Myriad of memories

Flash Mob!

2012-02-06T20:14:00.005+05:30

I hadn't known flash mob would be so much fun! Yeah, as part of Intel's "Employee awareness campaign", there was a flash mob planned at the respective site's Cafe... Woww!! It was amazing fun!! I had never been part of it before and this was quite an experience.

It was a customized Kolaveri song (my first reaction was... "oh no, not kolaveri again!!" ) and I had missed all the practice sessions due to bad health last week. Luckily, I could make up for all those and be part of the team today :) Oooohhh felt sooo niceeee!!! The crowd's response was amazing and they all had a pleasant surprise and a good time :)))

A weekend that sped by....

2012-01-29T19:37:00.003+05:30

Yesterday sat to watch the left over episodes of "My Gal" TV series.... There were about 8 more to go and gosh, how time flew I had no clue.... I was crazy to watch it back to back continuously skipping my lunch as well, such was the story. After a long long time, liked this kind of a story. There was humor, there was love, there was pain... all elements bundled together.... Enjoyed watching it... Liked its music as well... :)

Today read this book called "I too had a love story" by Ravinder Singh. The story was touching but narration wasn't great. Somehow , be it in real life or the reel life love stories, 75% of the story will be full of hurdles and pain; 15% of it is the happiness (usually in the beginning) and 10% in the end (if successful - the one which ends in marriage) otherwise, the rest 10% is the 10 times amplified pain. The story in this book, is supposed to be a real life one (of the author himself), and fortunately all was well the first 80%(could read it happily). And suddenly when in the state of euphoria, the fate jumps in from nowhere to explode all the happiness that far, into dust. So, two days just sped by like a flash of light and I have gotten into the thinking mode.

I wonder why things have to be the way they are... Why can't everything be fair and just. Why can't everyone be happy at the same time? Why should life be so uncertain, so unpredictable ? I just don't see any point in this!

If one has a purpose, he may not live till it is served; one who doesn't have, tries everything and lands up nowhere; sometimes there are too many dependencies to achieve a goal; so many compromises, so many justifications, so much of unwanted, unnecessary everything! Even if one is patient enough and does everything that has to be done, for his/other's sake, nothing yields out of it. Life just seems like a garbage!!

Am I only highlighting the negative aspects of life? I don't think so, or may be I am. But whatever the case, the dark side of it looks longer and broader than the brighter side. They just don't seem to be in equal proportion, which would've been a fair play!! There's a creepy grayer side too - the one which makes us think of all these, accumulate more and more of these stray thoughts and avert our focus. Well, trying not to fall for it, let me fix a barricade for these thoughts and take a stroll... Cya.....

My first sketch this year :)

2012-01-17T20:44:00.005+05:30

Walk not on your shadow....

2012-01-09T21:42:00.004+05:30

When the eyes seem blinded

With dark and dusk

Of gloom and despair,

Mind rotten and rust

The foray into getting lost

Perhaps, be the last thought

With time, the wounds effervesce

The path ahead could be luminescent

If not glowingly bright..

Walk past the past

Blemish not the present

Walk not on your shadow..

And circle the dark again!

:(

2012-01-06T08:40:00.001+05:30

God! Please please please help me decide!!!!

Through the eyes of the blind…

2011-12-21T23:49:00.010+05:30

Imagine how you would react if you were to wake up and find yourself seeing void?

Today, as part of our team quarterly, we visited a very special place - "The National Association for Blind" put up on the old airport road. A school for blind it is, which accommodates around 80-90 blind people of different age groups - from 5yr old to 70 yr old. It was the most special day I had ever had in my entire life for two reasons. One, because, it was totally a different world out there and 2nd - there was a lot to learn!

Initially I was under the assumption that this visit was more or less going to be the same as that of visiting an orphanage or teaching at govt schools. But I was totally wrong. This time, there was a lot to take than give. It is an amazing feeling which you will enjoy only if you experienced it.

To start with, the head of the school briefed us about the various trainings they conduct for the blind. They were divided into 4 major categories -

Category 1: For all the new-comers to the school

This is a 45 day course meant to teach the blind to be independent, in terms of how to commute, where to find what and things like that. The instructor for this class was very proud and confident for making his pupil capable of managing themselves on their own. Being a Math grad, he preferred teaching the blind instead of teaching math to normal people. He seemed very happy and satisfied with the profession he had chosen even if it meant way too lesser salary than what he'd have got, had he chosen the "typical” career ladder. I wasn't surprised because while I was there, I too felt the same... Nothing would leave you as satisfied as helping someone who had no clue how the world around him looked like!

Category 2: For aged people from rural areas

This was aimed at blinds from rural areas for enabling them to be self employed. The pupil are initially trained in - sewing, carpets/mats making, bamboo/plastic knitting (that you often see as chair rests) etc. The idea is to train them in making these and refer them to government agencies(we were told that the govt has a regulation that such jobs be given to the blind). The school also helps them in setting up private businesses at their hometowns for making them self employed and earn a living.

Category 3: A class for guys for machinery work

All the mechanical stuff like welding, fitting, working with lathe machines etc.( I remembered my 2nd sem engineering! Ufff, what hell was that! Esp. in my final exam when I was asked to do some welding stuff and I ended up with a big lump of molten metal on a metal sheet due to poor visibility through the eye-shield :( I was asked to re-do the whole exercise :'( )The blinds were geniuses I must say... It was an amazing accuracy with which they got the metal cutting done and with such a shiny polished finishing! I was dumbstruck. It sounded like "mission impossible" (whatever version you may want to give it)!!

Category 4: Computer literacy

The school was equipped with a computer lab, and they used the "JAWS" software (an audio-visual software which reads out all that appears on the screen) for the blind. They all showed us how they checked their gmails and my God, how quick they were! Simply amazing!

Apart from these, as a regular course, the students are also taught to write and read using Brailles. The tutor for Brailles is a v old chap, Mr Hari Prasad(who is also blind) with an experience of 27 yrs teaching the other blind the usage of Brailles. Hats off to his hard work and commitment. I'm so wrong to have been sympathetic and self-pitying myself for having to commute the farthest to office. But this chap commutes from Rajajingar to the old airport road daily in BMTC (needs to change 2 buses to get to the school from his home). A big bow to him! While his kind words to his pupil and individual attention to each of them talks about his dedication, his effort for saving my mobile number in his' (its a series of steps again with some sort of audio visual software, took about 10 min to save 1 number)talks about his patience and tolerance.

This introduction of the various activities for the blind was followed by a cake cutting ceremony for both the blinds and the Intel employees who had their birthdays in the month of December. And I was lucky :) One of the best celebrations of my birthday, which came in as a surprise! :) We played a lot of games together - a cricket game using dice, pass the ball, a kind of musical chair (They called it Raja, Rani, Kalla, Police). This was followed by lunch and some of the Intelites took pleasure of serving the blind.

Post lunch was the cultural activities session. Being a movie maniac, the first thing I thought about what I enjoyed and they did not was – watching movies! I was mistaken again. They had a fairly good knowledge in movies as well. :)(I had a sense of relief else I’d have felt bad that they knew nothing about movies :( )They all put up a grand show and exhibited their talents in singing, mimicry, narrating jokes etc... They were fantastic. By then I had familiarized with some of the gals and they spoke so dear and affectionately that I too started to call a gal by Vijaylakshmi as Viju ;) ;D She was very fond of singing songs on a mic. And when she did (2 songs - folklore), I could see the joy radiating on her face! :)

Later on, our director, Mr. Bhartendu Sinha, distributed momentos (sweaters and FM radio) followed by a prize distribution ceremony for those talents. Followed by that was a chat making activity - we had bhel puri, pani puris for the menu. Finally closed the day with tea and back to office. A day couldn't have gotten any better than this! What a lovely day it was!

Some of the take aways from this experience:

1. The blind are the stronger lots who have learnt to live their fate without any regrets. Believe me, they don't like to be pitied. They are as much independent and normal as we are.

2. I've always doubted the presence of God, but now I feel His presence in them. When I initially met them, I felt a pang of pity, later on, I could barely distinguish them from the rest of us. They mingled with so much ease like one amongst us. It could be a result of a lot of hard work from their side, but that doesn't just seem enough unless they are specially blessed to face such hardships. We were told never to express our sympathy to them (at least in front of them.) Emotional strength is what drives them most times. They like to be one amongst us.

3. the most basic thing I got to learn – “Life can be worse, it’s up to you how to make it better!”

4. They are definitely quicker, smarter and better than any of us....

Anything you want to do to help them?

Yes, you can, without spending even a single penny, and in many ways. All they care for is a little time and affection.

1. Learn the language of Brailles - this may help you help someone be a literate.

2. Just try spending some time with them. Celebrate some of your special occasions with them. Believe me, it really makes their day, but more, yours.

3. Take your kids for a visit to such places. If not anything, they'll learn to be compassionate.

4. Lend them your old dresses (they make the yarn out of it or use it for carpets or if in good condition they will be happy to wear them)

5. Read out books for them and record it. I’m sure all of you own a cell phone that has a recording facility. Many softwares are available too for this purpose. It could be story books/novels (The brailles version is very limited)

"There is no lovelier way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark...." - Helen Keller

I really thank Intel for giving its employees this wonderful opportunity for providing a great deal of avenues for such social cause. Love you more now, Intel. I really want to retire here! :)

Be blessed!

2011-12-14T21:04:00.003+05:30

You know, I hated him.... Inspite of cooking up all stories for a 5-min delay in the morning to catch my shuttle to office, the driver doesn't give a damn and leaves early... (6:30 on bang! ) Yes, I have told him that I will have to cook in the morning, wait for the milkman and that he gets late sometimes, or the most popular reason of the power cut! When he ignores my "genuine reasons" how can I confess the fact about that 5 min extra sleep in the morning, which works wonders??

Last wednesday was one such day when my hatred had piled up to max. Inspite of being at my stop at 6:32am, the bus had left! :( Fortunately, as if BMTC had started a backup service for office commuters missing cabs/buses, I got a direct bus to my office that turns up occassionally otherwise! YES, this is the proper example of "getting lucky"! I boarded the bus and turned on my Lappy to watch the 5th episode of "My Gal" series occupying the last seat. It was the 2nd half of the 7th episode (one hour an episode) and the battery went down... When I looked out, I saw the bangalore central in the Belandur junction and the bus had come to a halt due to traffic on the congested road. 2 more stops to go, to reach office, but seemed like eternity to get there. I was casually looking at the mall watching out for sale/discounts if any... As my eyes averted here and there around the mall, something caught my attention and I had to look twice... No, it wasn't a "sale" this time...

I noticed a middle aged person (may be in late 40s or early 50s) pushing a pink colored scooty pep. Neatly dressed he was, but there was something strange. He seemed v tired and breathed heavily and was sweating unusually too much... He was hard at work but he stopped every now and then trying to gather energy to move the vehicle any further... The bus I was in, geared back to life and started to move. While I watched the old man, he suddenly held is left hand towards his chest and my heart skipped a beat... My sudden instinct was to get down from the bus and ask if anything was wrong... By the time I could make way through the crowd in the bus and request the driver to stop, I landed in a proper bus stop (in front of Eco space). I started to walk back towards the mall and so many "what if"s started to pop on my mind.... I could see him there at a distance still struggling. The most astonishing thing about this episode was, a guy on the bike hit the scooty from behind and simply drove away!!! The elderly man fell and I stood stunned. I had a gutt feeling he had a cardiac arrest! And there came a rescuer(s). A guy(looked like a college going guy who had bunked classes for a morning show) walked out from outside the mall and carried the old man in his arms and walked towards a trendy sporty car. The old man was moved into the car and the second guy managed to stick a big "+", written on a paper and colored it red on the bonnet... Then he honked continuously and drove away... Believe me, the vehicles gave away like it does for an ambulance. It all happened too quick and realized "people who appear to have 'nothing' to do, actually do some critical tasks when in utmost need. That was a perfect timing!!". I was too impressed at that quick action and stood stunned for sometime there. I hope the old man is doing good now! Be blessed guys!

Love you Dad!

2011-12-02T13:45:00.004+05:30

Watched the Tamil movie - Vaaranam Ayiram last week. Loved Surya in the father's role which reminded me of my own dad!! :) Thank you soooo much Dad for being there for me always! Lovvvee you lottsssss!!!!

A magic shoe cabinet

2011-11-19T22:14:00.002+05:30

It was quite some time since I had properly looked into my shoe cabinet... May be I never bothered because I hardly cleaned it or I wasn't really particular about the sandals I wore each day. However today, all of a sudden, I remembered one particular pair of sandals I had bought after hunting down for almost an entire day on the commercial street! I opened the cabinet and started to pull out all the sandals in it trying to find them. Like magic, so many of them kept coming out and I was awed at each of those trying to remember when, why and where I had bought them! All in all I found ..... I found..... around..... 30 pairs of them!!!

I felt I had a gifted magic shoe cabinet!! It was such a nice, wonderful and a winner in a treasure hunt feeling, wow!!! It seems like I wouldn't need another "new" pair for years to come... (May be except for a red one that looked a little worn out....)

PS: Amma helidru - naanu matthe hosa chapli tagond bandre manege, adralle hoditini antha :(((

3rd blogging anniversary!

2011-11-14T23:08:00.002+05:30

Time speeds by

Three years passed, oh my!!

With you, I laugh, I cry

Never wanna bid you good bye!

Ok, I am still not bored with blogging! And thanks to Dilip yet again!

A beautiful heart!

2011-11-01T07:59:00.003+05:30

The eyes' sparkling light

So jubilant and bright

Beckoned her with delight

That sight, gobbled all her fright

The innocent jumped with joy

Knew not, was the beholder's best toy

It was the colorful life of a playboy

Knew not,she'd be trounced to cry

Far off, a heart distinctly listened to her plea

The heart which was stabbed to be mortally free

But all the love cuddled in its pleasant reveries

Wished well for her, chose God as a referee

It pleaded the Almighty to check on her

It desperately wanted to be there for her

Its entry, she might not endorse

Killed the will with all the force!

The caring arms that were chucked behind

Craved and longed to hold up its betrayed dear

Oh love, you are so kind, or should I say blind?

Undoubtedly, the pure and a rare one to find!

Sorry!

2011-10-30T20:42:00.001+05:30

I feel its wrong to write bad about others! After all nobody's perfect! Sorry if I've hurt anyone knowingly or unknowingly!

Book Review: Revolution 2020 - Chetan Bhagat

2011-10-20T22:09:00.006+05:30

After all the hype about this book (supposed to have sold a 5 million copies - pre-booking, including mine ;) ), it wasn't disappointing, at the same time did not probably live upto the title or expectations!

Whats good?

The story is good... The story of Gopal, a 26-year old, the youngest Director of an engineering college who'd have stopped studies at 12th after two failed attempts at getting a decent score for admissions into IITs or NITs. His father, poor and ill, wants to see his son become an engineer and pours in all the money he has(and also borrows from a politician at a high rate of interest) for that purpose. Gopal, bitten by the love bug, apparently loses control over his life when he learns that Aarti, his childhood crush, had chosen his friend Raghav over him. Like all bad things happen at the same time, he ends up in a bad company where he gets addicted to alcohol and smoking habits and wastes all his time and money over it. His lack of concentration on his studies turns him into a "failure". His father passes away on knowing his son couldn't make it to the top colleges, leaving Gopal

1. a piece of land he had fought keeping for several years (a kind of sentiment farmers generally have) and

2. responsibility of clearing a huge amount of loan from a MLA, which his father would've borrowed to get Gopal trained to crack JEE/AIEEE

When the MLA learns about the land Gopal possesses, he has an idea of turning it into an engineering college. He also succeeds to do so, following all illegal means to get the required grants and permissions from several concerned authorities and makes Gopal the director of the college.

Raghav on the other hand, manages to clear JEE with flying colors but gets admitted to a local college and his primary interest and passion is journalism. He starts off writing for college magazine and eventually ends up in a job of an editor in a local popular newspaper. As part of his job, he tries to uncover the MLA's involvement in various scams (would have interviewed Gopal too, who had by then, become a pretty pal of the MLA) and makes a great story that sells like hot chocolate. The MLA is enraged and uses his powers to take away Raghav's job. For Gopal it seems Raghav is setting up his beloved MLA due to a personal grudge on him and Jealousy (that Gopal, inspite of being a college drop out is now ten fold richer than Raghav, who was supposed to be earning good having cracked JEE) and takes things personally. On losing his job, Raghav starts off his own newsletter called "Revolution 2020" that exposes the MLA's frauds and scams that finally lands him up in the jail.

While Raghav is busy with his new project, Aarti feels abandoned and ignored and she begins to feel Gopal would have been a right choice for her and they get together. Gopal, after winning over his childhood crush feels the greatest sense of achievement ever and waits to crack the news to Raghav. When he visits Raghav's office to do so, what he notices there, changes his premonitions about Raghav completely. Though initially, Gopal is portrayed to be a little low rated, towards the end, his gentleness unfolds and the story takes a new turn...

Whats lacking?

Chetan's usual dry sarcasm and sense of humour is poor when compared to his other stories.

Though it doesn't live so much upto the title, it unveils Indian annoying politics and kind of reflects the recent attempts by the activists in our country to eradicate corruption and the author sees that such an effort would pay off sooner or later, a positive approach for the betterment of this country. Bollywood directors could be interested! :)

8/10 for this one!

Book Review: Remember Me? - Sophie Kinsella

2011-10-19T18:54:00.007+05:30

The first not-so-good and boring book of Sophie. Very average and not as humorous as her other books.

The lead character is Liza, who'd have lost memory of her past 3 years after an accident and how she tries to "re-learn" those 3 years of life again. Those three years of life would've transformed her into a new and very different person unknown to herself. If some of the life's memorable moments' - marriage, achieving a position of a top boss in a certain dept and other cherishable moments were part of those 3 years which she doesn't remember a thing about, she had, at the same time, grown into being tough, and a boss-from-hell kind, because of which her friends would've broken ties with her. . . Eventually, she discovers that she isn't really the character she had been in the past three years and tries to set things right.

5/10 for this one.

This being the last of Sophie's stand-alone novels, I rank them in the following order:

1. Twenties Girl (Read twice already! )

2. Can you keep a secret?

3. The undomestic Goddess

4. Remember Me?

Cleansing of guilt!

2011-10-17T20:56:00.008+05:30

I did something wrong... yes it was a mistake.. I'm such a lame girl... I mean, not that I had any idea that a post of mine would offend someone because that someone was one of the characters, (may be a main character) in my 'little' "fictitious story", well, not totally fictitious, but not totally a scene to scene match either! hmmmm... may be I can say a tiny bit of facts picked up from here and there to fill in the story to add a light humor to it... Of course some found it far too humorous than it really was, but isn't it all about the perspectives? Well, my "intention" was not definitely to put down or offend that person for sure....

Anyway let me stop defending myself... What I did was wrong and thats it. Had that person been a close friend or even a friend of mine, not that he/she is not, but sometimes friends also do show off temper, like when they are pissed off at work etc... their perspectives will change. May be this is such a case, or may be not...

Ok, it was wrong of me to have written about someone and made an offending story out of it. (I wouldn't have written it, had I really known that first of all, that person had been following my blog and secondly took an offense about it) For someone who is kind and helpful, I don't think what I did was right! Very very sorry about it, if you are reading this one too! I swear, it wasn't intentional... I just get a little whacky and crazy at times! I think I know how it feels. Really sorry!

I'd prefer having a row with a person than having to carry the guilt of hurting him/her!

Feeling better now! I get a "being cleansed of guilt" feeling... :)

PS: Isn't it amazing to know how 'right' people read your 'right' posts at the 'right' time?

O.... o... ooo.. my.... Goddd!?!!

2011-10-09T18:37:00.004+05:30

No, it wasnt her fault at all... Anyone sane can easily see it, conclude it. Do you think religiously following rules is a sin? By far and large, it cannot be. If it is, then rules must be changed. Obviously stopping a car by the side of the road to answer an emergency call isn't a mistake. Well, whether emergency or not, answering a call is not wrong, not while not driving. That extra pain that she took to actually find a spot on the road side (adjoining footpath) where she could stop for a few minutes and take a call is definitely definitely not a mistake.

It was pouring heavily and the wipers of the front glass were active to the maximum. The high beam headlights couldn't go unnoticeable. 20 feet in front from where she had parked the car, there was another car parked. Obviously the other car would fall into a pit if it moved ahead. It had to come a little behind and move onto the road from the footpath. Well, the driver drove in reverse, but wait... noooo.. it wasn't "little"... ohh what the heck...he covered the entire 20ft ... and what a speed! As if he drove a Ferrari! And finally... a big thudd!!! When it was a few inches away she had even honked continuously and even tried to gear the engine back to life and move the car backward... But it was too late... He had smashed his car into hers. Bloody lunatic!

Now, is it her fault??

Anyone who wants to take a reverse wouldn't drive blindly just because they couldn't hear or see anything due to heavy downpour, would they??? And he says - "Why had you parked so near to my car that it "touched" as soon as I shifted my gear?" She was enraged and said - "WHAT THE HECK!!! How could a mere "touch" cause such a huge damage? Haven't you studied F=ma in your school??"

How the hell could it be her fault??

He finally gave his number and claimed to come down the next day and pay the damage charges. He said he was put up near a temple (a popular one)...

PS: Well... forget it... I am into tears again... Bloody rogue he finally escaped! :( This happened a month ago! Oh God (in the temple where this rogue is put up near), I want to offer you some pooja by breaking 10 coconuts. But, please make sure his car(KA04 MJ 1439) is parked near there, while I do it!

Book Review: Twenties Girl - Sophie Kinsella

2011-09-30T15:34:00.011+05:30

The more I read Sophie’s books, the more I want to read! Though her books are categorized as “fiction”, many a time, one can relate to it. At times, when “weird” things have happened to me, I’d ask myself “why only me?” but her books made me rephrase it as “ ok… so, its not just me…” or “It was so wrong to be thinking about myself, a nut case!” J J hehe… Even if you are in one of those clumsy moods, you can always pick her books and start reading. Believe me you will feel a lot lot better! She’s growing to be my most favorite writer! J

Like her other books, this also is a total entertainer and absolutely hilarious! Its about how Lara meets her great grand aunt Sadie’s ghost, who would have died of old age (105years) and wouldn’t “rest” until she finds her most loved dragonfly necklace. Lara initially thinks that she is hallucinating her grand aunt, due to the miserable state of mind she'll be in, resulting from various mishaps – her boyfriend dumping her abruptly, lack of support from her best friend/partner at the newly set up hiring firm apparently doing bad at business. Sadie adds to her misery pestering Lara to look for her necklace and gets her to patronize with her telling that it was her “last wish”. But it doesn’t end there….

While Lara treasure hunts with the ghost, she finds Sadie very jubilant and so very young at heart (or soul rather). J She is one of those crazy and fun loving 1920’s girls that leaves Lara at awe! Eventually, Sadie uses her ghostly skills that help Lara in realizing that the guy who dumped her wasn’t really a right choice for her and also improve her business a great deal! The story takes a big leap when Lara discovers that Sadie is not like what her family thought her to be - an ordinary, achieved nothing in life, old woman. She is a part of history which even Sadie herself wouldn’t be aware of. On the other hand, Lara’s uncle, Bill Lington who claims to have started out a coffee business with 2 pennies and grew to be millionaire with Lington coffee outlets all around the world, would have actually used Sadie’s fortune to turn into one. When Sadie learns the truth, she sees no end to her overwhelming happiness (to have been part of history) and terrible vengeance on Bill. Her retaliation to Bill is "wow"! Finally, Lara finds her necklace and Sadie’s ghost never comes back….

Take aways:

What I liked the most other than the story was, Sadie’s attitude towards life. As I read through, I have to admit, I fell for the character “Sadie”! Life is not about leaving behind miseries and moving on, but also moving up and look forward to the best. Sadie compares it to an escalator - keep going on while moving up… Her young-at-heart, her twenties fantasies (which she infects to Lara) , enthusiasm, never take life too seriously attitude is all like magic!

We do face a lot of hardships in life but what really matters is how one handles it. After all, “you are not the only one….” A must read ! A must read !A must read !A must read ! (Hope Sadie hasn't gotten into me!) :)))

Its a 10/10 for this one! *****

Books review: The Shiva trilogy - Amish

2011-09-25T16:54:00.013+05:30

After being suggested by a couple of friends and reading some fabulous reviews about these books, I ordered them online and yes, they were definitely a wonderful read…

In a very broad sense, the story is about Shiva and various others (characters picked from the actual Hindu mythology) who are on a quest to conquer evil with good and make India a better place to live in. On their voyage, the leader of the troupe “Lord Neelkant” aka “Shiva” is faced with difficult and tricky situations that initially makes him prejudiced about the evil that he fights. He eventually uncovers that his beliefs were false and finds new and different dimensions to his falsified assumptions. The more he uncovers the truth the more his perceptions towards the “good” and “evil” change.

The story is split across 3 books –

1. The Immortals of Meluha

2. The Secret of the Nagas and

3. The Oath of the Vayuputras (Not yet out)

Summary: The Immortals of Meluha

The story kicks off in a slow pace with Shiva and his troupe moving to the state of Meluha – the place where the Suryavanshis reside. The Meluha is known for its immaculate civilization offering an almost perfect way of life for its residents. The rules and policies carefully knit together by Lord Rama(the then ruler of Meluha) largely in the interest of the society, leaves no loose ends for any kind of illegal and unfair act in any aspect and meritocracy is the sole criteria for everyone in anything that they want to pursue. The concept of ‘Gurukul’ is quite interesting! Like any good system has a flip to it, Shiva abolishes an illogical and unfair ritual that had gotten into the system of Meluhans during the reign of Rama. Shiva believes in changing rules that were/could have been of some significance in the past and is utter non sense in the present. This change of rule also rescues his lady love Sati and they get married.

Suryavanshis seek help of the Lord Shiva to fight The chandravanshis – the neck deep enemies of Meluhans who are apparently allied with the terrorist Nagas and together they keep making illicit attacks on the innocents in Meluha. In one such attack, the Lord’s fav, brother-like, scientist “Brahaspati” is killed.

Almost immediately, the Suryavanshi declare a war against the Chandravamshis and turn out triumphant. The techniques used by the Suryavanshis in a war - like the tortoise formation etc are beautifully narrated. Very imaginative indeed, by the author. Later on Shiva realizes his folly – Chandravamshis are not evil, but they are only different. They don’t follow a set of rigid rules like Suryavamshis do. Each one is free enough to choose and do what they like that makes them a lot different from Suryavamshis – “disorganized”. Shiva also realizes that the chandravanshis played no role in any of the Naga terrorist attacks.... Shiva is more confused and his rage against the Nagas is undefiable…

The author is successful in keeping the readers engaged and infringing the curiosity about the nagas… At least I picked the second book almost immediately.

Summary: The Secret of the Nagas

The story in this book has a lot of twists and turns unlike the first one. Shiva explores various other cities including Kashi and marvels at how each of it is so different. Each of the cities varied a lot in the culture and tradition. The Kashi for example accommodates all kind of people seeking refuge and are the peace makers while another city is very conservative about its visitors.

As the story progresses Shiva is baffled by the knowledge that his enemy – the Nagas are the ones who turn out to be the saviours of many innocents. The Shiva himself receives a strange medicine from them that saves his son from death during his birth. Shiva is deeply puzzled about them being good or evil. However the death of his beloved brother makes his stance rigid in considering them to be “evil”. The Nagas also rescue Sati from the man eater tigers and at the end of it, the Nagas’ revelation leaves her stunned. Sati learns about her father's deception - hiding an important truth from her with a selfish motive of keeping his daughter happy and away from all the ridicule and difficulties she may have had to face otherwise.

When Sati unveils the info about the Nagas, the Shiva is as much stunned and astounded, but on seeing the Naga, he is again reminded of his beloved brother and the vengeance takes over him. The Nagas finally decide that the Shiva ought to know the truth and they take him to Panchavati – the place of the Nagas. What Shiva finds out is nerve clenching....

Take aways:

Apart from the story itself, which is definitely a great work of fiction, the author has diligently taken care of portraying even the minutest of the details at his best. The description of each of the cities, the fight scenes, the lively descriptions of sunderbans etc are “wow”!
The real beauty of the story is that the “Gods” of the mythology are portrayed as normal humans possessing no supernatural power. Everything that “seems” supernatural is backed up with convincing scientific justification. Be it about the Somras, or the telepathy…
The meaning of “Har har Mahadev” – is well explained - one who sticks to dharma, one who makes decisions in the interest of the larger society, one who is as selfless as possible – he is the God in himself.
Some of the conversations Shiva has with the Vasudevs are very thought provoking! I especially liked the one that talks about “desire” the “good” and the “evil”!
Learnt a new thing - The opposite of "love" is not "hate" but "apathy" :)

Oops this was quite long! :P Looking forward to read the third book!

Book Review: Can you keep a secret? - Sophie Kinsella

2011-09-20T00:30:00.004+05:30

Category: Fiction , total time pass!

Another awesome work by Sophie! A typical chick-lit story that gets one laughing till the stomach hurts.... This is way too hilarious even compared to the shopaholic series.

Mind you, never to read it in public - especially if you don't want to drag attention of people around you when you extravagantly try controlling your laughter and people gawk at your resultant weird face!

Its a story about this youngster Emma, who apparently has a lot of "tiny little" secrets which she reveals in a moment of fright to Jack Harper, a stranger she meets on a flight. She goes on and on telling him about all her secrets - like a brake failed train assuming the plane was going to crash and Jack is the last person she would see... But the real fright creeps in when the plane actually lands safely and she ends up in an awkward situation when the co-founder of the company she works for happens to be the same stranger she'd met in the plane. This is the best part of the entire storyline, which would probably nominate a winner for the greatest of the great laughter challenges!

She ends up chucking her BF for this stranger with whom she thinks she is truly in love with! All her happiness of finally finding a perfect mate evaporates like vapour when she hears him revealing all her secrets in an interview on a television show to market the brand of drinks lined up for girls - "the ordinary nothing-special girls"! She turns out to be one big laughing stock amongst all her colleagues and friends who never miss a chance to tease her about her secrets!

Feeling embarrassed,betrayed and deceived she is encouraged for a vengeance by her close friends Lizzy and Jemima.......

Highly gripping (read it in a day), well developed story line and the characters in it is a highlight... But a little too much of blunt language and descriptions may seem quite inappropriate!

Overall, I'd rate a 9.8/10 for this one...

Apple pie!

2011-09-19T19:30:00.008+05:30

Since my childhood I hated apples and bananas. I always have managed to carefully pick them out of a fruit salad. Somehow I never liked the taste of it, until when I first had apple milk shake. I loved it in a different form!

Later on, I tasted them in the baked form - Apple pie. I cannot help but say, I LOVED IT to the core!

Tried making it at home last weekend, and as it turned out to be too good, here I am, posting its recipe.

Again, very simple to make!

Ingredients:

1. 1 big ripe apple (skin peeled) diced into small cubes

2. Maida (white wheat flour) - 100grams

3. Unsalted butter - 100grams (Basically 1:1 of butter and maida)

4. Sugar/Sugar powder - 2 spoons

5. a pinch of cinnamon

6. 1 egg white (optional)

7. A scoop of ice cream - preferably vanilla or butterscotch flavor!

Method of preparation:

1. Grate the butter into the bowl of maida and mix them both until they turn into a coarse mixture. Now knead well (use very little of water/milk if required) to make it a thick but smooth dough.

2. Make 2 halves of the dough and roll them out to make half inch thick rotis to fit into a round glass bowl.

3. Grease the glass bowl with a little butter and place the first roti over it.

4. Now spread the diced apples over it and sprinkle the sugar/sugar powder and cinnamon on top of it.

5. Cover it with the other roti and seal the sides.

6. Cut through the layers of the above to make it into small pieces of the shape you desire.

7. Smear the top with egg white to get a golden brown color (This step is optional if you don't use eggs)

8. Bake it in the oven at 220deg for 45 min.

Servings:

The hot yummy apple pie is ready! Tastes best with a scoop of ice cream!

DISCLAIMER: Think twice when you serve someone on weight loss regime :) Its definitely an high calorie yum, but never too much for a bite or two. ;)

Book Review: The Undomestic Goddess - Sophie Kinsella

2011-09-12T18:49:00.005+05:30

After reading this one, Sophie is now one of my most admired writers! :) I love her style, diction and her impeccable talent in the way she brings about the story.

Who this is for: Everyone who has forgotten about a personal/private/social life being obsessed with their jobs.

Brief summary:

Employed in one of the London’s top law firm Carter Spink, Samantha, a strong career oriented top notch lawyer(the skill derived from her bloodline), is head over heels in love with her job. She literally knows nothing other than what it takes to be a lawyer. She’s ridiculed often by her neighbor for her bizarre style of life and especially when she confesses about not even knowing to sew a button or make coffee!

Charging a lawyer fee of £500 an hour, Samantha hardly finds any time for personal life. Her hard work and dedication makes her even eligible to become the youngest Carter Spink’s partners which would be a dream come true for this young lady. Just an hour before the announcement of the same is made, an unfortunate revelation of her silliest mistake, not only results in losing out on partnership but she’s also is sacked from the company.

This undomestic Goddess then absconds to a village and accidentally takes up a job of a housemaid about which she stands no clue. While she struggles to manage through it she keeps telling herself that she is not made to be a maid. However, as she journeys along, she discovers the almost long forgotten, love, care, relationships and their importance! She almost forgets she was a lawyer and finds her new way of life relishing, until one day, when she realizes it wasn’t her mistake at all for which she was sacked from her previous job. She fights back and comes out triumphant with which she also gets a bonus – an offer to be an equity partner of Carter Spink, which a sane man would not reject even in his dreams… But Samantha thinks different… which eventually leaves her in a confused state of mind – to choose to be a partner in the law firm where her intelligence is respected or a maid where she doesn’t find herself stressful and burnt out.

Though the story is on serious lines, one will definitely enjoy the lighter part of it that’s pretty gripping and hilarious. The thoughts and emotions of Samantha as she walks through ups and downs are beautifully portrayed.

Overall, I’d say a 9/10 for this one!!!

Book Review: confessions of a SHOPAHOLIC - Sophie Kinsella

2011-09-01T23:14:00.009+05:30

The one book that let me flip through its 328 pages in 12 hours!

The plot revolves around Rebecca, the "financial expert" by-chance it seems, and her egregious urge for shopping that eventually leads her to debt. Her ingeniously ridiculous ways of smacking out of her over expenditure on stuff she "really needs" or just "fancies" about possessing couldn't be more genuinely portrayed! I am sure every single female "species" can identify and relate to with atleast 80% of her shopahol- i-sm! Atleast in my case, I very honestly admit, it is 90%. I'm now convinced that I am indeed a shopaholic and Rebecca is more sort of an.. err... 'a shopa-maniac'!?!

Learnings, musings and take aways:

1. The shopaholics always try to get advice from anyone who seem to save a penny more than themselves. After her futile attempts at clearing the debt, Rebecca seeks her father's advice and at one point, also seriously "considers them" - CD or MMM (Cut down or make more money). She also ends up spending on a self help book which wouldn't help her at all!

2. Trying on CD, leads her into spending more money (considering it to be one time investment) that just doesn't seem to pay off. How can anyone in the world use a kitchen set up, if one doesn't know to cook! Even worse if your cookery classes cost you way too much than it would cost for the food for an entire year itself!

3. "life is short and has to be lived to its fullest" - Why cut down on what you like? try MMM - well, this one creeps into the shopaholic's head when she soon realizes that she has invested way too much on stuff she wouldn't be successfully using in order to spend less; but instead could have bought her favorite watch or glasses in that money spent! Rebecca plans to change her career and try something new. And most times she always crosses the heights of optimism on how rich she really can become.

4. Shopaholics will have friends who are very much their own breed.

5. The best way to think about not spending too much is to think of having a gala time and spend as much as you can till you can forget and be happy about your new possessions!

6. People in debt are one heck of a liars!!

7. Shopaholics always quote a discounted price of upto 90% (or even free out of a scratch card) when asked by moms, the cost of their new possession!

And as you flip through more pages in the book, you suddenly find that Rebecca, whose credit and debit cards from 5 different banks are blocked on debt, giving "financial advice" to callers on a television show, while one of her own bankers sit right in front of her all furious with rage during the show coverage!

She finally turns out to be a television super star who is "informative" but "approachable", "knowledgeable" but "down-to-earth" when it comes to advises on "managing your money" - a highly successful profession which pays her for advising on stuff which cannot be carried out at herself, but still be happy at ease with it!

In simple words, its deadly hilarious from the word go! Highly recommended for the female species while a must-read for the male species to get to know their better half (or any other female species) better! :)

PS: This is the first of Sophie Kinsella's shopaholic series and I am looking forward to read the rest of them!

Circumventing emotions....

2011-08-22T11:55:00.001+05:30

Unusually nonchalant

The blatant disregard

Frigid decorum

Conspicuous numbness....

Happiness smothered,

Sorrows withered,

Churns and pains surfeit

Crocheting emotional conceits

Chasms of grief

Engulfing all around

Unable to give into...

Not wanting to give up...

Is it a folly

To fight a losing battle

Isn't it a distaste

To give up in haste..

The defiant choice,

Called in the catastrophe

Emotions mortified

Values defunct...

Unusually nonchalant

The blatant disregard

Frigid decorum

Conspicuous numbness....

.....

Humour!

2011-08-16T19:55:00.002+05:30

Some of my bus-mates complimented me for my singing today! :)

ನೀನಾನಾದರೆ ನಾನೀನೇನಾ? - Play review

2011-08-14T21:35:00.007+05:30

ಹಲವಾರು ವರ್ಷಗಳ ನಂತರ ಇಂದು ನಾನು ಒಂದು ನಾಟಕ ಪ್ರದರ್ಶನವನ್ನು ನೋಡಲು ಹೋಗಿದ್ದೆ... ನಮ್ಮ "ರಂಗ ಶಂಕರ"ದಲ್ಲಿ "ನೀನಾನಾದರೆ ನಾನೀನೇನಾ" ಎಂಬುವ ಕಾಮೆಡೀ ನಾಟಕ ಇದು...

ವಿಲ್ಲಿಯಂ ಶೇಕ್ಸ್ಪಿಯರ್ ಅವರ "ಕಾಮೆಡೀ ಆಫ್ ಎರರ್ಸ್" ಆಧಾರಿತವಾದ ಈ ನಾಟಕವು ಅದ್ಭುತ ಕಲಾವಿದರಿಂದ ಪ್ರದರ್ಶಿಸಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿತು. ಬಹಳ ಸರಳವಾಗಿ ನಿರ್ದೇಶಿಸಿದ್ದ ಇದನ್ನು ನೋಡೊಲು ಹೊರಟ ನಮಗೆ ಆನಂದವೋ ಆನಂದ... ಮೊದಲಿನ ಡೈಲಾಗ್ ಇಂದ ಕೊನೆಯ ಡೈಲಾಗ್ ತನಕ ಪ್ರೇಕ್ಷಕರ ಗಮನವನ್ನು ಸೆಳೆದಿದ್ದಲ್ಲದೇ, ಭರ್ಜರಿ ನಗೆಗಳ ಅಲೆಗಳನ್ನೇ ಎಬ್ಬಿಸಿತು. "ಡಬಲ್ ರೋಲ್" ನಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಇಬ್ಬರ ಜೋಡಿಗಳನ್ನು "ಲೈವ್" ಪ್ರದರ್ಶನದಲ್ಲಿ ಅದೆಷ್ಟು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ತೋರಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೋ... ವಸ್ತ್ರ ವಿನ್ಯಾಸ, ಸರಳವಾದ ಸಂಭಾಷಣೆ, ಸಣ್ಣ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಹಾಡುಗಳು, ತಮಾಷೆ, ಪ್ರತಿ ಪಾತ್ರದ ಅದರದೇ ಆದ ಆ ಕೌಶಲ್ಯತೆ,ವಿಶೇಷತೆ,ವಿಭಿನ್ನತೆ - ಅದ್ಭುತವಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಹೊಟ್ಟೆ ನೋವೋಕೆ ಶುರು ಆಗಿದ್ದು ನಿಲ್ಲಲ್ಲೇ ಇಲ್ಲ ನೋಡಿ... ಕೆನ್ಣೆಗಳಂತೂ ಊದಿವೆ ನಕ್ಕಿ ನಕ್ಕಿ....

ಚಲನ ಚಿತ್ರಗಳನ್ನು ನೋಡೋದಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಈ ನಾಟಕಗಳನ್ನು ನೋಡುವುದರಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಮಜಾನೇ ಬೇರೆ.... ಒಂದೇ ಶಾಟ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಕಲಾವಿದರು ಅದೆಷ್ಟು ಡೈಲಾಗ್ಸ್ ಹೇಳಿದರೋ... ಒಂದು ಚೂರು 'ಅಲ್ಲೋಲ ಕಲ್ಲೋಲ'ವಾಗದೆ.... ತುಂಬಾ ಸಹಜವಾದ ನಟನೆಯನ್ನು ಪ್ರದರ್ಶಿಸಿದರು.

ಸಿನಿಮಾ ಗು ಲೈವ್ ನಾಟಕಕ್ಕೂ ಅಜಗಜಾಂತರವಾದ ವ್ಯತ್ಯಾಸವಿದೆ. ಸೀನಮಾಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಡೈಲಾಗ್ ಸರಿ ಬರುವವರೆಗೂ ಅದೆಷ್ಟು ಶಾಟ್ ಗಳು ತೆಗಿತಾರೋ,,, ಆದರಿಲ್ಲಿ, ಎಲ್ಲವೂ "ಪರ್ಫೆಕ್ಟ್" ಆಗಿ ಇರಬೇಕು, ಒಂದೇ ಶಾಟ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ... ಕಲಾವಿದರ ಧ್ವನಿ ಗ್ರಹಣ (ವಾಯ್ಸ್ ಮಾಡುಲೇಶನ್), ಉಚ್ಛಾರಣೆ, ನಡೆ ನುಡಿಗಳ ತೀರು, ಮುಖ ಭಾವ ಇತ್ಯಾದಿಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತುಂಬಾ ಗಮನ ಕೊಡಬೇಕಾಗುತ್ತದೆ... ಎಲ್ಲದಕ್ಕೂ ಪ್ರಮುಖವಾಗಿ ಕಲಾವಿದಾರ "ಟೈಮಿಂಗ್ ಆಫ್ ಡೈಲಾಗ್ ಡೆಲಿವರೀ ಅಂಡ್ ಕೋ-ಆರ್ಡಿನೇಶನ್" ಬಲು ಮುಖ್ಯವಾದದ್ದು...

ಒಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ನಾಟಕವು ಅತ್ಯುತ್ತಮವಾಗಿ ಪ್ರದರ್ಶನಗೊಂಡಿತು... ಮನಸ್ಸಿಗೆ ತುಂಬಾ ಸಂತಸ ಮತ್ತು ನಲಿವನ್ನು ತಂದಿದ್ದೆಂತ್ತು ನೂರು ಪಾಲು ಸತ್ಯ.

ನಾಟಕದ ವಿವರಗಳು:

http://www.indianstage.in/EventDetails.do?eventId=1918

Good day!

2011-08-11T17:23:00.000+05:30

Two days ago, someone wished me "Have a good day" with a good day biscuit . . . Liked that greeting and creativity :)

He & She :D

2011-08-09T20:16:00.006+05:30

He - "May I join you for the breakfast?"

She - "Of course! why not??"

"He" gets the breakfast to the table and sits opposite to "she".

She - "Onion chutney?? I love it!!"

He - "Me too!" (wide smile on his face)

He - "How come we are together in the same group many a time, including today's lunch with the new boss?"

She - "Obvious isn't it, our names start with the same letter!"

He - "I have noticed this during trainings also!"

She - "Yeah, that could be a coincidence!"

He - "I've seen you in yoga classes !"

She - "Oh I was there for just two days!"

He - "Me too! But then even I've been there only twice!"

She - "Oh, thats too much of a coincidence then!"

He - "You have any siblings?"

She - "Nope, the only child!"

He - "Me too yarr..... whats your mothertongue?"

She - "Telugu, but I know kannada better!"

He - "Mine too, but like you, I too know tamil better than telugu"!

"She" wanted to giggle but kept her cool...

She - "There you go, another one..."

He - "Oh come on, there can't be so many coincidences.... Don't you think, there could be something special?"

She - "Oh yeah I think there definitely is...."

"She" could see that "he" was overjoyed....

And finally ....

He - "May be we shared some special bond... hmmm... in our previous birth!!" (and winked)

"She" wanted to laugh out loud ... but managed to say...

...

"Yeah, I guess we were TWINS!!" (and winked back!) ;)

And....

2011-08-06T20:39:00.001+05:30

out of the maze.... :)

A hit, ZNMD, go veg and ZNMD again!

2011-08-01T16:03:00.005+05:30

I finally did it... Last week around this time, I was driving home and it was pouring lightly... In the signal junction next to Bangalore Central, JP nagar, I was speeding at 30kmph and I did not bother to slow down as the lights on the signal post were "green". And there came this dude, aged about 40 or 45, on the bike, riding looking behind, with one hand on the handle and the other stylishly puffing cigar, no helmet, doing his hair every now and then and crossed my path. By the time I could digest the fact that he had actually dared to cross the main road when he was supposed to wait for the "green" signal, the damage was done. Yes, I went and hit him directly. He fell and there was a loud thud! I screamed sitting inside and when I opened my eyes, I did not find him or the bike.... And there he was literally running pushing his bike... It all happened in a matter of few seconds. I thought I had killed him. Well, my hands and legs were shivering and like it happens in the movies, it started to pour more heavily and the vehicles kept honking behind. I moved my car a little further and parked, got out to find that my front bumper had a dent and a cut too :'( It took me about half an hour to get to think that it was the biker's mistake - the reason why he ran as soon as he fell, and I could have claimed the damage charges.

Lesson learnt: Don't drive with a preoccupied mind and drive carefully when it rains!

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Watched ZNMD yesterday. Somehow, it did not stir emotions of the spectators(atleast for someone dumb like me:) ) and was quite a long watch. Storyline was impractical, non realistic though I'm sure many of us would've uttered "Wow, I wanna freak out too!!" . The songs were no good either! Liked the "fun" part of it. The funnier part was, I fell in the theatre :((( (still wondering how it happened!) May be it was the curse of the ophthalmologist I visited before that. There was about 45 min before the movie began. So, me and my friend visited the optho nearby, and registered for the eye test. I asked her as to how much time it'd take and she had said not more than half an hour. So, I decided I will take it, but then it got prolonged. I had to tell her that I was here for the movie and she gave me a "what the heck!!" look. She started one gyaan session telling that we not "waste" their time blah blah blah. I listened until I could and reminded her that it was she who had told me that it would get over in half an hour and she then 'seemed' to calm down.

Well, coming back to the movie, the take aways -

1. I loved Katrina riding the Bullet, which I dream to do someday!

2. Of course, the Greek God was at his best!

3. All those who are single, (by chance or by choice), enjoy maadi, until you meet someone like Hrithik or Katrina :P

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Going to be a vegetarian for the next 1 month. This seems to be a Herculian task. Anyway all the very best to me!!

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The aashada maasa comes to an end (the period during which I was free without having to see guys :) ). Now the torture begins again!! :(( May be its time for me to take my parents to ZMND! ;)

The ruthlessness of life!

2011-07-30T15:38:00.003+05:30

Never had an hint,

When following instincts;

That something casual,

Turned deep and intangible;

Like the fresh air amidst the green,

Like the feel of rain droplets on the skin;

The galore of sweet thoughts,

Reigned in the heart;

And there stood the monsterous fate,

Laughing cynically closing the gate;

To end it even before it could start,

With little or no chance to retort;

Finding the way back, turned around to gaze,

Found abandoned in the middle of a big beautiful maze;

Looking out for exit to get to,

In vain, had no luck hitherto....

My Handwriting Analysis Report! :)

2011-07-30T09:01:00.003+05:30

TOTAL TIMEPASS:

This personality profile is based on the writing of Divya A L created at the website: Handwriting Wizard.com - Handwriting University's Official automated personality report creator based on standardized basic personality traits as taught through Handwriting University's Certification Level Program.

Divya is a very emotional person with a broad range of emotions from the highest highs to the lowest lows. She feels emotional situations very strongly. She'll flash to the very peaks of elation, sweeping everything before her. Then, for some reason unknown to herself, she will burn out emotionally. These mood swings can be very disturbing to her. Sometimes, she feels that she can no longer produce anything. But, after given some time alone to "recharge her emotional batteries", she will spring back into action.

Because Divya feels situations intensely, she relates easily to others' problems. If she is not careful, when she comes into contact with someone who is in a depressed frame of mind, she will also suffer the same emotions and change moods. Divya reacts impulsively, without much thought before hand. She may plan everything in detail before she even begins, then do it completely different when the time comes to carry it through.

Divya has the possibility of being a actor or natural born salesperson, simply because she relates so well to other people. She likes expressing how she feels, what she is doing, and what she plans to do. She is a people person.

She will work most efficiently in a people orientated job as opposed to a job working alone on an assembly line (that would drive her insane.)

People that write their letters in an average height and average size are moderate in their ability to interact socially. According to the data input, Divya doesn't write too large or too small, indicating a balanced ability to be social and interact with others.

Divya is sensitive to criticism about her ideas and philosophies. She will sometimes worry what people will think if she tells them what she believes in. This doesn't mean she won't talk, or that she feels ashamed. It merely means she is sensitive to what others think, regarding her beliefs.

Divya is talkative. She enjoys talking and socializing. She may talk when there is absolutely nothing important to say. She enjoys speaking.

Divya can be defiant. She sometimes has the attitude that if someone doesn't like it the way she is doing it, then they can just "go to hell!" This trait may reveal itself in a rebellious nature that is always ready to resist forces which she thinks are infringing upon her freedom of action.

In reference to Divya's mental abilities, she has a very investigating and creating mind. She investigates projects rapidly because she is curious about many things. She gets involved in many projects that seem good at the beginning, but she soon must slow down and look at all the angles. She probably gets too many things going at once. When Divya slows down, then she becomes more creative than before. Since it takes time to be creative, she must slow down to do it. She then decides what projects she has time to finish. Thus she finishes at a slower pace than when she started the project.

She has the best of two kinds of minds. One is the quick investigating mind. The other is the creative mind. Her mind thinks quick and rapidly in the investigative mode. She can learn quicker, investigate more, and think faster. Divya can then switch into her low gear. When she is in the slower mode, she can be creative, remember longer and stack facts in a logical manner. She is more logical this way and can climb mental mountains with a much better grip.

Divya is a practical person whose goals are planned, practical, and down to earth. This is typical of people with normal healthy self-esteem. She needs to visualize the end of a project before she starts. she finds joy in anticipation and planning. Notice that I said she plans everything she is going to do, that doesn't necessarily mean things go as planned. Divya basically feels good about herself. She has a positive self-esteem which contributes to her success. She feels she has the ability to achieve anything she sets her mind to. However, she sets her goals using practicality-- not too "out of reach". She has enough self-confidence to leave a bad situation, yet, she will not take great risks, as they relate to her goals. A good esteem is one key to a happy life. Although there is room for improvement in the confidence catagery, her self-perception is better than average.

One way Divya punishes herself is self directed sarcasm. She is a very sarcastic person. Often this sarcasm and "sharp tongued" behavior is directed at herself.

Divya has a temper. She uses this as a defense mechanism when she doesn't understand how to handle a situation. Temper is a hostile trait used to protect the ego. Temper can be a negative personality trait in the eyes of those around her.

Divya has a healthy imagination and displays a fair amount of trust. People open up easily to her. She lets new people into her circle of friends. She uses her imagination to understand new ideas, things, and people.

Flirting in kelgu + a language murder!! :D

2011-07-21T21:53:00.007+05:30

sh: yella unnavu ra

me: ???

sh: yen chestunnavu

telgu raaadaaa

naki vastadi

me: nenu movie ticket book chestu unnanu

sh: breakfast chesyavaa?

me: hoon chesaanu

sh: nenu neeki chaala miss chestunaanu

me: yapppaaa

vodde same to same dialogues chappaddu, seema laaga

daaniki picchekkindaa?

FB lo naa maanam theestundu left n right

nee comment baagunnindi

dress color gurinchi

sh: :D

it took a while to understand

but i actually did!

me: hahahahahahahhaha

sh: adi seema bagaledu

me: hahahahahahhahaha

emi ala ante?

seema bagaledu?? LOL

sh: adi

me: :D

sh: hey

please

me: daantho chapthaanu

sh: no laughing buisness

lemme speak

seema undigadhaa

adi peechi papaa

me: paapa kaade

aunty adi

sh: yem yemo mathladthadi

yeah yeah

aunty

me: frustrated housewife

sh: dhanki telidhu

me: laaga

sh: hun ade

yemi sexy antha

hot anta

dhanki telidhu

andakke allaga chapthundi

she thinks its kool( i donno how to say that in telgu)

me: hahaha

sh: na maryaade teeshi yakadki yesindhi anta naake telidhu :(

inka ni gurinchi nennu yenu matladake agudilla :P

me: adi kool ankotundi alaaga maatladithe :D LOL... idiot.. nan telugu ishto ashto barodu haallaythu

hahahahahahahahhaah

sh: :D

me: neekendukamma telugu picchhii pattindi??

sh: ledu

me: naake inka raadu... nuvvu nerchukoni yevaritho show off cheyyali??

sh: nenu telgu nerchkuntuntanu

ledu

naki nuuvu kavali

me: ADDEEE YYEENNNDUUUKKUUU???

sh: :D

me: yapppppppppaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

sh: hehehe

me: naaaku nee meeda doubt vasthu vundi...

sh: nuuvu ante naaki istam

hehehe

me: Nee mogudiki chapputhaanu

sh: hahaha

he has let me free

me: neeki rest of the scanned letters pampisthaanu

cheduvuko

lover ki raase laaga raasinaavu

sh: :( yenadu nuvvu naa maryade meedha eye undi

me: entha navvutuntinooo aa roju neeku call chesiva tharuvaatha

nee anniversary roju

sh: neenu yem chesyanu neeku

what did u say??

i didnt get that

all ooo u u uuuu vaaa

artha agthilla le

me: nenu "sweet memories" ni, nee tho share cheskonta untini anthe

LOL

hahahahahah

my God cant believe I can flirt like this !!

sh: hehe

me: that too with a "married" FEMALE!!

sh: i m improving ur skills baby! ;)

me: flirting skills aa?

sh: yup!

me: adi naaku raadu :-|

sh: neenu neeki teach chestanu

me: naaku kopam vasthundi ala maatladithe

sh: worry cheskovu

yenduku kopam

me: hahahahah

sh: jayam ravali

aryaaa ravali

i mean

anthaaa loveu ravalli

me: naaku "worry" EMIII ledu thalli :)

sh: feel chesko chalu na love ni

me: yapppppppppppppaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

sh: hehehe

me: guess whttt??

sh: ROTFL her

here

me: nenu ipudu deenni FB lo post chesthe ela untundani ankuntu unnanu

sh: neeki FB medhaa yenthi "astu " LOVEU

me: nuvvunnaaavu gaa, anduke antha lovvuuuu (not bad yaaa.. ;) )

sh: yeppadu chusthe farming chesthavu,photo tag chestavu,fake kingdom build chestavu

sh: oscars kuda fake

yenthi ni problem chappu?

me: yedaina kotthaga cheyyaalani anpisthu untundi

anduke aa dubba apps ni try chesthu untaanu

sh: avaga blog bari le

karma kanda!

me: hahaha

le adanna neenu vodolla

sh: in telgu it will be like

me: I swear

i wil copy paste this

sh: karmaauuu kandavaa

sh: w ru ?

me: office dear

sh: ok sar

panni cheyi

tata

sari*

me: hahahha

karmavuuu khaandavuuuu!!

iiisshhhhhh..... :$

2011-07-20T09:09:00.004+05:30

To many of my colleagues, I appear to be a college student pursuing internship here. There have been numerous instances when they have come to me and told - "How did the interviews go?" , "have you been taken in?" "When is your joining date?" etc ... Today, there was another such instance... and I felt good about it, considering that I've been growing horizontally in the last couple of months....

"Hey hi... So, AUG 1st is your joining date? " he(an intern) asked when I was leaving for breakfast...

I was preoccupied with the thought of choosing my breakfast (something that doesn't add extra calories).

"No. What about yours?" I asked, as the context started to sink in my mind.

"I re-joined this monday. I thought RV people had it on AUG 1st".

Then I gave a broad smile and explained him that I joined here as a lateral. Then I proceeded towards the cafeteria. On the way I met another friend (my cabmate), who had told I looked very chubby these days (you know, the HR-way ;) ) I told her that someone just asked me if I was an intern here and her chubby theory was quite diminishing. Then I heard someone calling me... When I turned back, to my awe, it was the same intern right behind me . I am dead sure he had overheard my conversation....

AND THATS GODDAMN EMBARRASSING!!! :((((((( Why the hell does it happen ONLY with me and ALWAYS?? It could be an implication from my past life... :D

My mom's color therapy.

2011-07-10T11:04:00.003+05:30

It happened over a message exchange conversation. Like I had said here, my mom's a mobile enthusiast.

Msg 1 (Mom):

Pass this to your friends and see how many colors you get!!!

Red:you should improve your nature

Blue: You are different from others

Purple: I like when you tease me

Pink: You are so pretty and cute

Orange: I love you

Green: I really enjoy your company

Yellow: You are my best friend

Black: You are selfish

Violet: Its fun to fight with you

Brown: I can't understand your nature

White: Naughty

Now reply - which color for me?

My reply:

Orange

Msg 2: Send same message to me. I am like your friend know.

My Reply: Re-sent msg 1 to her (Neatly following step-by-step procedure)

Msg 3: Yellow Green Orange. I sent 3 colors. You sent only one.

Me reply:"Now reply - which color for me?" I did not know I can send more than 1 color!

Msg 4: Its ok. You did not read first line which tells "colors". Anyway there is little red for you. That you must control your anger!

I stopped replying

Msg 5: The only drawback is your anger. If you have to control that you must do yoga.

Msg 6: Blue - be different not indifferent. Purple - Tease me in limits. (I wonder what she will do if she reads this post ;) )

Msg 7: Brown - I can't understand why you cant pick one "good" guy and get married.

Msg 8: Also violet. You must speak politely. Otherwise it will be like a fight only! Only I can tolerate that. Nobody else will. I know your intentions are good, but the way you speak is not proper. Fine tune that.

After 8 messages, they stopped.

I finally replied: White and pink are pending still.

Msg 9: Pink you are. I don't like to tell it out. White - you are silent now a days. You should talk, fight, pull legs and be naughty.

My reply: ??!!!????!!!!

Her message 9 contradicted all her previous messages.

What a day it was!

2011-07-09T21:21:00.007+05:30

1. Met up with an old friend (ex colleague) of mine and tried my hands on Mrudangam... she said it was for "energetic" people by looking at my pathetic attempts of trying to get some "real" sound out of it. She seems more like an older sister to me, caring, supportive, welcoming and just so close to heart!

2. Met up with a pretty new friend (ex colleague). A nice company to be with, intellectual and has a great sense of humor! Oh, I just realized, I cannot, not only talk my mind out to this person but also write about it. Have not been able to tell/ask something since long. Why - Don't know!

3. Met up with a not so old friend (ex colleague) of mine who was vacating out of Bangalore at the old friend's place in 1. Though we don't speak much or hardly chat or talk, we feel we know each other so well! (Today, I bought a book(PS I Love You) to gift her and she gifted me a book(Only Time will tell) too :))

4. Went out for shopping with friend in 3 to kormangla...

5. And I was driving almost the entire day! ITS DEFINITELY SICKENING! Have a bad head ache already!

6. A very old friend of mine called up as soon as I was back home! (a 12th classmate and an ex-colleague) I was totally surprised! We were out of touch almost since 3 years (not even on FB) and suddenly this call!

It indeed feels really good when someone remembers you as more than just another "ex colleague or a classmate" :)

Well, it was my long, tiring but a nice day out with many ex-colleagues today! :)

An year already!!

2011-07-07T09:06:00.000+05:30

Celebrating exactly an year's overwhelming happiness!!

A mild heart attack!

2011-07-05T22:55:00.003+05:30

My heart skipped several beats today at Bruno's strange, weird behavior.... I never ever want to witness this again! :( :( Love you sweetie pie!

Not getting any sleep!

Book Review: Many Lives, Many Masters

2011-06-29T14:36:00.007+05:30

I wouldn't say its a "must read", nevertheless, the book has in store for us, a new dimension to life and meaning of our existence. Well, it talks of philosophy to a little extent, but largely is presented as a "proof based theory" for the existence of life or lives before and after death. Based on a true story of the author, Dr Brain L Weiss, who is by profession a 'very rational Psychiatrist', (his education and professional background prove to be worthy of considering him so), and his patient Catherine, the book attempts at making the God-believers strengthen their faith in Him, and the atheists to at least ponder over on the possibility of a super nature.

He records and pens down the words of his patient Catherine, whose psychic disorder stems from several displeasing, horrific experiences, covetous acts in her previous births. The doctor ends up uncovering her past life stories when he takes her through a series of hypnosis sessions, a last resort, after all his traditional treatment fails to cure Catherine.

The after-death experience is the highlight of this read. What Catherine revealed was found to be true with many other people who had had a near-death experience. (I guess the Hindu scripture 'Garuda Purana' also has a theory on similar lines).

According to Catherine's revelation of her past lives, one can deduce the following:

1. That people close to us in the current life have some kind of implication in their past. The implication could be as close as being with the same person in the same role as well. (For instance, one's mother in this life would be his/her close relative in their past life)

2. The concept of kharmas being carried from one life time to another 'seems' "real". (Similar to what Hinduism believes in)

3.There are several GODs (or Masters or caretakers) who keep guiding us throughout. (Remember the fairies??)

4. We tend to carry the knowledge and memories of our past lives (reflects as dreams or real incidents) and sometimes even derive the skill sets from them. In Catherine's case, she understood the Roman artifacts very well, though in her current lifetime she never had a "learned" knowledge about it.

5. Every life is a learning and as we learn we gain knowledge and move up the different levels in the "spiritual planes" to become one with the God! (This wasn't convincing enough for me! Sounded complicated than rocket science :) )

The Catherine's recordings are now being used by many researchers who are on exploration of super-nature.

Well, though not completely convincing, its definitely a good starter to explore God!

Finally, what left me wondering was why Catherine always took a human form in all her past lives, and if all that theory held good even for other forms of life on this planet!!

I loved it!! :))))

2011-06-11T20:35:00.007+05:30

Unlike the usual saturdays, today I had to wake up pretty early around 7am. Generally, I laze on bed to wake up snoozing the alarm atleast ten times on sat and sundays. Today I was to goto the government school in R R Nagar, for aiding the students there to learn better with whatever best I could afford. Me, with 2 other colleagues and a childhood friend of mine reached the venue, bang on 8.

Well, my first impression of the school wasn't as worse as I had imagined it to be... In fact it turned out that, to my surprise, the school comprised of 10 classrooms one for every standard 1st to 10th, each decently spacious with a big black board, chalks, duster and a teacher too :)

Me and my friend chose the 8th class while my 2 colleagues chose the 7th. And there began all the fun!

We introduced ourselves and when it was their turn, they did it so enthusiastically! The classroom was so full of life!! Most of them quoted "drawing" , "singing" and "Designing their names" as their hobbies. I asked them to come to the board and draw something there. Later on they said, they all liked drawing on the "computer" with MS Paint! :))) So, the school was equipped with a computer lab too and they all knew how to power on a computer and paint, draw, design their names using paint brush. :)

To pick the subject and topic to teach them, we asked if they liked to learn English or Computers. Majority wanted to learn English and Computers were the 2nd choice because, they were pretty confident about it being "very easy" compared to English! :)

So, the subject was ready and we chose to read out a story - "Sindbad, the sailor" that was part of their non-detailed English lessons.

The story narrated was v simple -

A sailor by name Sindbad lived in Baghdad, who was a merchant and traveled to distant places and made lots of money. On one such voyage, he was abandoned by his companions on a dangerous island. He waited there the whole night and finally noticed a gigantic bird, whose feet was as big as the stem of a banyan tree. He was smart and found a way to escape from the island. He tied his turban around his waist and the other end to the bird's feet and waited till it flew him out of the island.

I must say the kids were tooooo smart and the kind of Qs they asked made us dumbstruck!

Here are some of them -

Student (S) - "ಭಾಗ್ದಾದ್ ಎಲ್ಲಿದೆ ಅಕ್ಕ?" (Where is Bhagdad, Akka?)

Me - "ಇರಾಕ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಇದೆ ಪುಟ್ಟ" (Its in Iraq)

S - "ಅವನು ಶ್ರೀಮಂತ ಅಲ್ವಾ, ಏರೋಪ್ಲೇನ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾಕೆ ಹೋಗಿಲ್ಲ?" (Why didn't he use an aeroplane, when he was rich??)

Me - "ಆಗಿನ ಕಾಲ್ಡಲ್ಲಿ ಏರೋಪ್ಲೇನ್ ಇದ್ದಿಲ್ಲ ಪುಟ್ಟಿ.." (There were no aeroplanes then)

S - "ಅವನ ಫ್ರೆಂಡ್ಸ್ ಬಿಟ್ಟೋಗ್ತಿದ್ದಾಗ ಶಬ್ದ ಆಗಿದ್ದು ಅವನಿಗೆ ಕೆಳ್ಸಿಲ್ವ? ಹಡಗಿನ ಶಬ್ದ ನು ಕೆಳ್ಸಿಲ್ವ?" (Didn't he hear the footsteps of his companions when they left him? Or the sound of the ship?

Me - "ಅವರು ಚಾಪ್ಳಿ ಹಾಕೊಂಡಿರ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ... ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಶಬ್ದ ಕೆಳ್ಸಿಲ್ಲ... ಹಡಗಿಗೆ ಗೆ ಸೈಲೆನ್‌ಸರ್ ಇತ್ತು, ಗನ್ನಿಗೆ ಇರುತ್ತಲ್ವಾ ಹಾಗೆ..." (They walked barefoot, hence no sound. and their ship had a silencer like a gun has!) - I didn't know what else to tell them.

S - "ಈಗಲೂ ಅಷ್ಟು ದೊಡ್ಡ ಪಕ್ಷಿ ಇಧಿಯ? ಮೈಸೂರ್ ಜ಼ೂ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುತ್ತ?" (Can we get to see that huge bird even now?, If yes, can we see it in mysore zoo?)

Me - "ಮುಂಚೆ ಇತ್ತು ಈಗ ಇಲ್ಲ... ಎಲ್ಲ ಸತ್ತೊಯ್ಥು, ಯಾವ್ ಜ಼ೂ ನಲ್ಲೂ ಕಾನ್ಸೊಲ್ಲ" (Its no more there.. All are dead and you cannot find them in zoos)

S - "ಟರ್ಬನ್ ಅಂದ್ರೆ ಏನು ಅಕ್ಕ?" (What do you mean by turban?)

Me - "ಪೇಟ, ತಲೆ ಗೆ ಸೂತ್ಕೊಳ್ತಾರಲ್ಲ .. ಅಧೆ, Harbhajan ಹಾಕೊಳ್ತಾನಲ್ಲ ಅದು.." (Its a cloth used to tie around the head, like how harbhajan does..")

S - "Sixer Siddu ನು ಹಾಕೊಳ್ತಾನೆ.. ಅಕ್ಕ ಅವನು ಸೂಪರ್ ಆಗಿ ಸಿಕ್ಸ್ ಹೊಡಿತಾನೆ ಅಲ್ವಾ ಅಕ್ಕ?" (Even 'sixer' siddu wears that. Akka, he hits super sixes isn't it?"

M - "ಹೊವ್ದಪ್ಪಾ ಅದನ್ನೇ ಟರ್ಬನ್ ಅನ್ನೋದು....." (Yeah that is what is called turban!)

S - "ಅಕ್ಕ, ಸಿಂಡ್‌ಬಡ್, ಆ ಪಕ್ಷಿ ಕಾಲಿಗೆ ಪೇಟ ಕಟ್ಬೆಕಾದ್ರೆ, ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಗೊತ್ತಾಗುತ್ತಲ್ವಾ... ಅದು ಇವನನ್ಣ ಸುಮ್ನೇ ಬಿಡ್ತಾ?" (When sidbad ties his turban to the bird's leg, it would have come to know right? Did it keep quiet?)

Me - "ಪಕ್ಷಿ ತುಂಬಾ ದೊಡ್ಡದು ಇತ್ತು... ಈಗ ನಿನ್ ಮೇಲೆ ಇರುವೆ ಕೂತ್ರೆ ನಿಂಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಾಗುತ್ತಾ?? ಇಲ್ಲ ತಾನೆ, ಹಾಗೆನೆ..." (No the bird was too big.... Will you come to know if an ant sits on your leg?)

S - "ಹೂನ್, ಮಿಸ್, ಇರುವೆ ಕಚ್ಚಿದರೆ ಗೊತ್ತಾಗುತ್ತೆ"( If the ant bites, we will come to know)

Me - "ಸಿಂಡ್‌ಬಡ್ ಪಕ್ಷಿ ನ ಕಚ್ಚಿಲ್ಲ" (Sindbad did not bite the bird!)

S -" ಅವನನ್ನ ಎತ್ಕೊಂಡ್ ಹಾರ್ಕೊಂಡ್ ಹೋದ್ರೆ, ಕೆಳಗೆ ಅದರ ನೆರಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಣ್ಸುತ್ತೆ ಅಲ್ವಾ?" (The bird can make out that it is carrying Sindbad by looking at its shadow below right?)

Me - "ದೊಡ್ಡ ಹಕ್ಕಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಕೆಳಗೆ ನೋಡೋಕ್ಕೆ ಆಗ್ತಿರ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ" (That bird was too huge to notice its shadow below!

That concluded my today's lesson.

To know if they have really understood, I planned to ask them few questions -

"Who was sindbad?"

"Sailor and merchant" - - I felt good

"Where was he from?"

"IRAQ" - I felt GREAT!! :)))

It felt so wonderful being in their company.... WOW!! Amazing.... They enjoyed learning as much as we enjoyed teaching.

"These kids under proper guidance can work miracles" - I humbly request to all those who are interested in teaching and can spare a couple of hours for the sake of these kids, please volunteer. It'll be the greatest gift you'd give them!

How I wish...

2011-06-04T21:56:00.000+05:30

I hadn't existed at all.....

Some disgusting facts about Indian arranged marriages!

2011-05-25T21:55:00.004+05:30

Trying to compile the most dumb and disgusting thoughts/discussion/scenes that happen in an arranged marriage...

1. Hindu-muslim bhai bhai (behen) concept:

I heard of a case where 2 people of the same caste but a different subcaste (whatever both mean) who are totally unrelated to each other become the brother-sister pair and so are not eligible to marry each other!!

2. "The guy's uncle's 2nd cousin's last aunt's grand daughter has had a love marriage or is a divorcee... hence we don't want to consider this guy"

3. The girl thinks of child adoption even before marriage, she is v daring! How could she even think of that?? (even if the real reason behind her thought could be as simple as to help an orphan)!

--- May be the guy never visited an orphanage or have seen poor kids on streets that such a "thought" wouldn't have even cross his mind!

4. Gal (one of my acquaintance) saying, "the guy's family comprises of his parents and his brother but they have a 'single' home... " When asked what was wrong in that, she says, she will have to anticipate trouble during the division of that single home!!! I was stunned to know she could think soooooooo much... Ridiculous!!

5. Guy vacating the area he lived in since he was born coz he is getting married to a gal who also lives in the same locality, coz he is "shameful" and worried about what his relatives would think if he stayed in his in-law's locality!!!!!! The typical "male ego" dominant characters!! How the heck does it matter about who thinks what!!!

6. Gal rejecting the guy for reasons like - he earned a little less than her, he did not "own" a mansion in a metropolitan city, that he is not "settled" in US, his mom is still alive(v shocking isnt it??)

7. Guy rejecting the gal as she is better qualified than him and she "will" boss over him in the future..

8. She wears western outfits - doesn't suit the guy's family....

9. Girl doesn't know to cook , so the guy instantly feels that his family is bound to die out of starvation, without a "cook" in his home!!

10. Last but not the least - Most of Indian "arranged" marriages are based upon how much dowry and gold the girl gives the guy in the name of "gift" :)))

Mangolicious

2011-05-16T20:39:00.004+05:30

Yipppiieee its the season of mangoessss.... :)))) I'm getting to eat a lot of them in many forms!!! :) Mango pickles, chat pata mango chat, Mango DAL, Mango seekarane, Maavinkaay chitranna, and the Mango ice cream... to name a few.... And yes, all these made by me :)

And best of all was the mango ice cream... Hadn't known making it would be so simple with just 3 ingredients and 3 steps for preperation!!

If you are interested, here's the recipe....

Ingredients:

1. 1 litre Goodlife milk.

2. 1 cup sugar

3. 4 medium sized ripe mangoes

THAT is all!!

Procedure:

1. Boil the milk till it becomes half the quantity. Cool it. Add sugar and blend it (using a mixer or a blender) and deep freeze for 2 hours.

2. Blend the mango pulp with the chill milk, freeze it for another 3 hours...

3. Take it out and blend it the last time. Add 4 spoons of unbeaten mango pulp to the above and deep freeze for about 4-5 hours.

Some more fabric paints.....

2011-04-23T22:17:00.005+05:30

Need to learn finer strokes.... Even the smallest brush is not serving the purpose.... :( Love the love birds though :)

An interview with God!

2011-04-22T21:03:00.008+05:30

“Today its my privilege to introduce India’s 777777^th God inaugurated at Bangalore in the city’s prime location. Welcome Sri sri sri……”

“Hi All, I am Sri – Devi…. Namasthe”, the God himself volunteered and put me out of trouble! I felt how really Godly of him!!

“Welcome madam, on the show!”

“Child, I guess addressing me as ‘Sir’ will be apt”

“Oh, sorry sir. There was a popular cine actress in south by your name… So I presumed you were a ‘she’”.

“That is ok dear child… I was asked not to discriminate people over here with gender. Hence the name!” he said.

“So, Sriji… when and where were you born? What is your purpose? And you must be very lucky to have found a shelter in one of city’s prime location!”

“Beti… its all in the way we operate. I am part of a multi threaded application in which we get spawned as and when we feel we have outnumbered our targets in creating humans every cycle. But I still think the problem of human to God ratio in India is unresolved. Its like the chicken and egg problem. Sometimes we are too many in number that we find scarce of entities we try to manage or vice versa.”

I was stunned at the answer!

“Are you Gods computer literates too??”

God LOLed….

“My dear child, you humans are part of several millions of applications we run. We have a finance team, marketing team etc… In fact this entire idea were bribed by you humans and now you are able to simulate well and better off than we Gods”

“Can you please elaborate on that?”

“Sure… It all started when Dennis Ritchie along with an Indian visited a temple in India and dropped a $1 note for the pooja offerings. The Indian had offered a 1ps coin then. Both wanted to find a way out to simplify mathematical calculations. Just when I was about to grant the wish to the Indian, Lord Lakshmi , the chief financier interrupted to examine the new currency. She quickly had a word with Lord Venky and asked me to grant the wish to Dennis over the Indian. Then on we blessed only the non-Indians and they have successfully collaborated our system and techniques into theirs.”

“How do you operate?” I asked.

“I am afraid I can’t tell you that. I have a non disclosure agreement on that . If I give away all information, you will no longer require us and our stakes will be at risk! Moreover India happens to be the only country where we were able to make huge profits and customer satisfaction is at an ever high”

“We have a mahamangalarati at the end of this and we plan to gift you a crown studded with diamonds” I said.

“I shall answer your previous question very briefly.” The God answered immediately.

“Please go ahead “ I said…

“We believe that, for the success of our system, it is very important for the stakeholders to gain trust and faith in us. And for that we have/had different strategies depending upon the customers.” He answered.

“What are your primary strategies?” I asked.

“Strategy 1: This is one of our first and oldest strategies. We presented ourselves as someone who is supernatural. We tweak into people’s minds and induce ‘dreams’ where we put them into their most comfort zones. Then we advertise saying – ‘Believe in us, we make them come true’. This had worked wonderfully well for centuries where people blindly believed in us while we were only playing their future well in advance. Poor people. We made a fortune in those days… Then people began to question that they anyway came true and what is it we were doing. This led to the dawn of 2^nd strategy….

Strategy 2: We induced nightmares! We received much much better responses with this strategy. It is a lovely feeling to see “fear” in people’s eyes. But there were some people who dared anything, at the cost of their lives. So, it started to fail eventually.”

“Can Gods be demons too?” I asked.

“No we instantiate demons on a need basis. They get created when required and destroyed after their purpose is served. They were commonly used in strategy 2 to scare people. But, we Gods can be demonic in nature, but still remain GODS. The UI or the foreground is pleasing enough to not be bothered about the demonic background process. One of the kings in this area is Lord Shani, the ruler of Saturn.”

Strategy 3: “Divide and Rule” Though we proclaim that we create everyone equal, in reality that is not the case. When a devotee comes and asks “why only me??” we have a point of reference to say he is better off than someone else or we’d help him get better and on par with somebody else. Our major manageability concern is addressed in this strategy. We can make people feel extremely good or pathetic depending upon our profits… And the most successful thing about this strategy are “there are customers always”

With strategy 3 we found people not in a state to afford anything for their mere survival.. so they started to forget us…. Hence evolved strategy 4.

Strategy 4: Take away from people who have. They are so much in love with things/people they have that when they lose them they will definitely want to give us a try to get them back. This was the most successful of the lot. “

“W.O.W!! But why do you do all this? What is your purpose?” I asked

“Our original purpose was to keep the entire system in equilibrium. Make everyone and everything in this world happy and contented. When we did that, you humans started to invent “degrees in happiness”. Naturally, the lower in order began to feel discontented and turned “unhappy”. With this, all our strategies had to evolve.”

“Well, but since you happen to be the supernaturals, why would you require one to come to you instead of you identifying people’s problems yourself and addressing them?”

“That is what we used to do earlier…. But man progressed so much fast that our curiosity levels of what all man could be doing increased and we started to create more and more people which led to population explosion. Our trivial methods of keeping him happy started to fail miserably. Hence we had to come out as multiple instances of the same base class object or spwan multiple threads or a mix of both. Having done all this, the “cost factor” began to evolve. Instead of improving our strategy, we have started to follow yours. They are quite simple and effective. “

“Do you mean to say humans are now evolving as Gods?” I asked

“The Gods are now evolving as humans. We new GODS are like start ups. We need funds; we need to look for customer attention. And we need to work on miracles. Starting off in a city like Bangalore is quite competitive unless I predict the future of politicians. I have closed a deal with the CM yesterday.” he said.

“Is he going to become a PM??” I asked curiously…

“Please read tomorrow’s newspapers” he said.

“Wouldn’t it be so easy to just make your presence so that everyone believes you instead of the hide and seek game?? ”

“Oh Madamji… this Is a risky task. You humans are too smart to read our trade secrets. There are several other advantages too. We, ‘like’ humans, are curious to know what you think about us. I love the argument about if “GOD” is there are not. Also, it reduces our load to a great extent as most of the people are turning into atheists, by chance or by choice.”

“What do you have to say about atheists?”

“To be honest, we have some breathing space due to those people. They just don’t bother us with their troubles. But they are dangerous too… There are likely more chances that they render us as ‘endangered species’ in the near future. But yes, we have a strategy for that too… We slowly enroll them as new GODS and they automatically fall in that chain.”

“Why don’t you give everyone what they want and keep all of us happy? Why don’t you just draw a line to all that humans wish for?”

“In that case, people will not even know we exist.”answered God.

ME - “Why do they need to know? Do you care so much about seeking attention and popularity?”

GOD - “We also do have an appraisal cycle madam!!”

And there I faint!

2011-04-10T09:18:00.003+05:30

Rajni fans across the world are ever increasing. One of my cousins was here yesterday and he has a gorgeous daughter who is a fan of the super star. The 5 year old imitates him and knows most of Rajni songs by heart!!

Her dance clip for the lastest Rajni hit:

She is evolving as a "little" super star ;)

Uncertainty - not a thriller always!

2011-04-03T13:01:00.005+05:30

Feeling bored, uneasy, tensed, scared..... Anxiety has started to over power me.... Tomorrow's gonna be a big day for me.... Don't know if its for good or bad, but how I wish there were a few more days/months/years between today and tomorrow! Wish I had the power to take decisions like Dhoni.... or at least like someone who is a very ordinary with an average analytical mind... I cannot buy time anymore. :( Its gonna be a big gamble!

Unfortunately this is also my 100th post but am in no mood for celebrations!! :-|

Bruno's 6th sense!

2011-03-28T21:17:00.004+05:30

Bruno took me for a walk this evening. (Yes, you read that right. He pulls me all way long!!) . As we entered the park nearby, he jumped around restlessly scaring many around us and finally settled to sit beside me. He has made friends with a bunch of kids there who come to play see-saw. And those kids are braver than the other stupid older people who get scared for life at his sight and maintain distance!

Unlike his usual behavior, today he acted strange. He started with a silent moan and moved uneasily from where he was seated! Then he growled silently as if not to drag attention and got down the seat! He started to pull me home and very vigorously..... He barked, he jumped, he beckoned me to go home.... When I did not move, he slipped under the seat and started to bark so ferociously that even I got scared! Just then someone from behind called out my name.... When I turned back to look at who he was, I knew the reason for his behavior!

It was Bruno's DOCTOR!!!! :D :D How he hates him! If Shankar Mahadevan can sing breathlessly, Bruno can as much bark breathlessly at his sight! I just love his irritated and angered face!!

I am still chuckling remembering the incident! :)

Goodie award!

2011-03-19T15:04:00.003+05:30

It was the very first time I received the "real" award for writing! The virtual ones were inspirational though, but this was totally unexpected! As a fun events organizer, I had written a short poetry for my current team at Intel! Feeling happy that it was recognized and rewarded too! :)

Thanks to my manager and the team!!!

Tu hein meri kiran!!!

2011-03-11T20:22:00.005+05:30

Enigmatic, brave,bold, courageous, confident, alluring, thoughtful, aggressive, ambitious, inspirational, intelligent, intellectual, independent, spiritual, energetic, simple, down to earth and finally the finest spokesperson I've ever come across.... Always full with energy and enthusiasm, she definitely deserves the position of India's highest ranked woman police officer and thats our very own Kiran Bedi!!!

She was the chief guest for the women's day celebrations at Intel yesterday. I listened to her gaping, open mouthed, without even winking my eyes totally engrossed! A woman of substance, grace, dignity and power! If being a police officer for over 30 years is one thing, I loved the child-like zeal and enthu in her. Speaks open heartedly, very honest in giving and taking comments and her love and dedication for this country is super supreme even in comparison with our super heroes who fought for freedom and independence!

She was to talk on the topic - "Leadership". And she did, did it very very effectively! Her mantra for being a successful leader was very simple - Responsibility, clearly set goals for life, never give up attitude, fear about nothing - after all, one may lose his/her life, which is sure to go anyway, do right things right, making early decisions that align with your goals! This was the summary of her 2 hrs talk which seemed like it had just begun.... Sharing her experiences as she talked made it more interesting and gripping.... She time and again stressed the importance of channeling our energy in a proper way which otherwise according to her will turn out to be hazardous. So animated she was when she spoke, I felt, she could have made it into movies too....

She is also heading a national anti corruption movement thats starting april 5th this year along with Anna hazare who is determined to go on a hunger strike for the lokpal bill to pass through!

Her opening note:

Her take on corruption and anti corruption - video. Thanks to my N8 for a pretty good coverage!

Overall, it was a much needed doze for me and the source of inspiration came so unexpectedly!

I salute you ma'am!!

This was followed by a lot of fun activities and I was happy to win in some of them! Got a special reward for solving the maze game in 12 sec! ;) What a relishing day it was!!!

LL, Innovation day and a dream.....

2011-03-08T22:17:00.003+05:30

A lot of interesting stuff happened in the past one week....

Last saturday, I was in the rto office for LL test. Of the 60+ people who appeared I guess I was interviewed the longest....

Q1. What would i do in case of accidents....

A. I cursed my driving school master for never bringing up this topic during the LL theory class :P

.I promptly replied, 'If I'm not dead, I'll file a case against the rogue'.

Inspector - ‘I am not talking about the case of a two wheeler. To be more precise, what will you do if you hit someone'

Me - Sir, thats going to be an hypothetical case. But in case I do, I shall get the first aid done. And if it’s his fault, I’ll also curse him with a word or two'.

Q2. Where all should you not overtake?

Me –

Narrow roads, curves, bends, school premises....

Inspector-

School premises should be ok to overtake....... Isn't it? he questioned suspiciously....

Me-

'No sir, not at all... may be except on Sundays'

He raised his eyebrows and I immediately added - ‘No sir not even on sundays, nowadays lots of schools conduct special classes on weekends'.

Q3. Pointing to the signal chart, he said - 'start interpreting the signals from left to right’.

'Thanks to Hero Honda, for coming up with a video demonstrating the traffic signals and their meanings, which was being played in that room. I scored a centum there....

Q4. What will you carry with you in the vehicle?

Suddenly I imagined soft toys and all decorative....:P but I luckily recalled the answer to this .

Finally, he said 'very good' and I felt I was a university gold medalist. :)

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It was intel's innovation day a couple of days after that, for which Nandan Nilekani was one of the chief speakers for that day. IHe delivered the most inspirational talk on how easy it is to spring an innovation. It was followed by a small but crisp discussion on the public sector uid project he has taken up. Just too amazing, especially the idea of setting up micro ATMs in rural India. A true patriot!

---------------------------------------------------------------

Last but not the least, it was the most amazing dream I had last night. (He wasn’t Maddy BTW ;) ) It was a total surprise. Hmmmm…. J J J How I wish it comes true. It probably would have by now, had I not been stringent in not wanting to relocate from Bangalore. Well, it was just a dream, but a really sweet one. ;)

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Oops, I did it again!

2011-02-24T19:24:00.008+05:30

I had arrived home after a tiring day at work... It was about 7:15 in the evening... When I entered there were some unexpected guests... People whom I had never seen before.... An old couple and their son. My father introduced me to them and we exchanged hi's. I later proceeded to my room to freshen up.

After about 20 min, I went back to the living room and the guests remained... They all seemed to check out an album and as they did that their faces glowed like high voltage bulbs. Out of curiosity, I too joined them... It was the snaps taken on the occasion of a cute baby's birthday. The baby resembled the old couple and their son....

"She's so cute aunty... Whats her name?" I asked....

"Nishmitha, my grand-daughter" she replied....

I turned to their son and said... "Your daughter looks very pretty and she closely resembles you" with a broad smile on my face apparently amused at the resemblance....

As if there was a power cut, everything was suddenly calm and still.... My phone began to ring and it was an old friend of mine... I answered and we started to talk....

"Hey its my wedding coming sunday... " my friend called out all excited....

I congratulated her and went on talking about it for while...

"When is your?" she asked...

"As soon as I find a bakra..." I told her....

The guests at my place suddenly got up to go....

I heard my mom offering them to have dinner at my place...

"No Lalitha... we wanted to meet your daughter.... She seems tired and busy.. Let her take rest... We will leave..." I heard the aunty telling....

I told my friend I'd call her up later and stood up to say bye....

My mom was making a weird face at me which I couldn't comprehend.... I suspected it could be coz I'd been skipping dinner continuously for a while then and today i knew I couldn't say "no" to it...

After they left, she laid out plates for dinner and started...

"Why the hell do you do this??" she demanded...

"Do what??? I did not refuse to eat today as you can see" I said.

"Not that, why cant you simply mind your business?" she said again...

"Mom, please set a context!" I suggested...

"You know who they were?" she asked, as if the president and his family had come down...

"Yes mom... Dad introduced us right.... Mr ans Mrs Ramesh and their son Ravi uncle" I told..

"UNCLE?? How dare you call him uncle?? He is such a nice guy and he is only 30..." she told...

I was too confused.. I didnt know why my mom was fuming when I called him an "uncle". (by mistake obviously!)

"Oh, but he looks too old for his age... Looks obese too... I pity his wife " I told...

"He is unmarried and the kid was his sister's child!" my mom shouted!

Unsurprisingly, the utensils also started to talk....

I waited to eat at the dining table...

"It was a proposal and He came to see you.... The old couple are his parents... blah...blah... blah...."my mom continued....

"Mom, I am not hungry" I told and went into my room, locked the door and couldn't stop giggling recalling the reason for the sudden power cut and their departure! :D

An amazing coincidence!

2011-02-04T14:08:00.005+05:30

I used to wonder how 2 people can think alike. By alike, I mean exactly the "same"!!
Its definitely possible, but on the same day?? Well, could be....

I am talking about 2 blogs that were thought out on the same lines! And yes, almost EXACTLY the same! And both were poems (if you can call it one) with a picture theme!

It was my previous blog and another one at sulekha by a fellow sulekhite titled "synthesis"....

Both were written probably on the same day! (Just that I took 2 days longer to post!)

Well, the titles are different at least :)

Sky and Earth

2011-01-30T20:02:00.007+05:30

One is a wild blue yonder,

Another is a big blue marble...

Each of you represent a gender

Former the male, latter the female...

WBY - the often flawless blue sky,

Sitting on top, safe and agile...

BBM - the uneven earth,

Always under risk, every single mile...

The sky's mood changes quickly with time...

It smiles, it cries whenever it desires...

The earth more stable that way...

Yet reacts and is sensitive to external forces....

If sky can cause rains...

Earth absorbs them to create oceans...

If sky can speak out thunders...

The earth can voice explosions...

Taken a distant view of you both,

You gradually taper into one...

But as one progresses along that path...

One realizes who is which one....

Life after marriage is probably like this...

When two different persons come together

They assume they are in line

In reality, they are parallel and far from each other....

When nature by itself operates in this manner...

We probably are expected not to break the rule..

For, the eco system is in balance...

May be due to this thumb rule! ;)

DISCLAIMER: This is solely my point of view.... Written for EYC Sulekha contest #114

How do you pick/choose?

2011-01-29T22:20:00.007+05:30

I had accompanied a friend for shopping and I was awed at how people would pick and choose stuff. We came across a very lovely salwar suit and both of us liked it instantly. We liked everything about it.... the colors and contrasts, the embroidery work and the like... But since humans, in general, are always on a lookout for "the best", we asked the shopkeeper to show us more varieties. Many of those were good but nothing close to the first-pick. After an hour, we were convinced that the first choice was the best choice. We were about to get it billed, then my friend interrupted,

"hey I want to check out some more before I buy this"

We were in a mall and so we could always get into "just another shop"!

"Hey but this is the best! In fact you liked it more than I did!" I suggested.

She asked me to turn around to find a lady in a similar dress.

"Its the same thing she is wearing!" she said sounding disappointed...

"So what!! Why do you bother? You are not asking her to give it to you isn't it?" I said...

"No, but now I don't like it... Its a very COMMON piece!" she scowled...

"Well, I think you should buy what you like and what suits you... This color goes very well on you... Why is your decision based on what someone else has?" I protested....

She said... "No now that I have seen a similar one, I no longer find it new!! Lets chuck this and go on!"

I don't know if you found a definite logic behind the dis-selection of the dress, but I just don't understand why some of them behave this way! Attitude problem? Or overly greedy to find something better than the best? Or was it just a mere excuse to do more "window shopping"?

It can't be the last one , as she finally picked something that was so "common" across schools!!

My new year resolutions

2011-01-20T11:55:00.004+05:30

Resolutions have never been in my list. This year though I want to give it a try.... Strongly determined I am, for meeting these -

1. My reading habit is come down to zero. So, read atleast 1 book a month!

2. Stop spending on shopping unwanted items!!! Many a times I've tried doing this, I happen to rephrase it as - "I MUST use stuff that I buy". I should stop being v optimistic about my shopping. I may also want to carry the minimal cash in my pocket leaving the cards to rest peacefully in a locked drawer who's keys are reported stolen!!

3. Shouldn't give too much room for emotions...

4. Resume guitar practice, swimming, sketching - I love these!!!

5. Knit atleast a pair of glove.

6. Get married!

7. Own a M800 - learnt to drive in this one. Its like a toy car!

8. Go VEG !! - The mantra for this year.... Not to eat non veg on the 2nd and 7th day of every week. And 2nd, 8th and 12th month of the year! This way I stay veg for almost half the year!! :)

Enough for this year!!!! :)

Referrals invited

2010-12-20T12:56:00.003+05:30

The hunt for "THE ONE" season - 2 has begun... (find season 1 here)Well, its the "find the groom" event that has commenced in a small circle that includes my parents and relatives as of now and its for me of course :). Well, if any of you know of, or heard of anyone who is also on a similar venture, please feel free to participate in the referrals for this programme :) Let me try keeping it simple and go ahead.

Expectations from the guy:

Educational qualification: Anything, so long as he is educated!!

Caste/Religion: Hindu, preferably a telugu guy settled in bangalore and not willing to relocate from here.

Origin: Indian

Age: b/w 26 - 30 yrs

Looks: No specifics so long as he doesn't resemble our primitives :)

Behavioral qualities: Decent, well behaved, understanding, honest, trustworthy, jovial, humorous, loving and caring (This is pretty huge list, i know but I prefer atleast 75% of these req meet)

Smoking / drinking: if kabhi kabhi.. then, chalta hein...

Family: Broadminded, non-stereotyped, non restrictive

Horoscope Match: Not very particular

Eating habits: Doesn't matter what he eats, but a strict no-no to me cooking non veg. Even better if he knows to cook ;) :)

Overall, looking for a bindaas guy who can be more of a friend than a husband!!!

Thanks in advance!!!

And yes, there's a referral bonus too.... which you will receive after "successful referral" :P :D

Additional Bonus: Lots of God's blessings :)

PS: I am very serious!! The reason I post it over here is that, I believe that my friends know me better :) Of course parents also do, but I must say season 1 was a flop. :P

Well, on a serious note, I am kidding!! :D

Words of departure...

2010-12-05T12:06:00.013+05:30

I'm not a toy you can play with,
Oh boy, I definitely am not a game for it...
Dont take me for granted, mind it,
Don't walk in my way, never do it...

I can be tough in ways you'd have never witnessed
As those nice times have long since recessed
You cannot push me to do things I never liked
I can help myself by all means, your support no more desired!

I have stopped to dote on you...
I have ended doing things for you...
I see you can never ever realize my worth...
Not until or after, yours or my death!!

Since you've always wanted to see it fall,
Here you go, lets depart once for all.....

PS: This is what Minky (my new pet) had to say when it no longer could put up with the Jealous Bruno... :-X

Life's crossways....

2010-12-05T11:46:00.006+05:30

Sometimes we sit and stare...
At life's mysterious affairs...
The dark and gloomy shadows it casts,
Keeps us reminded of our bitter pasts...

Learn to see what those experiences foresay,
Its the best way, they say...
Choosing to do it or not,
Decides if we want or not - to untangle the knot...

Cloning ourselves with newer days...
Withers those painful yesterdays
Though not the easiest of ways..
Its sure to guide you through crossways...

Endiran experience!

2010-10-08T09:04:00.007+05:30

Should I say "WOW"??? May be... Though I am not one of those die-hard fans of Rajini, Something about this movie made me one! After padiyappa, this was the next best I liked and loved!! If you still haven't watched the movie, you can continue to read.. I am not giving away the story here :)

Unlike rest of his movies, there are no punch dialogues in this one... Being very untypical of Rajini , it yet has all that elements of the possibility of the impossibles!! And thats just "WOWWW"!! :)

Like one of my friends said when asked how the movie was, "Everything's fair in LOVE , WAR and RAJINI movies" :)

Well, the story goes on serious lines in the second half but one can still enjoy and awe at the wonders of animation!! Technically, one of the ever best movies in Indian cinema... at the same time, no sophistications involved... Even a layman can get a brief idea on robotics - thats how simple Shankar has projected it !! I felt I was watching Rajini when he had started off his career playing serious villainous roles in early 70s!

As far as songs and the heroine are concerned, A R Rehmanji seems to have lost out on ideas and creativity.... Very avg songs except for one.. - n thts just a few notches above avg. And ASH, looks a perfect match to Rajini... age-wise!!:) I am sure she'll soon have offers for roles starring oposite older genre heroes or she is close to a maathruji role too!! For this movie, it was just perfect! :)

Overall, it is definitely a must-watch! But I'd suggest it not be watched in multiplexes where ppl seem to be either mouring at Rajini's dialogues or staring at the screen like morons... One can enjoy it best in the local theatres, where the crowd is full of energy and enthu :)))

"Macha, naa oru dodave sonna, nooru dodave sonna maadri!!" :D

Long live Rajini!! :)))

My meet and Confessions to my thaatha !

2010-09-17T19:34:00.011+05:30

After a long time, I visited my professor , the then HOD of our dept . No, it wasnt by choice but I had to take my friend for referring her to a suitable guide for a ph.d programme. So, there I was all nervous as usual and shooed in my friend first... (She's relatively bolder than me! ;) )

He - "So, you are supriya! Welcome... "

She went in and something held me back from entering his chamber!

He - "Divya why dont you come in..."

I was surprised as to how he knew I was there.... Then realized how stupid I was... I was standing behind a transparent glass chamber :D lolz

Me - "Hello Sir, PLEASANT to meet you after a long time!" with a broadest smile!

He - "Pleasant to meet you too! Take a seat you both"

So there we sat in front of him, my heart pounding fast... Though I know he isnt a maneater, I somehow feel really scared of him! Not even scared, don know how to put it...

I introduced my friend and she started to speak,... about why she was there and all that...

After all the discussion, he turned towrds me.. Under by breath I could listen to to heartbeat rate increasing slowly... Then it was a miracle!

HE SMILED SOOO FULLY DIRECT DIL SE, which i had never noticed before... I must say I was completely bowled over....

He said - "Divya, I am sure you would have cursed me a lot during your M.Tech course..."

Me being in a totally different plane, actually heard him wrong and said "yes" my nervousness adding to it...

"I know it... Not just you but the entire student community would have cursed me and I appreciate that you confessed! But I dont mind... Without being strict, you wouldn't be what you are now! what do you say?" he said...

I was like - "WHATT??? Did you just say curse?? Sorry I misheard you, but I have never... err... sometimes have done that"?

"Only sometimes" another broad smile! I felt I was under some spell and said - "No Sir, most times!"

I started to feel glad for 2 things - 1. I always dreamt of saying this to him right on his face then and now he had actually let me put it politely... ;)

2. Luckily that smile still hadnt disappeared and I felt safe! :P

Then came which I least expected... His serious face again! But that was to convey his own story of how he had felt when he did his PG from IIT bombay in those days... It seems he felt he had to run away from there the earliest!! This triggered me to utter more...

"Sir, I have actually felt the same.. and in my poem about you, I have even made a mention about it!!" I said innocently....

My friend who was sitting next to me, pinched me hard indicating to shut up.... But then it was too late....

"You have a poem about me?? I would love to read!!" he said...

I felt like drinking a full bottle of water/wine gulping continously...

"Sir trust me, I don't have it! It was just a 4-liner and it wasnt a poem in the first place... " I tried to cover...

Being a poor lier, I proved it again!!

"I know its there and you have cursed me in that! Do send me..." he said...

Like a REAL fool (real fool - someone who realizes he is a fool and continues to act foolishly), I said, "I am sorry about it.. I have felt gulty of it many times much later after I wrote it..."

Another hard pinch from my friend...

And so continued - " but I feel really good for the way you had been then.... Otherwise, things could have been worse..."

Somehow this time he seemed to believe my words! Ya, they were true too.... I must admit!

The next ten minutes he spoke about his experiences as a HOD and ended it...

"So where were we? Yes about the poem.. I keep forgetting.. old age you see..." he said...

Like a real fool's fool, I again said - "Sir, like gajini.... I have written about that also!"

He is now adamant that I share it... But somehow I am very skeptical! Any suggestions? :P

But felt really good after talking to him! It was a nice day for me! :)

Fabric painting

2010-08-15T00:06:00.013+05:30

My maiden attempt on this one today.... Never knew this was so enjoyable... Though doesnt look professional, doesnt seem crappy for me atleast :) Will want to use strokes n the art of mixing colors....

The paints smell great ;)

Some more............

Breathing colors into my sketch!

2010-08-03T15:22:00.005+05:30

Thanks to Gatorade , one of my pals in Sulekha for filling in life to my sketch with such adorable and lusturous colors! I was beginning to wonder if it was really mine :D

A sketch

2010-08-02T18:45:00.010+05:30

Its been almost 6 years since I had sketched... Tried to do one today and it wasn't really bad...:) Enjoyed doing it after a longgg gap.... It took me 2 hours 15 min to get it to this shape. I couldn't resist doing this... A purrfeeccttt family... - the mighty lion, the cozy lioness and a sweet innocent cub!! :) One of my favourites... ;)

Reference: http://www.muralsforkids.com/images/Lion&CubsWK9626ML.jpg

From a c(r)ooked up mind...

2010-07-28T19:42:00.006+05:30

Clock ticking like a thunderbolt,

Wish it could , for a while, halt...

To look back and dig into what went wrong,

But are these mushy things really worth the throng??

Tolerance and patience - levelled to zero

Every wistful thought helping the impatience grow

Attempts for betterment going astray

Or giving into haste, letting me fall prey?

The future seems so garbled and crippled

Leaving me stunned and baffled

Wanting to stay aloof

Until I can learn not to goof!

Even the story of a Legend

After a long run, shall see an End;

But like a mega serial of Ekta Kapoor...

This mind block seems to have no cure;

Wish the last piece of the riddle falls in place...

Want the end to be peaceful and in solace

In this life's race...

If not the first, atleast dont want to accept the last place!!

In hunt of a stranger...

2010-07-21T14:26:00.012+05:30

That was the first time I had gone to office forgetting to carry my laptop. With my office put up 25kms off my place (or rather I am put up 25km off city) and considering the bad state of mind I was in, I had no mood to go back home. Wandering about I entered the Forum Mall thats a few buildings away from my office. The mall wasn't too crowded except in the 3rd floor where I found long lines of queue at the PVR ticket counter. I was in awe to find sooo many people on a monday morning when you expect people to be busy at work. Suddenly I had this rigorous urge to join the crowd. I was thrilled at the idea of watching a movie all alone… Being a movie freak, there wasn't a movie left which I had not watched off late except for the regional lang ones - "Krishnan love story". Somehow I found the title catchy and decided to go for it.

It took about 10 min or so to head the queue. I asked for a ticket offering my credit card.

"Credit cards are not accepted for price below Rs.100 ma'am" , the boy at the counter said.

I had forgotten that morning shows cost way too lesser than the ones played later in the day. Ticket amount was 60 bucks and I was sure I did not have cash.

I was beginning to get disappointed and the thought of drawing cash from ground floor and rejoining the queue made me drop the whole idea of watching the movie. Just then, like someone had read my mind, there was this stranger behind me, (pretty handsome ;)) who offered to pay for my ticket and that I could return it once I withdrew cash from the ground floor. At first I refused and started to talk, but looking at the crowd behind me getting restless, I said ok, its only a matter of returning his amount in few minutes' time. So, I got a ticket and kept the Rs40 to myself thinking I'd give back his 100 as is.

I asked him to stay where he was and that I'd be back with cash in exactly 5 min. I was a little too sure, people wouldn't run away leaving Rs100 anywhere. I even offered him to join me till the ATM which he refused as though he trusted me.

I withdrew cash and to my bad luck, the ATM had only 500Rs note and I ran to a stall to get 5 100s instead. After all the circus, I went upto where he had said he'd wait, only to find him missing!! The only thing I remembered about him was he had bought tickets for "I hate love stories" which was at 10:00 am. I vaguely remembered his face. It was around 10:03 and I suspected he was in the theatre already. I had 10 more min to go before the movie started.

I went into the same AUDI as his and felt I was taking part in the "Spot me if you can!" contest. I lost miserably. I thought l'd catch up with him during break and went into the hall which was playing the movie for which I had bought tickets. The hall was pretty empty and all of a sudden I stareted to feel scared. This was the first time ever I was going to watch a movie all alone in a theatre. Though my seat was somewhere in the middle row, I chose to sit v close to the exit door (top corner seat), thinking of sprinting out if something went wrong.

The movie started and it wasn't really bad. It was gripping atleast. But the songs in between averted my eyes here and there. I found an old couple in the row in front of me. (That was one another reason I chose to sit in that particular seat) Surprisingly, I could see the movie did not interest them at all.. They were deeply involved in a discussion, holding hands, consoling each other etc etc... Well, I was convinced they had chosen the best place. :P

During the break, I went to buy pop corn and in a ray of hope of finding that guy. I had no luck again. I came back to my seat and besides me now sat a little girl who was around 5 years of age. I was tempted to kick off a conversation with her and asked if she had not gone to school that day.

She replied - "I have bunked school today!"

I thought she had a long way to go!! The movie resumed and at the end of it, I felt they could have saved money by not making this movie in the first place. The heroine commits suicide and it was supposed to be a terrible tragedy. A story of a typical psychopath!! You know the kind of story which tries to portray "too much love hurts"! But I kind of liked the the movie (after all I was watching it for free and having earned extra cash too, if I did not find the stranger at all).

After I came out, I thought I will give a last trial to look for that guy and went to the place where he had said he'd wait for me. I did not find him. I was about to return, but somehow I was not satisfied. "why should I watch a movie at the expense of some stranger's money?" this was eating me up. To the already damaged mind, this was an additional burden. I went to the ticket counter and asked the boy to take down my cell # and asked if at all the guy comes back to call me up. I guess that was the max I could do and felt satisfied.

Now I answer calls from unknown numbers anxiously!! :D

Anyway it was really an interesting experience watching the movie all alone. I must say it was adventurous and I enjoyed it thoroughly!! :)

Somehow I could relate this blog to the movie I had watched. The movie disappointed the audience while this blog disappointed the readers. I realized it now!! Sorry readers :)

Tell me why?

2010-06-06T08:56:00.002+05:30

If its one thing to be happy, have you ever wondered why things turn out to be so wretched the very next moment? Sometimes it makes us think twice, makes us wonder how could we have thought it was the best thing that we had done a few moments ago? Situations could turn us upside down in a matter of seconds. Should we really think twice and pay attention to the minutest of the details everytime? Things which appeared smooth minutes ago is now coarse and rough! Is it really true about this age old saying " One shouldn't laugh too much as they tend to cry double later on"?

Why does this turn out to be true always? Tell me why!

Marking a week's illness

2010-05-27T21:04:00.003+05:30

It was last thursday that I fell sick and am still on medication! Ask me what was wrong! Well, its the most common thing - common cold and fever! Even after 3 days of continuous rest and whatever it required to do to recover from illness, I grew weaker and more sick. I did not understand if the medicines embraced the illness or really tried to help me out! The initial symptoms began to change. Finally I decided to re-visit the doctor.

"For how long have you been sick?" the doc asked.

"Since the last time I came to see you" I replied.

"And when was that?" she again asked.

"The doc needed the medication for memory loss, first of all" I thought.

"Three days ago, around the same time" I replied.

"Oh yes I remember Vidya. Are you feeling better now?" the doc enquired.

What a stupid question I thought! If one felt any better, why would they even go back to the doctor, unless and otherwise they fitted the theory - "An apple a day keeps the doctor away and if the doctor is smart throw the apple away"

In my case,the doc was old enough to have grand kids and most of all it was a "SHE" :-S

"Not at all better and I am DIVYA" I said.

"Vidya or Divya both are the same! Anyways, there is some improvement......" a pause and then "in illness I meant " she said and giggled.

How can they both be the same and how could she display such a mocking sense of humour in front of a patient I could not understand!!

"You seem to have put down weight, I'm sure you must have lost your appetite badly. But that shouldn't keep you away from sound sleep. Try to get some good sleep!" she advised.

"Nope, not a milligram! My appetite has dramatically increased in fact! I get extremely hungry every 1 hour! And I eat almost twice than I used to eat before... As far as the sleep is concerned, as soon as I eat, I feel drowsy!"

"No doctor,she doesn't eat anything at all. She is lieing!" Interrupted my mom. My mom expects me to eat kgs together, thats a different matter altogether, but her timing on spurring out such "so called facts" is astounding! It was like adding conc sulphuric acid to alcohol (though I am not sure what that would result in!!)

The doc said - "No problem! Look there is another improvement there" she said and chuckled!! "How positive of her!! Oh God, the Doc and her DJs!!!" I almost started to repent for seeing her! Later on she enquired about my newly acquired food habits and after I told her, she suggested that I take 2 eggs in excess + a full glass of milk twice a day!

"She never even smells milk doctor" my Mom barged in again! I was like "Milk is odourless ma, what would I get out of it even if I tried to smell. Let me smell it daily hereafter for your sake"

"Smell means drinking atleast a sip" she snapped.

"I thought smelling is smelling, you know, using your nose!!" I said.

"I am a fool to argue with you!!" she said.

The doctor cut in the "pleasant conversation" we were having. She said - "You must both be really good friends kind. You speak so adorably to each other! I rarely find such mom and daughter these days! The children never listen to their elders"

I was wondering how different we had behaved from what she described! Strange people - doctors I thought! I did not know if that was truly a compliment or a sarcastic note - A puzzle of a lifetime I thought. (Incidentally I have developed interest in solving puzzles recently) To simplify and find a solution, I guess declaring it as a compliment will be an apt idea. After all, it was all about positive thinking the doctor stressed upon!

Finally she gave me a huge list of tablets and ofcourse the consultation fee list and asked us to leave. She even said - "I will definitely remember you next time you come!"

I felt better when she said that. We exchanged bye's and left to the nearby medplus to buy tablets.

When asked for bills, they were in the name of "Bhavya"!

Its been another 5 days and I don't feel any "improvement"!

Planning to visit her tomorrow again, after all, I should have known that she expected to see me when she said "I will definitely remember you next time you come!"

An "!dea" did change my life!

2010-04-21T14:50:00.004+05:30

Its been almost 4 years since I started using !dea, the then spice telecom service. That is when I started using the cell phone too! I was/am still wondering as to why I chose it in the first place and still continuing to use it!!

Reason to get started with it : Spice had a dual sim offer. ie you buy 2 sims with consecutive nos for Rs.500 and the call costs b/w them is 5ps/min + 100 msgs free a day + 69ps to other mobiles. No other service providers ever had this kind of an offer then. I kept one and gave the other to my father. Well, he is also still using the same !!!

Advantages:

1. Spice and no one else provides you an opportunity to memorize the most frequently, less frequently or any no for that matter that you dial. Wondering how this is possible? Well, whenever you try making a call, it never gets connected in the first attempt. You dial, re-dial, type in all the digits once more, keep staring at the screen to see if its connected etc.. In this process you will surely have learnt the nos by-heart!! Esp when the lady on the other end says in a sweet voice - "Please check the number you have dialled"!!

2. You tend to save money on a prepaid recharge. If you are done with the currency and ready for the next re-charge, you goto a nearby service center and either get a top up card or do it online by paying atleast 110 bucks (that is the min recharge amount) only to realize that the server is down for the next 2 days. They even have really polite messages to inform us about unsuccessful recharge. Some of them are -

"Sorry. Recharge not successful. Bye bye". (bye bye is indicative of the fact that the successive recharge attempts will also be unsuccessful)

"Recharge successful. Please dial *456# to check your balance" followed by another message

" The previous transaction has been aborted." (they induce a ray of hope in us by sending a positive stmt followed by a negative one)

"You are not authorized to use this service" (They can't be good always, isnt it?)

Or simply - "Network problem" (simple and sweet)

Regretting of having paid such an amount (during coll days, 110 was really a huge figure) and not even getting it recharged on time, makes you feel pathetic and the next time you make calls, you become conscious enough not to run out of currency fully. The thought of 2 day delay for every recharge will make you do a limited usage of the outgoing calls.

3. Caller tunes that these people offer simply rock. Its 30Rs a month and you can choose from a variety of catogories - English/hindi/all indian regional lang / japnese / chinese / arabic / spanish / danish / latin and what not. Every month end, the service gets deactivated for almost a week which is lucky or me. (My mom calls up often during that week and feels good that I am no longer entertaining the callers at my expenses)On 1st of every month, 30Rs gets deducted promptly and the following week, they give a jukebox offer in which every hour the caller tune is picked randomly from the above mentioned catogories. So only the privileged callers of spice get to hear latin/arabic songs too!!

Oh ya, they sometimes even set the default caller tune to the spice's very own song - "spice hein, toh life hein..." Listen to this song, I'm sure you will be in good health and shape. I was talking about the laughter therapy ;)

4. The special day dedications are astounding. They offer "vande mataram", "mile sur" and such patriotic songs as dedications to our loved ones on a V-day. And "kuch na kaho" "pal pal pal" for the I-day. The teenagers choosing the so-called wrong track, are automatically brought back to the right track, atleast in the former case :P Oh ya, and they charge exuberantly on messages on those days, that will render most of us to keep away from messages. Well, you save here too!!

5. Customer care service is another thing which definitely needs a mention. Call up the toll-free CC no. You will get to listen to soft music for hours together till a CC executive answers your call. They also ask us for feedback for the CC service. (!dea to get better every hour!!). And people are very polite in talking to customers. For an instance, if you shout your lungs out to find an answer/solution to something, they promptly reply -" Sorry. Any of your requests can't be processed. Is there anything else that I can do sir/ma'am??" Of late, they seem to have realized that we "waste" our precious time being adamant to talkto them. Hence, nowthey have a new rule. Now your CC calls also get charged at the rate of 50ps/3min. If one speaks to them on a weekly basis, you will learn to save money and be patient in no time. And ya, few moral lessons too....

Well, I am not at all sarcastic that I categorize all these under "advantages". The biggest advantage for me though is that I have learnt to see things positively. I owe the credit to !dea, which has truly changed my thought process and indirectly to some extent my life!!! Kudos! !DEA, you rock!!

Special dedication!!

2010-03-31T19:43:00.009+05:30

Our plea:

I think he did it again

He made us believe

That we're more than just safe

Oh baby;

It might seem like a brush

But it doesn't mean

He's un-serious..

To lose all our senses,

Thats just so typically us...

Oh baby baby..

Ooops he did it again,

He gave us all thwarts

Has got us so lame...

Oh baby baby

Oops he wants us unmove

Soon see us above...

But we're not in for that yet!!! :-|

His response:

This ain't a place for the weakhearted
No silent prayer for the faith departed
And I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd
You're gonna feel my strength when I gear it out aloud

It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just wanna live while I'm alive

(It's my life)
My route is like an open highway
Like Monkey said, "I'll do it my way"
I just wanna live while I'm alive
'Cause it's my life

PS: Dedicated to my cab driver!!! :)

A teacher's advice

2010-03-30T16:57:00.005+05:30

Ramu and Shamu were 5-yr old school going kids. Both were known for their undue mischief day through night. One rarely found them sharing friendly gestures, instead were always occupied with fights and quarrels.

On one such fight in the school, Ramu apparently fell Shamu to the ground and damaged his chin. Shamu in turn fought him off hurting Ramu’s knee. The spectators watching the show called for their classteacher in an attempt to stop the fight.

Teacher – “What do you think you kids are upto??”

Both Ramu and Shamu got up and tried looking at the teacher. The long cane in her hand made them quiver out of fear. Tears rolled out of their eyes and their face popped expressions of fear, rage and pain.

Ramu – “Ma’am, I was having my lunch when Shamu started teasing me for having curd rice.”

Teacher (turning towards Shamu) – “Is that true Shamu??”

Shamu – “MA’am he was the first one to start off. He called me a ‘murderer’!!”

Teacher – “Why did you call him that Ramu??”

Ramu – “My parents tell me that it is immoral to kill and eat animals!! And I saw him eat fish. So I called him a murderer, Ma’am”

Teacher – “Ramu, Fish has lots of nutritional values. Its going to make you sharper. “

Ramu – “I think curd rice has more nutrients than fish. I have constantly stood first in the class. “

Shamu – “But you can never run like me! I eat meat which is rich in proteins. So, I’m able to run faster!!” shot back at Ramu.

Ramu – “I jump higher than you. “

Shamu – “I am so energetic that I can beat you down easily!!” As he told that, he punched Ramu on his back.

Ramu – “My teeth are so sharp that I can suck your blood in minutes” and he started to bite Shamu’s hand.

And then started the fight again.

The teacher ordered to stop the fight and held her cane upright so as to beat them up if they did not stop.

The boys saw the cane and instantly fell silent.

Teacher –“Stop it, you both. Come to the class.”

Ramu and Shamu went into the class with other children.

“I know what is troubling you both. Let me tell you few things about eating meat and eating vegetarian food” Said the teacher.

“First of all tell me, how many here drink milk daily?”

All hands shot up except Shamu’s. Ramu said – “I have 2 glasses of milk daily. Mom says it helps in making teeth and bones stronger!”

“Precisely Ramu, No wonder you bit Shamu that hard” said the teacher.

“Red meat, sea food and other non veg stuff definitely are rich in protein content which is very useful for children. It helps you in growth..” Shamu’s face broadened with a smile and mocked at Ramu.

The teacher continued… “Nevertheless, each of these have a substitute in veg food as well. For instance, milk is very rich in proteins and calcium.”

It was Ramu’s turn to mock at Shamu.

“Food has a role to play but that isn't all. Your parents may want to give you meat, or cho0se otherwise. Either way there should be no issues.”

Shamu interrupted – “Only meat eaters can be fast runners”

“No Shamu, it needn’t be so. You can run faster because, you have cultivated it as a habit and you like to run. I have seen you coming to school running daily. Isn’t that true?? Whereas the rest choose not to run. They may not like it like you do.”

Shamu gave a convinced nod.

“So, one’s food habits does’t necessarily determine what they are going to be in the future. For example, Rahul Dravid and Sachin both are ace cricketers. The latter eats meat and the former doesn’t.” said the teacher.

Shamu said – “Dravid cannot hit sixes, while Sachin can, coz Sachin eats meat”.

Ramu immediately said – “Sachin has got out with more no of ducks than Dravid has!!”

“Now stop you both!! I guess it was a bad example.” The teacher told. Kids these days are impossible. They are too difficult to be handled she thought,

“Anyways children, eat what you like. Stick onto whatever principles your parents follow. Whatever kind of food you eat, eat the hygienic ones. Eating on the roadside often, can deteriorate your health and growth. So what have you decided to do Ramu and Shyamu?”

“We won’t put up fights hereafter over food ma’am. I am not going to punch Ram for eating curd rice” said Shamu humbly

“I’m not going to call Shamu a murderer.” admitted Ramu.

The teacher continued...

“ For those of you who eat meat now, it is irresistible to give up on it when you grow up as adults. For adults, eating meat is really not as good as it is for children. So, if you think ahead and decide not to eat meat later on, it is better to give it up now. As I told, you definitely have options/substitutes for meat. Additionally, I’d like you all to watch the following videos and think of what you want to do”

Few months later…

It was Shamu’s birthday and had invited his teacher for a party at his residence. The food there had no trace of meat. It was substituted with eggs and vegetables.

PS: I myself am a meat eater. I have been trying hard to quit eating non veg but not not succeeded. In a year, I refrain eating non veg for atmost 6 months, after that cannot resist.(May be my mom's a really good cook ;) ) I want to quit eating non veg not because of the reasons of customs and religion, but because I hate eating them at the cost of their lives and the pain they go through.

Message for pet adopters :)

2010-03-22T18:50:00.000+05:30

V-Day special :)

2010-02-13T20:47:00.007+05:30

My dearest friend,
Today, this friendship is gonna end;
Never imagined you'd do this to me,

Without hard feelings, so let it be;

Though had known you since twelve long years,

I never could understand you crystal clear;

Today is the day of realization,

Let me tell you about it without much procrastination;

I was blinded by a foolish love,

I failed to notice, you expected from me its small clove;

I bitterly, savagely disappointed you,

In retrospect, the fake love I was behind, hit me back - black and blue;

The purity of your love and thoughts,

"Can this be true??" I was trying to analyse lots...

"No" was the answer I got lastly,

"No, it can't be 'NO' " I was convinced firmly;

So, was it your mistake or mine,

That we are ending this friendship that was so fine?

This is only to go on to define,

A new relationship called "love", to tell you, "you are mine and only mine!!"

PS: Happy Valentine's day to you all!! And all the characters in this story are imaginary/fictitious! :)))

Random thoughts

2010-02-11T21:39:00.004+05:30

Numerous people around you,

But feel the presence of none;

While the right hand waits to be clasped by the new,

Doesn't it seem that your left hand is the best one?

You can be lonely with a thousand people around you

And so can you be happy with just one special person beside you!!

But if the special ones slip away,

Every second turns out to be a hefty pay!!

An interesting conversation...

2010-01-30T20:34:00.008+05:30

DISCLAIMER: Did not intend bias towards a particular country as such!! This is purely a personal experience of my friend!

This is about a conversation that took place between one of my friends and his travel-mate in a flight to Germany. My friend was here a couple of weeks ago , a holiday visit to India. To give you a brief introduction, he is a doctor by profession and probably the only married bachelor so far. :) He is currently pursuing his research studies in Germany. So, after a short termed holiday back in his homeland, he left to Germany 3 days ago. He wrote to us about this travel experience in a mail. Quite interesting and thought provoking I must say. Here it goes -

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"During my travel back here I met a very interesting french lady..may be around 60 yrs old...she was going back from her 4th visit to INDIA..when we started a conversation, slowly i was getting amazed at her knowledge about the geography of our country..hence the initial formal discussion turned out into a detailed one...i have never met a foreigner so pro-Indian as her in my life..especially after travelling abroad i keep hearing only negative comments about our country..below are some excerpts from my discussion with her..i wish every Indian was like her!!!!!!!!!..

she : i have been to India 4 times..have visited the north,south and west..next time would like to come to east...

me : what is ur opinion about India

she : to put it one sentence i would like to say that " yours is the only country where people are happy in true sense..you people are truly blessed to be born in such a country"..

I was surprised at this statment..the most common reply i get when i ask my above question is that the country is poor,dirty etc etc..when i told her this she replied

she : problems are everywhere..one needs to look beyond the negative things and look at the positive aspects..there are lot of positive things about India..especially the family bonding u ppl have..definitely social life is better than other countries..and one more thing..i think Indians are unique in that they absorb the negative things and go ahead with their life hoping for the best and trying to dig out the positive things..this is not true in the country i come from..we can never handle the negative things in our system..we panic very easily..i am living in france since 30 yrs and i can tell u that the happiness one finds in India is not there in any other country in europe.."

me : i hear often that foreigners report bitter experiences with Indian hospitality?

she : when u go to any country there are certain rules to be followed..as long u stick to these u shld be fine..but of course there are bad elements always everywhere..u cant blame a country as a whole for some stupid fellows"

for me this was getting more interesting!!...i told about the general comparisons made by Indians themselves who go abroad comparing Indian systems and problems with those of USA and europe..she replied

she : Take the example of france..it is a developed country..but we are "poor" in happiness..we are poor in human values..i think people in India work harder than us..we want things to come without any effort...we cannot handle any sudden chaos in our system...we think only about euros ...i was in bangalore this time..i think it is a exploding city..there are lot of problems now like traffic etc but i think in coming yrs it will be a better place..this is what i was referring to look beyond the negative aspects..i also have been to places like mysore, rajashtan and cochin..you people have great tradition and culture..i have toured almost the entire world but i dont find such a set up anywhere else..i think in coming years India will be the number one country in the world..

The above sentence written in bold is actually the words came out from her mouth straight..there was joy in her face when she told this..i mean this lady is so attached to our country than we think we are!!!..but her last few words in the discussion were the words of caution from her side for Indians...this is what she told later

" I think slowly you are getting influenced by the west culture and being more materialistic in life..this is the main danger to hamper your progress..you all should realise what a country you are blessed with...but i think whatever happens the family and friendship values continue to thrive in your country and i think thats what is the driving force in coming days for u all...."

but her punch line came in the end. ( i think superstar Rajnikanth would also envy such a punch line!!)

she: " u r going away from ur home and i towards home..i think both of us are equally sad..!!"

I dont know how debatable was her views or realisitic..but i learnt quite few things from this lady..i think all of us have something or the other to learn from such an experience..and since this discussion happend on the republic day in the flight it was even more special to me..my hopes about my country strengthened even more..only one question was drilling my head after this talk :

"if a visitor to our country can have such views about our own country cant we make a difference to our country's progress??"

And obviously, the first Q that was triggered at him was - "Anila you're saying you want to improve the country, whats your first step? for that matter whats the first step any of us would take?"

Namma doctorina answers ee reethi ive -

"1.first step to improve our country is "believe" in our country...without this nothing is possible..

2.if u do ur work honestly in ur place may be thats the best way to make a start to set right ur life first and look beyond...

3. it is good to accept good things about other countries but dont lose ur '"Indianness" in the process..( i hope here the "good things" are not very relative!!)

4. progress does not mean only to contribute to the economic success...it is also maintaining our culture,tradition,social values etc etc...think ur self how much time u spend with ur parents and friends..what justice u can do to these relationships..prioritize the events in ur life...it may be very minor things like spending time at home, caring for the needs for ur dependants,atleast some social events like some festivals etc etc..all these atomic things actually make up the bigger material..we wont realise it thats all...all these involuntarily strengthens our family,social and friendship bonding...progress of the country starts from every home...of course the priorites of life are different for different people..but these small things mentioned above all contribute to the process..

5. i have seen some people crib about not going abroad on site even being in software field!!...thing about our country is u know it better when u miss it for sometime...so i feel that it is good to stay outside for couple of months to actually realise what aa paradise u r away from....(does not apply to those who easily westernise!)

6. when i first came here had shown some of my shimoga trip snaps to my lab people..they told me they never had guessed India can be so beautiful..if their reaction to the places around shimoga was like this imagine for the whole country?...the problem is Indians who go out dont speak high about the country..it is a very easy approach to acclimatize to the western setup and comment on our system and setups...my question is "show me one place where there are no problems?"....may be we have more compared to others...one sentence i was impressed with that lady whom i discussed that she said we are unique in that we absorb negative things at ease and continue with our life..this is very true atleast for me..we hope more than anybody else in the world..here in germany one small traffic jam will hamper the whole life that day!!..thats the "capacity" of these people to handle chaos...well u can argue that things are so organized here that these things happen rarely...my answer is that in this process u gradually decrease ur hope and ur ability to absorb problems..that does not mean that these developments are necesaary..of course they are required..this is just a different context of arguement...

7. u can never compare a country which has more than 5000 yrs of history to the developed countries..our plethora of problem are by the virtue of our history, tradition,culture,diversity etc etc....if u look back at ancient indian culture i can argue we had the best scientists to be ever produced...we knew the atomic theory and had the plan to build a nuclear reactor thousands of years ago (sage kanada)...we knew the speed of light thousands of yrs ago (rigveda)..dwaraka explorations have revealed that dwaraka was real..nobody in the world can design a city like dwaraka...if dwaraka was real then it favours the existence of the all time mysterious and my all time favourite character "krishna"..i look upon him as the greatest scientist to have ever set foot on this planet..mahabharatha is full of scientific events..u can write books on this..sorry for deviating the topic..but just look back at what we have inherited and what are we now?...the point is to erase this "comparison" and cribbing factor of our system and to think what can be done being within this setup?..even i have suffered a lot academically by our so called "System"..but that has not made me hate the system..it has made me even more determined to get back to the system again and excel....

8. in the long term think what can u do best being born in this country...if u are true to ur indianness thats the best u can do ..do ur duites properly..set ur life right..set ur family life right..set ur home right..country becomes better...

9. my contribution to my country would be to contribute to my country's research progress..i know the turmoils of doing research in India but that is my inspiration to enter the struggle..I have been in the "system" for 3 yrs and i know what it takes...that has made me even more spirited...if everyone can set something like this i think it is a lot for the country...

10..as i said "progress" refers to endless minute things put together..somewhere in ur life if u think u r doing justice to being born in such a blessed country i think thats what is expected from every body...every "movement" starts from such small things..

11. before coming to europe everybody told me to tour the parts of world here bcoz i am in proximity..now after 2 yrs of staying here i have decided that the best thing to do in my life is to tour my country properly!..thats the beauty of the country we are blessed with....

12. lastly , there is no place in the world like sahakaranagar and there is no organisation in the world like our group :)...even after a long time we are still together...this is also a minute contribution from all of us in being more Indian at heart!! "

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Couldn't have said it better doctorji!!! Full points to you!!! :))) People getting westernised is very evident in every sphere of the day to day routine. Right from having branded apparels to awing at hi-cost insensible movies to the craze of settling abroad in an attempt to make money to almost everything!!! Wake up the so called "westernised - Indians"!!

A tragic love story

2010-01-29T21:04:00.006+05:30

He saw those sparkling eyes,
They rejuvenated innocence and charm;

He stood mesmerised with that special spell,

The next minute in his arms, she was tightly held;

She was scared to death, on being taken by surprise,

Fought restlessly for breath;

The very next second, her eyes met his' ,

Caught in that eye lock, she stayed still like a doll;

She -

"Let go off me, let me breathe"

I can be yours only in myth"

HE -

"Being different or a different being - not that I care of,

You are mine is what I know of!!"

She -

"Please leave me, let me go..

I know you only since a few minutes ago!!"

He -

"If you are not mine, nor can you be anyone else's;

Close your eyes, enjoy your last breath!"

And so, this love story took a negative toll. Mr. Bruno, ended the life of an innocent and sweet grasshopper!!" :(

:))))

The laughing bash!!

2010-01-08T22:35:00.007+05:30

Today's been one heck of a day. I laughed my lungs out the entire day like never before. Even the laughing gas wouldn't give this much throughput!!

It all started with my friend asking me to check a mail and asking to be careful about re-forwarding it. After reading through the mail, I laughed breathelessly for 15 min!!! (If someone trying to control your breathing practices, this should be very useful!!) I was not sure if I had to implement the steps given in that mail. Again the thought of it made me ROFL. Somehow, I got to convince myself and did give it a try!! Then I saw many of them already having done that... The result: laughter increased 100 fold.

The next step in that mail was to forward it to our friends. Cautiously I did that only for the intended receipients. Well, in a matter of seconds I got the same replies to it. Some through the mail and some through gtalk. The the replies were:

"hahahahahahhahahahaha"

"hehehehehehheheheheehhe"

"loooooooooooooollllllllllllllllllll"

"ROTFL!!!!!!!"

"Can't believe it!! I just saw it happening!!! LOLZ what a funny thing to do!!"

"Oh man!! Everyone's a game for it!!"

This continued and it was for another hour or so.

As things progressed,it started to take a new turn. This time, not only the intended recipeints started to ping, but then almost everyone!! What confusion, what doubts, what analysis!! GOSH!!! I thought my lungs would blow out like in the big bang!!!

Just as I was recovering from the laughing sickness, an Infy friend of mine pinged and started to narrate me a story... Of course it was fiction for me but would have sounded "real" to others!!!

Initially though I wanted toend it at the very beginning, the story was more and more interesting as it progressed with lots of twists and turns. The laughter that had just then died, revoked with the new avatar!! Man you can become a great story teller, I bet!!

PHEWWWW!!! What a day it was!!! I am still chuckling!! :)))

S-U-L-E-K-H-A again!!

2009-12-28T10:21:00.002+05:30

Well, yes its another win!! :))) This time being the first runner up for the theme "College days". I was so much awed by the theme that I couldn't resist putting in multiple entries. :)

Entry 1:

http://aldivya.sulekha.com/blog/post/2009/12/the-rare-bunch-of-weirdos-eyc-87.htm

Entry 2:

http://aldivya.sulekha.com/blog/post/2009/12/the-math-e-magicians-unveiled-the-rare-bunch-of-weirdos.htm

Th above entries were a re-post from here. Since both these posts were about my weird lecturers, I was initially hesitant to try for a credit at the expense of making them the "laughing stock", after all they did teach or atleast tried to teach something!! :) However, I was asked to put in atleast one of them as a competitive and the other non competitive :) My entry 1 competitive won. There were some really amazing entries each one narrating some hilarious episodes of the college days. Do try reading them in the "first runner up" link.

Ahh adding to the happiness!! ;)

YO!

2009-12-26T16:27:00.003+05:30

I find myself to have changed a lot in the last couple of weeks. Though I am pretty sure of the reason behind this, I had not expected the change in this direction. I observe an extreme behaviour in myself. Guess I am too happy and contended or faking to be happy and contended. Don't know which ones. As it is said "An idle mind is a devil's workshop" and I was almost falling victim to this. Somehow, I am grategul to God that my mind is never idle these days and I've changed or rather back to being myself.

1. I speak a lotttt!! Trust me, whether it makes sense to the listeners, I have no clue. Atleast to Bruno it doesn't, he makes a weird face and licks my hand as though asking me to "shut up"!!

2. I eat a lotttt!! I guess I weigh 30%more than what it was a fortnight ago. And I have transited from being an omnivore to a carnivore!! I pity the chickens!!

3. I watch atleast 2 movies a week. Have turned into a total movie freak!!! I was never this kind until I joined Infy. (I started to watch movies regularly atleast 4-5 a year, and before that, was never even bothered to know what movies were released!!) But now, 2 movies a week is incredible. I have even started to promote movies!! Hope the producers are reading this!!

4. Coincidentally, meeting up with a lot of friends. And hence, freaking out a lot!! Have hardly stayed at home 1 full day!!

5. Always in the party mood!!

5. I don't get tensed for silly little things like before!!

6. "Don't-care about anything, whatever happens is for better!" attitude!!!

7. May be I've grown selfish too. May be "selfish" is not the right term. I call it "non selfless". First me and then the rest!! This is how one should be for being practical in life!!

I don't know if all this is good or bad!! But this is how I am, atleast currently!!

5 things one can't live without!!

2009-12-16T13:22:00.007+05:30

It was ages since I had updated my profile on orkut. It was almost untouched since I created it 4 years ago. Last sunday I thought I'd update it and I came across this item called "5 things you can't live without". Surprisingly, I had not filled up anything there. I sat up to think, what are those 5 things without which a person cannot live?

It took me about 4 hours to rightly update it. Once I did, a good friend of mine pinged on gtalk and started "ROTFLing". The reason was he apparently had read it. I couldn't make out as to what had made him laugh soooo much!! After a while, the laugh took a new shape and it was no more what it was. He said that was "awful" and he even questioned me if there was any humanity left in me that I write such stupid things.

He asked me - "Can you live without your friends?"

I thought for a while. I said "why not?". The term "friends" is always there but the people associated with it keep changing with time. A best friend once upon a time may not even be in touch with you now. So, even after you have lost that friend, you will continue to live. So, "friends" cannot go in there.

He was quite convinced with my reasoning, but not completely. His next Q - "Can you live without Bruno?"

Well, I have lived all these days without him. He happens to be a new entry and I'm happy to have him. But again, when my Tommy passed away, the first few days were very bad. I thought I cannot live further. But here I am, living quite a happy life". So, with Bruno, I may have to expect the same.

He somehow tried hard to deny that answer of mine. He said - "One last question. Can you live without your parents?"

Well, my thought process was in action again. My answer was "Well, I find so many orphans around the world, who over a period of time got over the "loss" of parent(s) and now live happily. So, they continue to live. Why talk about "loss"of a parent? Just consider an Indian girl getting married. If she isn't very lucky, she might have to leave back her home after marriage and spend the rest of her life without them. But then, they continue to live." So, logically, even that wouldn't fit in here.

After this reasoning from me, he was suddenly enraged and cut off the conversation expressing his anger and said "bye". "Change whatever you have written and till then don't talk to me."he said. Well, we did talk, thats a different thing.

Now I just think , what was wrong about the 5 things I wrote - "air, food, water, shelter and clothes". You'd definitely die without these things. I swear!!

Bottomline - Life goes on whether you like it or not. God's greatest gift for humans that renders them to be not really human - "Volatile memory". For so long it persists, it makes us emotional and human!!

Like the Murphy's laws - "The brain tends to persist bitter memories and wipe away the sweeter ones or vive versa while you want it the other way round."

Now don't tell me that majority of the population in India are living without the 5th thing that I wrote!! :)

A wonderful post by a fellow sulekhite

2009-12-01T20:10:00.001+05:30

http://deveika.sulekha.com/blog/post/2009/11/love-that-s-the-way-it-is.htm

WHY DO PEOPLE LIE???

2009-12-01T14:49:00.006+05:30

People lie because of many reasons. Some of them are:

1. A popular reason is that they wouldn't want the other person to feel bad about whatever they truly think of them.

2. People feel, for leading a practical life, they ought to lie at one or the another point of time!!

3. Most often than not, they lie to conceal their mistakes!!

4. Sometimes, there have been cases that people lie for the betterment of the other person! That's now called a person with the great sacrificing heart!!(or at least that is the reason they give!!)

5. Lies can break/make the bonds. So people use them suitably, especially when they ditch one person/thing for the other!

6. The best of them is people lieing that the other person is lieing, which is unforgivable!!

Strangely, as I have observed/experienced, the liers are always on the winning side!! Some kind of a moral imbalance!!

Breaking news - "Honesty, humbleness, love, emotions have no place in the current world!!"

BOTTOMLINE - "LIE TO WIN"!!

Backstreet boys

2009-11-21T12:30:00.007+05:30

I was/am a die hard fan of backstreet boys since school days. Favourite being Bryan for his looovveeellllyyyy voice and the handsome Nick carter!! This was one of the songs I listen to in repeat mode which I am doing right now!! Jussstttt loveee ittt!! Hats off to "hinde beedhi huduguru", - thats how we named them in our school days!! ;) Their music is soothing and comforting... Just love most of their tracks!!

My new laptop :)

2009-11-15T22:31:00.006+05:30

Bringing up puppies is no cushy job. Its no different with Bruno. Initially though I was skeptical about my decision on bringing him home, now I have no slightest feel of regret whatsoever.

Puppies/Dogs are damn amazing creatures. They not only learn a lot of things but teach too. In this process of learning and teaching, you also get a bonus plus - lots of entertainment which you will never be bored of.

So, what has Bruno learnt so far?

1. He has learnt few words like sit, come, go. His favourite being - "biscuit and carrot". His ears will instantly prick on hearing those 2 words. To better his understanding of the former words, I will have to have the latter ones in my hand :D

2. He climbs up and down the stairs with ease now. Before, he only knew to climb up. After climbing every step, he used to sit and whine to get down off them.

3. He has learnt not to piss inside the house.

4. He has kind of started to identify strangers, which otherwise he went behind everyone he met.

5. He barks v chweeetly :) :) :) Love to hear it!!

6. Since this is his teething period, he bites everything and everyone he sees. He now fears biting, with our voice raised.

7. Gives a shake hand, but conditions apply* (*Only when you have an eatable in your hand ;) )

8. Very good at chasing and v smart in escaping when chased.

Teachings for me:

1. First of all, I've grown to be responsible now. (It seems I sometimes even sound like a mom :) )

2. Induced lots of patience in me.

3. I understand the non humans. I understand, his signs and he understands me. (Well, I feel like the shepherd in "the alchemist ;) )

4. Have realized what unconditional, selfless love is!!

5. I have started to shop more for him than myself. Every second, I think of him. Kind of so totally involved that even in my dreams, I see him :) I wonder what kind of dreams doggies have :)

6. What ever I do to him, at the end of it, he'd always sleep on mylap or feet. He's become my new laptop. It just feels sooooo good. (My father gets J and asks me to never sit down on the floor ;) He's like - "I'm the one who takes care of you day though night, and you are least bothered about me!!" ;) ) Puppies and kids are no diferent at all. Feels nice to care and being cared for.

7. Just love that guilty face of his when he does mischeif and he looks cho cho cho cute when angered (esp when pulling his mustache or when blown on his face :P) :)

Me and Bruno:

Well, its said that you'd like someone if you had shared something in common. So, Bruno, does have many similarities with me. :)

1. Both of us sleep upside down most times :)

2. Both of us love fooooood!! Just that Bruno likes it a 1000 times more than me.

3. We are really buddus at times!!

4. We speak more and listen less :)

5. Good at giving back bites with Bruno literally doing it ;)

6. Difficult to handle us :)

7. We like to go out often. (me for shopping, he for playing :) )

8. Very poor liers. He tries to conceal having eaten paper being tight mouthed but never realises a part of it is hanging out from either sides of his mouth. :D :P

Today I had washed the terrace for 2 hours, with an intention of not leaving anything there for him to swallow. And this kothi mari, went there dont know when and started biting the water pipe that was used for washing. When I stared at him, he promptly dropped the pipe off his mouth and stood there wearing an innocent look. Take a look at the pic below:

Well, to put it simply, I am bindaas enjoying his company. :)))))))

1st blogging anniversary

2009-11-09T19:09:00.002+05:30

Though I knew self discovery is very important, I discovered myself majorly after I started blogging exactly an year ago!! Thanks again to my friend Dilip!!

Though it so happens that I lose interest in anything I pursue as a hobby sooner or later, this is something I have not been bored of till now. In this 1 year of journey, I've made quite a number of friends and also lost few of them. Luckily, I don't think I've earned foes, at least not that I know of. :)

Anyways, I am surely enjoying this!! :)

Waiting for THE day

2009-11-08T21:36:00.006+05:30

That day I feel no fear

It'll be the end of my tears

I will have all that I desire

Anticipation for that day, very dire

"THE day" seems to be a fantasy

Its existence, just chancy

If there is one, its an ecstasy

God, please have on me, a little mercy and courtesy