.I turned around slowly to look at the green warty 'thing'.It was all hazy and all I could see was its mouth spitting fire.It drew closer,and my eyes were riveted on its mouth.And then it spoke..'You are going to fail me,aren't you?' A talking dragon..and it just said the most incoherent thing ever.Thats when I started searching for its wings and tail..it was a dragon with the craziest design ever..it was made of alphabets..D..E...F...E...C..T...S.Somehow that scared me more than a real dragon would have and I woke up teetering on the edge of my bed.Sunday morning..it was only 8.30 and I was already awake.After a week of defect verification,I have started to see defects and 'fail','pass' everywhere.

But I did make it through a movie without finding any defects...watched Capote.And then went to the M.G.road Walking Plaza here.I didnt actually walk.I made myself comfortable on the chairs provided there and didn't move for hours,because I am so used to sitting for hours now.And finally here I am back in office again...sitting.

I am back...almost

2006-04-13T00:35:00.000+05:30

I have not kept my promise of bloghopping because when I was not sleeping I was eating and when I was not eating I was simply lazing around.Only a few more days before I go back to the grind and leave my parents to decide when to end my 'spinsterhood'..sigh

I have watched only one Malayalam movie and have not been to the beach yet(it's only two minutes away...on legs).Like every time I have kept everything to the last minute.

On Friday,it's Vishu,an important Malayalee festival and there will be lots of crackers bursting.In north Kerala,more crackers come out on Vishu than on Diwali.The day before Vishu is when we go boom boom.Sometimes there's a competition between houses..on who has the loudest and the fanciest crackers.This goes on till night.Then we get up early morning on 14th at about 5am,keep our eyes closed,and walk towards the 'kani',usually kept in the pooja room.Of course there will be someone to wake us up,remind us to keep our eyes closed,and guide us to the place the kani is kept.And this is always the mom of the house.This is called 'kani kaanal'(kaanal means seeing).The kani compromises of all things good ... spices, salt, pepper,veggies,fruits,gold,money,new cloth,etc.It is believed that the things you see on this day,you see for the rest of the year..not exactly salt and pepper and gram,but other goodies.And then comes the best part.The eldest person in the house gives money or new dressesto the rest of the house.This is called 'Vishu kaineetam'.Kids make a lot of money that day because we get money not only from our parents but grandparents, uncles, aunties, etc, etc. The younger you are,the more money you make:).It'll be still dark,so we continue with the crackers.When light comes,we go off to bath and put on our new clothes.Kids from other houses come to our home to see the kanias well as eat the sweet neyyappam which is prepared in every home..and of course,they get a few pennies too:)When evening comes ,we start with the crackers again.After that night and one more night,I will be on my way back to Pune...

P.S.Due to some kinda mental block,it felt odd to put up my pic on the blog..and so I changed the texture in Photoshop and this is what I got :P

:)

2006-04-02T10:30:00.000+05:30

Whew..the last week flew by too soon..almost ready for the big day:)This is what I did..

25th-Bought my saree
26th-Sunday..so didn't go anywhere
27th-Bought ornaments
28th-Rest of the shopping
29th-Beauty parlor(I don't see any difference yet)
30th-I break a nail
31st-I am free enough to post something (But i changed the date to Apr2)
1st-Mehendi(It's not a ceremony or anything.My sister's friend will come over to draw the designs)

2nd-Today is the engagement and its also my birthday:)

And so I thought I'll put an ooold pic of mine with this post.I took a pic of the real photo with my mobile.

I think I'll go back to watching the match :P

The week before a leave

2006-03-23T09:30:00.000+05:30

I am leaving for home tomorrow..a hectic week ahead,but this time I dont mind the busy schedule:)

The week before a leave in office feels sooo good.'You give me whatever work you want,but I'll be far away from all this on Monday'(Seems like they read my thoughts,because I've got lots of work)Aaah..going home after almost eight months..feels sooo good:)..eating,sleeping,catching up on Malayalam movies..

I am going for quite a long leave,but I'll be bloghopping and putting up a few posts too..luckily there won't be anything about office!

Next post from Kerala..bye till then!

The art of...

2006-03-17T17:57:00.000+05:30

"Tell me,will this shade of blush be good or the other one"...Err,umm.."C'mon,only one month left for my engagement.I have to start practising soon." Hmmm "Shikhaaa..Don't you have any suggestions?" Err..what is a blush?

This was more than a year back.It was my make-up savvy cousin's engagement.And there I was..I didn't know the ABC of makeup,not that I know now.But atleast I figured out what a blush is used for.And then there's the whole array of other stuff..foundation,compact powder, mascara, lipliner, lipstick, etc,etc.And now,in a few days time,I am going to be in her place.And I am lost! It was a very brave(or was it stupid) decision to say no to the beautician and say that I'll take care of my makeup(after they have their way with whichever facials,that is).But do I have any beauty stuff with me,other than a Lakme eyeliner which instead of my eye I use on my forehead for the occasional bindi..?..No(For all those who are thinking about artistically drawn designs,my bindis are always a small spot.I know..a black ballpoint pen would have sufficed).Do I know what things to buy?No.And even if I did manage to buy some stuff,do I know how to use them?..Nooo.

This weekend(oh god,it's tomorrow),I am going to buy foundation, compact, blush, lipstick, lipliner, eye pencil...I guess that'll do.And I'll trust my luck with the colours(For your info,I haven't bought the saree yet :D)

And as for applying them..I guess the first ever dress rehearsals were done by people like me.My sister was talking about dabbing ice all over the face before starting the ritual.I don't know if she was pulling my leg,but seems like this time I'll have to endure her experiments on me.

I know this was not the right way to announce my engagement but this about sums up my state:))..2 weeks to go.

P.S.If any of you reading this don't mind using make up which was used once or twice,I'll be auctioning off my stuff after I come back.

:-/

2006-03-15T18:09:00.000+05:30

Depression can be a very bad thing..mood swings, worse. One minute you have all the happiness in the world and the next minute nothing seems good.

I reach home, see the kids in the neighbourhood having fun lighting holi bonfires. I watch from my balcony.

A pang of jealousy when you least expect it. A wave of nausea standing at the edge of time.All I see are mist covered mountains, beautiful but far away...the elusive treasure.

I talk to a friend who is not feeling well. Depression can be infectious. I smile.

Ever heard of post partum depression? I guess I am afflicted with prepartum..pregnant with unwanted feelings.

My neighbour brings us Puran poli, Holi special. I love food.

Sometimes too much can be bad. Sometimes happiness can blur your vision. Or is it stupidity?

It’s morning and as I step out into the balcony, I am greeted by a riot of colours. Children screaming in delight.

Maybe life isn’t bad after all :)

Thank God for the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy…(but why I had the sudden urge last night to smoke will remain a mystery..)

P.S.That must be the most incoherent post ever..I forgive you if you can’t make any sense out of it!

...........

Lub

2006-03-10T09:57:00.000+05:30

A smile on another face
Smooths the creases of my frown.
Those downcast eyes
Make my eyes wet.
When words start flowing
Time stands still.
Oceans and skies in that gaze.
And the chocolate in my mind
Melts in my mouth!
Is this what is love?

Woes

2006-03-07T09:56:00.000+05:30

Where the mind is full of doubt and heads touch the ground due to stooping backs
Where politics and backstabbing is free
Where the world has been broken up into cubicles
Where the tongue is dotted with cynicism
Where keying for hours has led to black eyes
Where there is no reason or the ability to think
Where the mind is led forward by another offer
Into this hell of monotony,you have put me O Lord.

I already feel much better :)

Doctor Who??

2006-03-02T10:11:00.000+05:30

There are a few signs you have to look out for in people around you,because these seemingly meaningless gestures say a lot about that person.(Students of psychology or those who are seriously interested in it,can stop reading)

'No,I won't look at your face' -These people don't look at your face when both of you are in a conversation.The misconception about this behaviour is that the other person maybe hiding something or he or she is not confident enough to look someone in the eye.But there are other possibilities..
-'Why is this guy not stopping?'..especially if you are doing the talking.
-Maybe your face is not look-able.
-But on a more 'serious' note,these people always want to keep doing new things before they are done with their present tasks;looking out for a new venture because just two minutes into the conversation,you have already become the past.So you will also be able to observe that this person is half out of the seat most of the time.

'I'll face you,but no,I won't look at your face'-In this case,the person's face is looking at you,but his eyeballs keep shifting towards the corners.Almost the same reasons as above,but if this person is your girlfriend or boyfriend,be careful because those eyeballs are not searching for new ventures but new hunks or chicks:)) (ok,that was a bad one)

'I will always forget to switch off the light'-This is a very serious case.I just don't like people who forget to switch off lights.It's like asking a person for help,taking his help,and then going off..out of sight,out of mind..which leaves the person who helped in the same state as the bulb which was on for 12 hours.(By this,I don't mean that the next time your roomie forgets to switch off the light you should say 'You are an ungrateful cow.I'll never ever help you in my whole life'.I don't want my blog to get disgraced because its readers ended up in the asylum.)

'I am first'-Actually this is meant only for bloggers.They are so happy at being first that they forget about the actual comment.But some do remember to come back and comment.These people are those poor souls who have been participating in running races all their lives but have always been first among the last.For a case study you may visit,http://keshigirl.blogspot.com/2006/02/its-simple.html.Keshi has enabled comment moderation and so none of the comments appear until they have been approved.So everyone thinks they are first.And that is why this has become such a valuable case study.

I think I'll stop with my analysis for the day(I can already hear people talking about defamation lawsuits).

Recipe for bliss

2006-02-28T12:14:00.000+05:30

One tablespoon of laziness
Half a spoon of smug satisfaction
A grain of work
Generous amount of blogs

Stir all these sloowly in a big urn...Taste it and all is well with the world..

Saturday night musings

2006-02-25T23:50:00.000+05:30

Today I saw Rang De Basanti again. No change in the effect it had on me the first time I watched the movie. Even the music is still fresh.

Most of the reviews had a common complaint, that unleashing the police force on a peaceful demonstration, killing a defence minister,etc sounded too incredible. That things like these don’t happen. I was a bit sceptical too, but I liked the movie anyway. But this time I was far from being sceptical. A few hours before the movie, I had sent one of the many SMSes to NDTV to petition for a retrial in the Jessica Lall case. If people can get away with killing someone at point blank range in the presence of about 400 people, anything can happen in this country. Tomorrow it could be one of us. I don’t mean to be cynical (that’s the last thing I want to be) especially since this verdict was soon followed by a verdict in another sensational case which gave life terms to the convicted.

Enough of that. The other thing I did today was eat chicken. I wonder what my mother would say to that….

Boooo!

2006-02-22T10:10:00.000+05:30

Last night when I was taking water from a huge pot in our kitchen,something in my head said 'If you take water from a pot in the dark,yakshi(witch,dayan,whatever) will come'..I know it sounds stupid.Because I was shocked too at the absurdity of my thought.But for a second I did pause to tune my ears for any anklet sounds.So this is how superstitions are born.In a slightly crazy mood,people get out-of-this-world ideas and even if they think it's stupid,they somehow begin to think it's true.And I have always believed that the easiest thing to do in this world is to scare yourself.

When I used to stay alone,one night I was talking to a friend on the phone and of all things we were discussing ghosts!After he said bye and I switched off the light,I started thinking about white sarees and deformed faces.For ages,I had this fear of hands coming from under the bed to pull my legs.That came back.I covered my head and was almost on the point of suffocation but I didn't want to open my eyes because I was sure there would be a shrivelled gremlin standing near my bed.I have no idea when I fell asleep.

Rewinding back to when I was in school,there was a cemetary near my school.And I being the easily impressionable kid with more imagination than was good for me,believed all the stories I heard.One night,I got up screaming that someone is trying to strangle me.I laugh when I think about it now!But the love for ghost stories stayed.When I go to my father's home on vacation,all cousins used to huddle up together at night to tell each other ghost stories.It was fun(obviously,because the house was filled to the brim with people).

In hostel,when we gave farewell parties to the final years,there was always a theme.And when we were the pre-final years,the theme we chose was 'Bhoot'(the movie got released at that time).I was in charge of the decorations.I had a whale of a time.Making screaming faces,artificial webs,chains of 'hell',devil horns to be pinned to the hair,skulls on table mats,designing ghost costumes.Most of the decorations had to be done after everyone went to sleep because the seniors were not supposed to see anything.Barely a day after we started all this,a few girls started to back out(All that I was doing was termed antiChrist at one point,but I better not go into that!)They said they are scared to do all this.A few close friends of mine were the ones who were there with me all along.But it was so funny.At 2 am in the night we were discussing theology!After all the convincing,when I got back to my room(which was in another block),I found my room locked..Our hostel is strategically placed on top of a hill and you get to hear the whooo of winds at nights.So there I was listening to the whoooing and the voices in my head and banging on the door..after some time my kumbhakarni roommate opened the door for me.

The fear I had as a kid slowly vaporised,but this talent for scaring myself to insomnia still exists.

But last night,thanks to a roommate who had something to study and had to sit late night,I slept peacefully:)

My froggy

2006-02-20T10:30:00.000+05:30

I was never really fond of dolls as a kid.My favourite toys were a rambo gun(which I would show off proudly to my boy cousins),a police car which had a big siren and a walkie talkie.Of course there were the girlie toys like a cooking set.But most of the time I didnt know what each item was for.And my mother seldom agreed to give me flour to play with.Then there was a doctor set.My sister was always my patient.There was one 'medical procedure' in which I would place a wet tissue over her hand and pretend it is skin.And then started the 'operation' to remove dead skin.Poor thing,I don't know how she endured all that(she was also my make up dummy,but that's another story).But this post is not a trip down memory lane to pick up my old toys.My room back home has a few cuddlies for decoration purposes.But a few months back,I saw a cuddly thing at a gift store and I immediately fell in love with it.My first doll:)

P.S:The story about the frog and the princess did not in any way influence my decision to buy my froggy.Maybe girls have a natural affinity towards frogs!

Office stories

2006-02-15T11:12:00.000+05:30

As I sit in in front of my system simultaneously trying to understand what the code written in some geek language means as well trying to comprehend the feelings behind a really verbose and emotional blog,I suddenly realise that there is a source of entertainment other than the inanimate thing which gets me my bread.We have some rooms in office and I sit in one such room.There are more than a dozen people here,all belonging to different planets.

The new joinee-Sitting next to me,the poor thing has been given a basketful of documents to read and no work to do.She keeps shifting in her chair and sighing and I look over matronisingly.Don'tyou worry honey..and I send her a folder of games.That has her happy for some time.Then again like a baby which will burst from the wrong side any second,she keeps pointing to problems on her system..err,try double clicking to open a folder.

The loud baby-About a few months old,as loud and babyish as can be.'Is Mr.X here?' 'Yesh teacher'..that kind..Let us for now forget the fact that he is always playing games on his system(who doesn't?)

The 'idol'-The singer,the star but the twinkle seems to be reflected only by his specs.This specimen doesn't do any work but can always be seen running about.He will soon be saying tata to the company and his current tasks are changing the desktop background about five times a day and changing the ring tone on his mobile..okay,i dont remember the exact number.

The thilothama-Always in the most eye-catchy dresses,but not exactly beautiful..Those of you who watch Malayalam movies are sure to know Kalpana(she is a famous comic actor).There is an old movie in which she wears colourful sarees,sleeveless blouse,has a huge sunglass and carries a floral umbrella.As she passes by the men in the village,she smiles at them and all of them act as if they get moksha.Ditto here.Her smile is the same as Kalpana.

The mother-She has a small baby(a very cute and naughty one) and she is thinking about home most of the time.

The tortured-This unfortunate girl sitting in between two guys who constantly bug her and try to read the mails she is typing.And so she has resorted to writing mails in her language.The rest of the time they want to know when she is getting married.

The blogger-Works for some time.Rest of the time blogging and browsing.Yawns by stretching both hands way up many times a day.This is me.

The rest of the people are those silent souls whose voices are never heard.A ring tone is what reminds us of their existence.Then the others I have left out, read my blog..so..:)

New home

2006-02-13T09:32:00.000+05:30

I have finally shifted to a new place.And the icing is that I have shifted with a college mate who has landed in Pune.All furnished and with gas connection.That's when my friend tells me she doesn't know how to cook..anything.Then she asks me 'Do you know how to cook very well?' I say 'Let's just leave the 'very well' part from that and start learning'.So one ignorant and one semi-literate decided to get up early to cook breakfast but in the end had tea and cornflakes.Sigh..I just hope I learn to cook properly before I marry a food lover.But before that I have to learn how to get up early...

Reflections

2006-02-09T11:09:00.000+05:30

At some point in our lives,all of us have been confronted with the question,what is wrong and what is right?The answer I gave myself was that if what I am doing won't harm anyone in the present as well as in the future,then there is nothing wrong in it..I think that was a pretty lame answer.I think it was a haven I created in my mind to hide when I am not sure about the nature and results of something I really want to do.Being a rebel who revolted against anything and everything did not help much either.Words which should not have been uttered,deeds which should not have been committed,thoughts which shouldn't have come into my mind,feelings which should never have been felt,people I should never have met,acquaintances which shouldn't have been made.Sometimes when you least expect it,these things come back to haunt you.And then,like you have done a million times before,you start dissecting each of those words and actions..but the conviction you had in them seems to have vaporised.

That life cannot be rewinded like a cassette is perhaps the saddest truth that we learn.But do I regret what has happened?No.Because all the years I have known myself,I know that if I hadn't known what's on the 'other side',I would have felt I have missed out something.It takes darkness to know what light is.It takes noise to realise what silence is.It takes grief to know what joy is.And it takes a few wrongs to realise what right is.But now,am I completely sure about what is right and what not?No..my haven though a little battered,remains intact...maybe,this is life..

Tagged again!

2006-02-07T16:43:00.000+05:30

Tagged by Naveen..here's my list of fours

Four jobs I have had
Software engineer
Unfortunately that's the only job I have had

Four movies I would watch over and over again
Lagaan
Manichithra thaazhu
Titanic
Lord of the rings

Four places I have lived
Dubai
Kannur
Kasargod
Pune

Four TV shows I love to watch
It's been a long time since I have watched my favourite programs on TV
Friends
Full House
Dexter's Laboratory(and many other cartoons)
X Files

Four places I have been on vacation
Australia
Paris
Germany
Switzerland

Four of my favourite foods
Too bad I can list only four..
Ghee roast(I have a weakness for dosas)
Chicken biriyani
Curd rice
Fish fry

Four places I'd rather be now
At home,in my bed sleeping
Himalayas
Visiting every country in Europe
Some other planet

Four sites I visit daily
Blogs
Rediff
Google
Hindu

Four bloggers I am tagging
Kannan
Anoop
Rebel_on_loose
Alive_n_confused

War of the girls

2006-02-06T10:30:00.000+05:30

I have a deadly creature in my room.During daytime I catch a glimpse or two of the loathable thing but it never comes near me.But when I switch off the light,it comes near my unprotected head and whispers in my ear...zzuuuuuu.I hate that mosquito!Can you believe it..I have been trying to kill that one mosquito for days now.And now it is all set to conquer my room.Using a mosquito repellant is not among my plans.Mosquito repellant for that tiny thing?Waste of money.

It always chooses to come at the best points in my dream.I slowly pull out both my hands from under the blanket and clap.And check my hands for its gooey remains.Nothing.After about two seconds,it comes back again.This continued for a few nights.And nowadays unfortunately,as soon as I get into bed,I put out my antennas searching for the drone.And it takes me a long time to fall asleep.I wonder if this mosquito goes to school.Because on some days it comes back in the morning and starts buzzing at the time I set my mobile alarm.Next time someone asks me why I look so sleepy I have someone to blame.

Maybe I should consider buying Mortein......to think that it's a girl.

Blocked

2006-02-01T10:27:00.000+05:30

It's one of those days..vacant,void.I think it is blogger's block.Or maybe it's because now some of my colleagues read my blog and I realise that I have lost my anonymity and so things aren't fun anymore.Or maybe I am too lazy to log into blogger,wait for the page,and then key in many words.Or maybe it is because I am too sleepy to think of anything else.Or it could be beacuse I am too pissed off at something right now that I am saving up my energy to confront that issue.Or maybe it's because Friday is two days away.Or maybe it is blogger's block after all.....

Rang de basanti

2006-01-30T11:07:00.000+05:30

Here's one more among the spate of reviews that started to sprout when Aamir Khan first talked about his new film.By now,I guess everyone knows almost the entire story.Most of the reviewers were not benevolent enough to spare us all the details.Luckily I read all those reviews,including a really seething one in India Today after I watched the movie.

A British filmmaker comes to India to make a movie about Indian revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh,Chandrashekar Azad,etc.And she is in search of actors who can bring them to life.It won't take a genius to figure out that our five guys and their girl pal are the ones.All of them are Delhi university students and the cyncism they show when talking about old freedom fighters and the general mood about the politicians and the future of the country is something we can identify with.The rest of the movie is about how they begin to understand the feelings that led to the rise of the revolutionaries.Some of the reviews said that the climax should have been handled ina different way but personally,I think it was apt.If any of you reading this haven't seen the movie yet and haven't read any review yet,watch the movie first(ie,if you don't have any well meaning friends who have spilled the entire story already).

Now about the actors.The best was Alice Patten.She speaks Hindi much better than many of us!And she acts well too.Aamir Khan as the student who is afraid to leave college and wants to be a student forever is the life of the movie.With doses of Punjabi,he has played his role perfectly.Then there is Siddharth of Boys fame.The quiet,brooding one of the group,his understated performance as the poor little rich kid was laudable.Then there is Atul Kulkarni,out to drive away western elements from India.He is good as always.Kunal Kapoor as a Muslim poet,Soha Ali Khan and Sharman Joshi have all done justice to their roles.And of course Madhavan as the air force pilot.Kiron Kher,Anupam Kher and Om Puri have small roles but in the end no actor seems to be out of place.

Good story,good performances,well shot,and simply superb music..must watch.

My stomach goes grrr..

2006-01-27T14:09:00.000+05:30

Rice and fish curry
Suruma fry
Appam and stew
Bread and fish moili
Mom's chicken biriyani
Mussels achaar
Idiappam
Parrippu vada
Unniappam

Amen

My mother always says there is a tape inside which keeps playing "I am hungry".When I am home from hostel,I gorge on food like anything.Even before I reach home I call up home and tell her what I am expecting this week! So much that my sister sometimes looks at me and asks 'Is there anything you don't like to eat?''Were you born to eat?'And I eat and eat with no care in the world.In the midst of a meal,I say 'okay,I have had enough.I am stopping'.But when everyone looks into my plate there won't be anything left.It'll be months before I can taste homemade food.And right now,I am hungryyyy :(

Devil's dictionary

2006-01-25T09:21:00.000+05:30

by
Ambrose Bierce

Got this from the gutenberg site.Here are a few good ones :)

-ABSURDITY, n. A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with
one's own opinion.
-ACQUAINTANCE, n. A person whom we know well enough to borrow from,
but not well enough to lend to. A degree of friendship called slight
when its object is poor or obscure, and intimate when he is rich or
famous.
-ADAMANT, n. A mineral frequently found beneath a corset. Soluble in
solicitate of gold.
-AMBIDEXTROUS, adj. Able to pick with equal skill a right-hand pocket
or a left.
-BEAUTY, n. The power by which a woman charms a lover and terrifies a
husband.
-CAT, n. A soft, indestructible automaton provided by nature to be
kicked when things go wrong in the domestic circle.
-COWARD, n. One who in a perilous emergency thinks with his legs.
-GRAVE, n. A place in which the dead are laid to await the coming of
the medical student.
-HAPPINESS, n. An agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the
misery of another.
-KILL, v.t. To create a vacancy without nominating a successor.
-LOVE, n. A temporary insanity curable by marriage or by removal of
the patient from the influences under which he incurred the disorder.
-MARTYR, n. One who moves along the line of least reluctance to a
desired death.

Spidey

2006-01-20T20:17:00.000+05:30

Keshi's post reminded me of a long forgotten wish,that of becoming a supergirl.I was about 6 or 7 when spiderman first made his entry.It was love at first sight.I had only one dream and one wish in the whole world,to be spidergirl and bash up the bad guys(whoever they were).I waited and waited for some spider to come and bite me.All the spiders at home were those miniscule things whose legs were as fine as their webs,which would either run away or become handicapped if I place my finger near them(of course,to get stung).It was much later that I knew that it has to be a radioactive spider.So I realised that's the reason for my failed attempts.

Finally,at my father's house in Kerala where I was on vacation,I spotted a big,hairy spider.But I wasn't courageous enough to confront it.The spider was in the room where I slept and for once,fear took over my spidergirl dreams.Next day,my elbow was swollen..too big for it to be a mosquito bite.Then someone tells me that it was the spider.I was euphoric.I got bit without having to look into those dozen(or more?)gleaming eyes.I didnt mindthe itch and called for a celebration.I even tried scaling the wall.The elbow became red and I couldnt stop itching and someone applied tulsi pasteover it.Spiderman didn't itch himself to ignominy and after two days when my fingers didn't squirt any web,I realised that radioactive does not mean big and hairy.

For years I wished if not spidergirl,some teeny weeny power would do.By the time the movie came out,I was too big to fall into his web.But if that bitehad made me spidergirl,I would have said "With power,comes a lot of itching"...

Tagged

2006-01-18T09:29:00.000+05:30

I've been tagged by My ramblings .The rules are...
1. The tagged victim has to come up with 8 different points of their perfect lover.
2. Need to mention the sex of the target.
3. Tag 8 victims to join this game & leave a comment on their comments saying they’ve been tagged.
4. If tagged the 2nd time, there’s no need to post again.

Target: Male

1.He should not freak out when I am in my hyperactive mode..so he must be energetic and willing to be in constant motion all the time
2.He should accept my cooking the way it is.
3.Understanding and loving
4.Funny
5.Goodlooking
6.My wailing wall
7.Should be bold and courageous and not the weakling kind
8.Should be equally excited about new things like me(is that too much to ask for?)

I am supposed to tag 8 'victims' but since I got please-dont-tag-me requests even before I posted this,anyone reading this is welcome to accept the tag :)

PIFF 2006

2006-01-16T12:25:00.000+05:30

2 days.8 movies.The Pune International Film Festival(PIFF) is on and I spent my weekend in front of the big screen.It was my first film festival and I had lots of fun,especially learning new words in other languages!I am not qualified enough to give a review but here goes.

Saturday
We reach there at 9.30 am.After all registration formalities,we miss about 15 minutes of the movie but decide to watch anyway.No seats,so sat on the floor.

Boutique(Iran)-A girl meets a guy working in a boutique and how he tries to help her.But things are much complicated than he thinks.Its about how people and their views,and the way of life never seem to change.The film was good and the heroine had won the best actress award at another festival.To tell you the truth,I spent most of the time drooling over the hero:))

Silver Salt(Sal de Prata-Brazil)-We went to another screen and again,no seats.This movie was different,the way it started as well as the way it ended.A film maker dies.His girlfriend reads some of the scripts he has left behind on his computer and she begins to confuse fiction with reality.And then she learns more about the film making industry and how cinema makes things look real.This was also good.

Three days of anarchy(Tre Giorni Di Anarchia-Italy)-We finally got seats.This movie is set in 1943 Sicily.A son returns to his place after college and he is compelled by his people to lead them against the bourgeoisie.The movie is about how he gets rid of his confusion and accepts the responsibility.

Free Zone(Israel)-This one has two women setting on a journey from Jerusalem to the free zone which is near the border.One is an American(Natalie Portman)who just broke up with her fiance and is trying to get out of the country,and the other an Israeli(Hanna Laslo),who is going to the free zone to collect money.There they meet another woman,a Palestinian.The movie has a mix of English,Hebrew and Arabic dialogues.The movie starts with a great song in Hebrew,but then it drags a little but the climax is good.Hanna Laslo's acting was really good.The song starts like this(in my words)
My father got two lambs for two coins
Just for two coins
Then came the cat and gobbled the lambs
The lambs my father got for two coins
Then came the dog and choked the cat
That gobbled the lambs
That my father got for just two coins
Then came a stick and hit the dog
That choked the cat
That ....and so on.

Here's the last part of the song..

I have thought of a question tonight
How long will this hellish circle last?
That of the oppressor and the oppressed,
Of the executioner and the victim
How long will this madness last?
Has something changed?
This year, I have changed
I was a meek lamb
I have become a tiger and a wild wolf
I was a dove, a gazelle

After the day before(Masnap-Hungary)-Just like the title,the movie didn't make much sense too.A stranger lands in a desolate village to find a house which he has inherited.There are very few people in the village and no one is very friendly.The movie is a 'thriller'.Even after two hours of the movie,even after the climax,I didn't have any idea what I just saw.The only nice thing about the movie is the cinematography which is very good.Unless you are very fond of watching art movies which don't make any sense,don't watch this one.

Sunday
I never get up before 7.30 even to go to the office.But the second day again saw me getting up at 6.45.And like yesterday,my film-mates got up late.But we reached in time and got seats..on the floor.

Tom White(Australia) -A middle aged man.He cannot control his temper and his wife and friends are perplexed.One day he does not return from office and goes out into the street.He meets many people on his journey,people who are lonely and need help more than him..Good movie.

Innocent steps(Daen-sei-eui Soon-jeong-South Korea)-This one is a cute romantic movie.The best dancer in Korea is without a partner,a girl from China lands in Korea,he teaches her to dance.The rest of the movie is not really predictable and so the movie didn't end up being the usual love story.The heroine is very cute,she looks like a small girl(she must be).One of my friends was so bowled over by the movie that even today I heard him saying dialogues from the movie.

The Piano Teacher(La pianiste-France)-This was pretty hard hitting.A middle-aged piano teacher with an over protective mother and a student who falls in love with her.She watches porn movies and indulges in masochism for sexual satisfaction.The lead actors were awarded the best male and female awards at Cannes'01.

There were only three movies yesterday.The festival comes to an end on 19th.Maybe we will catch a few more movies before that and afer my head stops reeling.

Sleepy...

2006-01-13T09:27:00.000+05:30

Since it's winter and I grudgingly get up every morning eventhough my body clock doesn't agree,at night I fall asleep as soon as I hit the bed.Even if its not winter,I fall asleep as soon as the lights are switched off.The 'sleep' devata is my favourite diety and I am always ready to do any pooja,time is not a problem.But there was a time when the 'insomnia' asura made life hell for me.And some children's magazine gave me the solution.A glass of hot milk before bed.I don't know if it was psychological but it worked and so started my great tryst with sleep.

When I was in college I used to go home every weekend and I would go back to college on Monday morning.Those were the worst mornings of my life.It was a two and a half hour bus journey.At first I would sleep only if there was someone else with me.And that habit led to constantly being made fun of.My only answer would be"Beauty sleep".But soon I gathered the courage to sleep even when I was alone.Some kind of internal clock got set up in me which would ring at every major bus stand.Sounds funny?In the first year I resorted to methods such as calculating the time to reach college with the help of milestones and estimating the speed of the bus.Err..what else would you expect from a first year BTech student?Anyway this was used when I was on the journey home,trying to count away the minutes.Anyway my internal clock was a real saviour.I would be sleeping even minutes before my stop.I trusted my internal clock as well as my wrist watch.

And now,as I nod off in front of my system,I think about all those hours of pure blisszzzzz.......

There are some things money can't buy...

2006-01-11T11:47:00.000+05:30

--She is busy typing some document when there comes a whiff of perfume from somewhere.She turns her head.The office siren in the latest fashion gear.She plans to buy something that weekend.
--She is walking her dog when suddenly something catches her eye and she comes to a sudden break.The dog almost broke his neck.She ties the poor thing somewhere and goes in.
--She wants a sweater.She goes into tha mall and steps out with a top,skirt,jeans,bag,earrings,belt......

Sigh..shopping.Transforms you into some other being.Most of the time you end up buying things you dont want and not buying things you want.I am a poor shopper.Very rarely do I buy good things.Because whenever I show off my loot at home my mother and sister goes 'Ewww'.I envy people who always pick up the right stuff from the right places at the right prices.And I end up burning holes in my pocket for the wrong stuff.

All the above examples have a 'She' in them.Does that mean a shopping spree is girls' territory?Nooo.I have a friend who has showed me that boys are not far behind.He was an ordinary shopper in the beginning who liked road shopping until the brand bug bit him.Now whenever someone says the word shopping,he is the first one to get ready and even if the rest of us bought nothing,he would compensate for that.Lee,Reebok,Provogue..the guy won't settle for anything less.On one such trip,at the paying counter,we saw things coming from his basket which we didn't see him pick.His sheepish smile said it all.

Coming back to my shopping,I have never been and I still am not confident about shopping alone.My trusted accomplices in shopping are my sister and my best friend.And another thing that scores of shopping expeditions have taught me is that girls have to go shopping with girls.

Brain power

2006-01-09T11:59:00.000+05:30

How much can the human brain absorb?When we were kids there was so much information that was being pushed into our brains;maths,science,two or more languages.How did we cope with all that?Okay,since that is past in our case let's forget about that.Will we be able to repeat the same thing again?How about this syllabus..
-Two languages
-Two completely different subjects(for example,a programming language and journalism)
-Karate,dance or whatever
-A musical instrument
We had a much heavier schedule in school.The amount of time we get now maybe a little less but atleast we don't have to worry about tuitions and exams.

I think I am becoming more stupid as the years pass.Is it laziness or the deterioration of a seldom used brain?Must be the latter.Or I guess its a vicious cycle.You become lazy to try anything new,your intelligence graph dives,you become lazier,it dives further and so on.

So for those of you who think your brain is getting older,here are a few ways to feel young.The good news is the brain can be in its teens for a looong time.(Disclaimer:This works only on the brain,dont expect the same results on your skin)

-Switch the hand you are using to control the computer mouse. Use the hand you normally do NOT use.Also use oppposite hands for brushing your teeth,dialing the phone,etc
-It is important to challenge your brain to learn new and novel tasks, especially processes that you've never done before. Examples include square-dancing, chess, tai chi, yoga, or sculpture.(for hand-brain coordination)
-Neurobics,a unique system of brain exercises which activate underused nerve pathways and connections, helping you achieve a fit and flexible mind.
*Get dressed with your eyes closed.Wash your hair with your eyes closed
*Break routines:Go to work on a new route.Shop at new grocery store
*Combine two senses:Listen to music and smell flowers
-Do crossword puzzles. Play Scrabble. Start a new hobby or learn to speak a foreign language
-Physical exercises such as walking,running,sports,wiggling toes(All of you must have already started your wiggling)

Bus chimp-Part 2

2006-01-06T14:39:00.000+05:30

Like some of you said it becomes tough for the rest when the girl doesn't do anything.And she was not exactly small.She must have been about 16 years old.Neither could I inform the conductor nor could I ask the man to sit properly,because if the girl says she doesn't have a problem,I would end up becoming a fool.So what I did was write her a chit asking if she has any problem in sitting.As she was reading it,she made sure that the guy was able to read it too.She turned back,smiled and got up to move to another seat.And the guy was left open mouthed.He didnt know that the chit came from the seat right behind him and turned back many times searching for the author.I had covered my face with a cloth(girls covering their faces is a common sight in Pune) and so he could'nt see me laughing.

After some time an old grandfather sat near him.King Kong of a few minutes back was transformed to Stuart Little.He was not even brushing the man sitting next to him.He sat all curled up,leaned his head against the window and waited for his stop.Pervert.

Bus chimp-Part 1

2006-01-05T14:44:00.000+05:30

The time is 10am.The venue,a public bus.The bus is not too crowded and there is only one person each on some seats.A man gets into the bus.A fat guy with oily dark hair.He adjusts his black bag as he looks out for a place to sit.First seat-an old guy.Second seat-a school boy.Third seat-a school girl.

He dives into the girl's seat.She moves towards the window and adjusts her dupatta.He keeps glancing towards her.Then starts his sickening game of glance-put hand into pocket-flex muscle-move a little towards her..and this cycle continues.He looks every bit like an animal trying to relieve itself of an itch somewhere.Slowly the girl gets compressed and almost on the verge of suffocation.And our romeo looks like he is competing in a muscle-building competition,flexing and gyrating in that small seat.But the girl remains a mute sufferer.

There is a spectator sitting right behind them.If that is YOU,what would you do?

I wonder if I am being unfair to chimpanzees.

Tell me your secrets..

2006-01-04T10:33:00.000+05:30

Many of us,as kids had secret codes to pass messages under the prying eyes of our parents.From code words to encrypted letters,we have tried everything for that aura of mystery.The messages are most often something as simple as "Let's go out and play".At some point of time I had developed a secret language to write my diary.But it proved to be too cumbersome and now I don't remember which symbol stands for which alphabet.

A few days back I came across an article about a language used only by women.Now how's that?:)The script has been passed on by mothers to their daughters for centuries.It's called Nushu and was used in a remote part of China.Nushu means 'Woman's writing'.Nushu was created and used exclusively by women in a male-centred society where girls were denied a formal education.It was declared as extinct last year and now there are only a handful of people who can read and write in this script.

One story about its origination goes like this.One of the many concubines of some king created the script to jot down her feelings.Since then it has become a means of expressing loneliness,marriage woes,hope,love and for communicating with close female friends.It seems ladies then were apprehensive of getting married(some things never change).And as soon as the friends get to know that one of them is going to be lost to marriage they write poems expressing their grief and also for advising the new bride.The poems and songs embroidered on silk cloth and books is presented to the bride after her wedding.

And it seems that even if men try to learn the language,they don't understand anything:)

First day

2006-01-02T13:02:00.000+05:30

Back to India after a short but sweet vacation.The only hitch..when the clock struck 12,I was on a plane.Does that mean I will spend the whole year suspended in air?And I was sitting next to a guy who was so happy to meet an Indian after a long time that he didnt stop talking.Does that mean this year,I will meet more people who will tell me their history in a span of three hours?

I just hope the 'whatever you do on the first day,you do the entire year' was just something concocted by my mother to see her kids behave well atleast for one day.Because if it was not just a clever mother's innocent ruse,I will be sleeping off the entire year.After getting off the plane,that's what I did the rest of the day.Hope no one else had a somniferous first day :)

Adieu to 2005

2005-12-21T12:52:00.000+05:30

...and for the time being, to work.

Time for retrospection.

The beginning of 2005 saw me as a disillusioned bunch of void emotions.Life didn't seem to go anywhere.It was like I was moving in a thick brew.

But exactly on Jan 1,things started changing for good.And by the end of January,I already knew what I wanted.2005 has been a very good year for me.After a long time,2005 finally put me on the right track.New job,new place,new people,new blog but still in touch with good,old friends.

I am taking a vacation starting this Friday.Off to Dubai :)
Wishing everyone a merry Xmas and a very happy 2006.

See you all next year!

My hero :)

2005-12-20T14:24:00.000+05:30

A day at the mall

2005-12-19T12:03:00.000+05:30

Where I come from,you rarely get to see beggars on the roads.The very few there are comes to our homes seeking alms.Neither do you get to see the opulently rich flaunting their wares.But here the poor are poorer and the rich richer.And the stark contrast between the two hits you in such a way as to make you wince.

I went to Central Mall on Saturday.While I waited on the steps outside for my friends,a wave of people flowed in and out.Heavily clad women,weighed down by designer sarees and jewellery stepped out of their chauffeur driven Lancers and Benz and came trotting up the steps on their stilettos.Small children,all fresh and clean,and minus the extra fats of their mothers trailed along in the finest dresses.

When two such women were getting into the mall,there was a small gap between them through which I saw a woman in rags standing at the foot of the steps.A yellow and red glittering frame for a brown,moth-eaten canvas.

After a while,two school kids slowly came up the stairs towards the Xmas trees kept outside,in a way only the less fortunate gets attracted.The other kids did not even notice the two trees on both sides of the entrance.A girl and a smaller boy clad in blue uniforms.Neatly dressed in old,worn-out uniforms.The girl was murmuring 'How beautiful' as she approached(In the language which seems to be synonymous with rich tongues).Then they went to the Xmas tree at the opposite end of where I was sitting.The girl was warning the boy against touching anything in case it falls.They looked on for quite some time till someone working there came down.Those kids asked for some bauble from the tree.I heard the girl saying "Please,I beg".But couldn't hear the rest.I walked over to the other side and by then the security guy was shooing them away.The grief on that girl's face...

Why didnt I interfere?Why didn't I talk to her?Even if I couldn't get them what they wanted,atleast I could have let them leave with something more delectable than 'Bhaago yahaan se'.Those people;no,me included,made them feel like beggars...

For the love of books

2005-12-16T12:20:00.000+05:30

Remember the first book you owned?I was in the first grade when there was a book exhibition in school and our class teacher asked us to bring money.There were many books;all of us started choosing our fairy tales and I hoped to get a colourful little book.Thats when my teacher chose a green book for me ,'Baby Animals'.This was not the book I was looking for,so I just peered into her face,ready to whimper and protest.She said 'Baby Animals for a baby'(I was the smallest in class).Funny how silly explanations seem to make kids happy.That made me very happy and I bought that book.

It had pictures of mother animals and their babies.I liked the way it felt when I held it in my hands.My first book(other than ABC books,of course).I always carried it around.It was the book the teacher had in her hand when we played teacher and students at home(of course,I was always the teacher)I loved it so much.But unfortunately, it seems like I did not love it enough to preserve it.Very soon I started writing comments in it like which animals I have seen in the zoo and so on.My younger sister took the cue and she made it her scribble pad.That was the end of it!

Here's a list I came across in TIME,the best 100 English novels from 1923 to the present.

New year resolution#2

2005-12-15T11:38:00.000+05:30

We had gone trekking this Saturday to Lohagad,a fort in Pune.It was great but the next day my body started aching here and there.Even during the trek,there were times when I just wanted to sit down for some time like I sit everyday in front of my system,the only difference was, i was panting like a dog! The next day I decide to go jogging.But I cant seem to get up before 7.30.So I decided I'll start jogging after winter.Then I decide to go cycling(All these decisions were taken and dropped in these few days),but even for that I'll have to get up early.So finally I ended up adding another resolution,to join a gym(of course,I'll join only in January).And become a fit software engineer,an ever dwindling species.

Bad,bad mood

2005-12-14T10:32:00.000+05:30

I am a brat,a totally convoluted juxtaposition of chaos,capable of sending the thought process and senses of anyone interested enough in talking to me into turmoil.If you think it's an achievement,think twice.If you think this is just a play of words,go take a hike.What did I just say?Go figure...
Whoever said that each person is unique probably had an extra limb.To say to yourself that you are a good-for-nothing bum could actually be a revelation instead of self-depreciation.The world is divided into two unequal halves,the intellectual minority and a duffer majority.The intellectuals speak a language which god knows if they understand themselves.But they keep shaking their heads anyway.The 'not-so-endowed' ones often go incognito as an intellectual and try a little shaking of the heads themselves.But seems like there is a 'very stable equlibrium' thing going on here.Because the impostor falls back to his world pretty soon.Maybe the poor guy only had to open his mouth to reveal his true colours.

What am I blabbering about?Is this a written uprising against intellectual snobbery or my frustration at not being able to achieve the intellectual tag?Do I need that tag?Do I need to be acknowledged and appreciated by a set of boorish people who eventhough boorish,still run the world?Am I human?Of course.Then isn't this need for acknowledgement as natural as thirst for water?Do I need a shrink?Bah! Shrinks are money pits where you throw your coins to hear the names of your afflictions,of which you not only know the name but have also figured out a cure.Cure...now what is my cure?

Disclaimer:I am not responsible for what is written above.

Tears in a park

2005-12-13T10:58:00.000+05:30

Someone told me this qualifies to be a poem :)

But Papa,
My stomach cries when I go up.

Why can't you fly like the other kids?
Then why sit there?
Get off
Such a disgrace.

I'm not afraid,Papa
I'm not afraid to fly
It's my stomach.

But he left me alone
I sat there on the swing
My tears falling on the ground.

Me vs Winter queen

2005-12-12T10:28:00.000+05:30

How does it feel waking up on a cold December morning..a Monday morning?When your feet peeps out of the blanket,the winter queen lashes at it and you pull it back into the warm confines of your world and then fall into deep sleep..only to be woken up by the alarm.Its still dark and you can't believe that you have been asleep for eight hours.Snooze#1.Again you slip into paradise dreaming about a hot cup of coffee and maybe a steaming dosa.Tha alarm rings again.Snooze#2.Your head is under the pillow and slowly start snoring before the alarm starts screaming again.

And then you realise there is no time for another snooze.You put a tentative hand out of your protective blanket.Goosebumps.Then you place another tentative limb on the floor.Which starts a serious discussion on whether you should go to office today.Somehow the rational you win.The ice queen smirks as you shed your sweater,socks,muffler,monkey cap,gloves and then the soldier slowly walks towards the bathroom.One splash of water on your hands and you stand there as if stabbed.That instigates another debate.To bath or not?But if you cannot remember the last time you had a bath,you finally decide to offer yourself for sacrifice.

No current.No geyser.You watch as the bucket gets filled with water.Cold,ruthless water.You dip a finger into the water and silently call for your gods.You fill a bucket and start planning your strategy.First pour on the legs.Splash.Brrr.Okay that was not that bad.Then you take enough courage to pour it over your head.You almost jump out of your skin.Between each mug you say all the mantras and slokas you know.And finally you step out of the bathroom victorious.

Another battle won.

An eye for an eye

2005-12-09T10:47:00.000+05:30

This is what is happening in Saudi Arabia.An Indian has been condemned to be blinded in one eye by a Saudi court.His crime?An altercation two years ago with a local resulted in the blinding of one eye of that man.And now in a sentence which seems to encourage revenge,Puthan Veettil Naushad is going to lose an eye.
It is a country where there is no written penal code and the punishments meted out is often according to the whim of the presiding judge.The rest of the world notices only when one of their kin is on the receiving end.But the tradition of cutting off hands or feet and flogging has a long history in Saudi Arabia.And of course capital punishment also.The number of floggings vary from a dozen to maybe 1000.For robbery they cut off your hands.Read more about their medieval practices here.
What will it take to save that unfortunate person who happened to be in the wrong country?

Sand n water

2005-12-08T11:27:00.000+05:30

To continue from yesterday,I miss beaches so much.In Kerala,beaches are always a short drive away and for me it was only a walking minute away.Almost a year without beaches and sand and water.I am not an avid swimmer or anything( I don't even know how to swim).But I like walking on the beach,playing in the water and making sand 'huts'(castles are way above my calibre) with my little cousin.And the nearest beach from Pune is like an eternity away.I wonder if there are any virgin beaches close to Pune..

Home sweet home..

2005-12-07T11:08:00.000+05:30

The windows are open...Moonlight is streaming through and a cool breeze is rustling the curtains.There is nothing to be heard except for the sound of the ocean.From somewhere far away you hear the whistle of a train and then it fades away...A bird perches on your window and sings you a lullaby before flying off to its home.A firefly flies in and sits on your nose.The wind chimes sing their song..And then you fall into deep slumber....I miss home:(

TrAiNs

2005-12-06T10:18:00.000+05:30

I miss train journeys..the last one was months back when I first came to Pune.But nothing like the train journeys while in college.There were times when we had to go for offcampus recruitments and we would decide to go at the last minute with no reservations and only the second class to look forward to.Most of the time we wouldn't get seats and then we would lodge ourselves on the 'first floor' meant for bags.No,that is the second floor,because on long distance trains even the 'ground floor' is an option.On one such journey,there were people hanging out from the second class.We didnt have another option but to get into the first class.Then it was a cat and mouse game with the Ticket collector and then finally we ended up in the ladies compartment.

There were four of us..Two including me who were having a lot of fun hiding and running and getting off at each station and two who were huffing and puffing and giving us a look whenever we uttered the word 'experience'! There were two seats(edges of two seats)in the ladies compartment and naturally the 'hufflepuffs' took the seats.We stood near the door..it was a 7 hour journey.Near the door,right up to the toilet,women and children were sleeping on papers.There was no space for us to even stand.One of the mothers sleeping on the floor gave us two sheets of paper.We were grateful for that small but more than enough property to sit on..We sat face to face with ours legs touching at the knees and then we started talking..Because there was no way we could sleep.Our station would come at 7am and it was only 12am.We were talking about how our parents' eyes would pop out if they knew we were travelling this way.But both of us liked it.

Somewhere along the way we got off at a station where we sure the train would stop for more than twenty minutes.The mission was to buy a cup of coffee and maybe walk around a little.But there was nothing much to see so we just perched on the steps sipping coffee..Barely a minute after we bought our cofee,the train started moving.The realisation that we could have been stranded at that station at that hour of the night with nothing but ourselves was more innervating than the coffee. At some point we started dozing off and fortunately when it was about 5am we got seats.My friend didnt waste any time in falling asleep.She had an extra 2 hours to travel.I got down at my station feeling a little numb but happy..not just happy about the fun time I had with my friends but about something that changed in me.For someone who was born and brought up in a place where cleanliness and order was just another part of life,it was an eye opener to travel like the rest of the country.From that day on,I have always looked forward to train journeys and the interesting ones are always the ones in which I am not snoring it off on the upper berth!

Wedding woes

2005-12-05T11:02:00.000+05:30

Becoming 20 was like a milestone in my life...not for me,but for my mother.Unfortunately for me she is like Mrs Bennett in Pride and Prejudice.But poor mom did hold her feelings and her aspirations back till I completed college.After that it was one torrent of marriage talk from her.It was always 'when,when,when'.And before I could answer that I am planning to become a sanyansini she would say 'Immediately after you complete B.Tech'.That was like a death sentence to me.For someone who has only just started warming towards the concept of marriage,it was like being condemned to Antartica for the rest of your life.
I come from a place where the primary hobby of everyone with nothing better to do,seems to be enquiring which and which girls of which and which families are still spinsters."Ohh..poor dear..she has still not been able to find a suitable boy for her daughter and she's already 22".Gimme a break..since when did girls start becoming grannies at 22??Can't blame my mother if this is what she has to endure all the time,and all my cousins marrying the first guy who comes to see them after throwing away all their career dreams ,doesn't help a bit.
Now whenever I feel homesick and think about calling home,I am a little apprehensive.Where would the guy be working this time?Almost all the calls home go like this
Me:Hii
My mom:How are you?Eating well?
Me:Not really..i lost a couple of kilos..
My mom:Whaaat?People are coming to see you..put on weight.You have to come home next month.(And I thought she was thinking about me!)
Me:Whaaaat?When did u decide this..i'm not coming anywhere..puhleeze give me some more time..
My mom:Ee kutti..

And thus an innocent call from my side to do away with my homesickness results in a brainwashing session about how I will not get anyone to marry if I cross the uncrossable age.Right now,the uncrossable age is 23..next year it will become 24!

Trringg!

2005-12-05T09:49:00.000+05:30

Break over..back to blogging:)..i mean..work.

A small break

2005-11-23T13:33:00.000+05:30

New Year Resolution1

2005-11-22T14:07:00.000+05:30

I have decided to start preparing my new year resolutions list from today.
My first resolution is not to say anything stupid and get stuck in some embarassing situation.If that is not possible atleast I have to do something about my blush hormones.

Land of spiders..

2005-11-21T10:26:00.000+05:30

I looked into her eyes.
Chanting tales of her world
She enticed me to stay,
She with the cobweb veiled eyes.
I tried to wipe them off
I tried to blow them off
But my words got caught in the web
Only to be devoured by a spider
I belong to another world,I told her
A land without spiders.

Girls don't need iPods!

2005-11-18T11:18:00.000+05:30

While the latest inventions in the music industry are making waves,there seems to be one untapped resource of music...presentinggg,the male homo sapien(applause).

Features:
-It does not need any cells or batteries to run.
-It has fairly good amount of memory.
-Available in many colours.
-You can listen to your favourite songs wherever you go.

The only condition is a female version has to be in the vicinity.The performance of the system is indirectly proportional to the distance between the two.The songs being played depends on the year of release and make of the female model.
While we cannot be sure about the longevity of the product,research shows that models released in the 40s are still working.For further enquiries,step out of your house.

God,a quiltmaker

2005-11-17T14:53:00.000+05:30

"..God is a giant quiltmaker.With an infinite variety of designs.And the quilt is grown so big and confusing,the pattern is impossible to see,the squares and diamonds and triangles dont fit well together anymore,it's all become meaningless.So he has abandoned it."

-Rohinton Mistry
A Fine Balance

Bawling of the lambs

2005-11-15T10:35:00.000+05:30

Remember all those vaccinations you had to take as a child..how you would cry your throat out even before the needle touched your skin?We had a nurse at school who used to come to our classes once in a while,to pick up kids whose vaccinations were due.She was always armed with pink medical data folders,one for each student.One sight of her through the window was enough to turn my legs to jelly.Then followed a fervent prayer to make her go to some other class.When that didnt happen,the next prayer was for someone else to be picked up.All of us waited with a dread similar to that of convicts waiting for their sentence.
What reminded me of those days is a laboratory next to my house.Somehow the largest group of customers there seem to be children.Luckily they close shop at 7.But if I am home on Saturdays,I get to hear the whole drama.The kids come all happy and giggling and smiling.After a few seconds you hear an ear-piercing scream,followed by "Mummmyy..".I am sure the kid wants to add a few more words but grief does not allow it to say anything else.And for those martyrs whose vocal chords have not developed yet,its only screaming and crying but the tone of one who has been betrayed is unmistakable and almost palpable.
Poor kids.Maybe I should start rating them and give away a 'Best Psycho Scream Award'.Maybe that will make them feel better!

Children's day?

2005-11-14T10:03:00.000+05:30

A woman walks towards the bus stop pulling along with her a three year old child, and calculating with her eyes the number of people waiting there. She would need a crowd for what she was about to do.
As she comes closer you realize that she is actually a girl of about fifteen.And then she starts. They say something to each other as part of a rehearsed dialogue followed by a few somersaults, the baby’s limbs too small to have the desired effect. She lifts the baby by the legs and rotate..fast.The viewers are shocked. Then she lifts the kid with a finger until it is way above her head. The spectators are even more shocked. Luckily the programme comes to an end and everyone are more than happy to part with their coins, but with a silent plea..please don’t do this again…
Another children’s day,another sweet distribution, another Nehru memorial speech, another school celebration, another holiday.But who is celebrating?Of course,children.But whose children?
While there are some kids for whom the happiest moments are when they get a new Armani or go on a foreign trip, there are some for whom happiness means extra sleep after working for hours at a restaurant or getting to meet their parents after a year.While for some cricket has become a way of life and idolizing Sachin another,there are some who don’t even know who he is.
Until this ocean of disparity becomes navigable or at least imaginable,shouldn’t we do away with this farce of celebrating childhood?

Living alone

2005-11-10T10:50:00.000+05:30

When I was in college,I used to stay in a hostel.First year there were 11 of us cramped into a flat but we had one helluva time.Second year,we split up and then there were 5 in a room..and the last two years ,there were only four of us in a really spacious room.And right now,after all those years of congestion and having a leg or hand fall over me in the middle of the night,I'm staying alone ..Of course,work and life can take you anywhere.And yes,before becoming the solitary reaper,there was also pair and triplet cases which were unfortunately not as memorable as the college hostel days..
Living alone gets unbearable when you miss those nocturnal discussions,the constant fun-poking,the games,the gossip,falling asleep on the spot when the matron knocks..Ah,I miss those days..When you always had someone to talk to no matter what the clock says..And those were the best friends I ever made.
But living alone is a whole lot fun too...I have started tapping my creative talents(or whatever there is to be tapped)! I have started painting,sketching,writing,reading and have even started making a calvin n hobbes scrap book!!
My friends tell me that people need human company..I say I have never been happier...Paying guest now,soon I would like to move to a flat.Isn't office and weekend outings enough interaction?But then again,I am still confused,should I give up personal satisfaction and maybe a polishing up of myself for the sake of showing people that I am not without friends(read roommates)?..which seems to be looked upon by the society as a catastrophe and then 'aww poor girl'..No way!So living alone it is till someone decides to come..right now,i am lovin' it!

Click

2005-11-09T16:43:00.000+05:30

I took this pic on my mobile from inside a moving bus.I keep clicking all the time..and i loved this one though it doesnt make much sense :).There are trees,sky,a pune-ed road..hope that helps!