An interview with God!  

Posted by Divya A L in

“Today its my privilege to introduce India’s 777777th 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 2nd 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!

 

Posted by Divya A L

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!  

Posted by Divya A L

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!  

Posted by Divya A L

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!  

Posted by Divya A L

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!!!  

Posted by Divya A L

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.....  

Posted by Divya A L

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. :)

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

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!  

Posted by Divya A L

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!  

Posted by Divya A L

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  

Posted by Divya A L in

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?  

Posted by Divya A L

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  

Posted by Divya A L

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  

Posted by Divya A L

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...  

Posted by Divya A L in

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....  

Posted by Divya A L in

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!  

Posted by Divya A L

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 !  

Posted by Divya A L

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  

Posted by Divya A L

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!  

Posted by Divya A L


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  

Posted by Divya A L in

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...  

Posted by Divya A L in

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...  

Posted by Divya A L

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?  

Posted by Divya A L

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  

Posted by Divya A L

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!  

Posted by Divya A L

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!!  

Posted by Divya A L

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  

Posted by Divya A L in ,

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 :)  

Posted by Divya A L