My father has a cousin who is a practicing beautician. Once while she was visiting us, she was talking about mothers who take their barely 12year old daughters to get their eye brows plucked. Now according to me, a 12 year old must be reading comics, running around playing hide and seek or must be doing their home work. Well, my aunt would promptly send the kids back home saying that, she cant do the eye brow shaping unless the child is at least a 16 year old. The reason being, we have tiny little nerves under our eye brows and they are fully developed only by around 15 years. Now by pulling out the hair from the root can cause damage to the little array of nerves.
Though by the time, i was well past the 16 year old age limit, this little piece of information is etched into my heart. Every time i sit on the beauticians chair and hold my skin tight for her to start the medieval style torture to marginally increase the "looks", my brain retrieves this old piece of information somewhere from it's attic!!! And my muscles go into super alert mode. When the tiny hair is latched on the piece of string, my brain starts to picturise the minuscule vein attached to the base of my skin which is being taunted and pulled this side and that. And the pain level shoots up than the normal marginal level and the whole 5 minutes procedure turns into a uneasy sweating period. I twitch my muscles this way and the other in the pure hope to get my tiny nerves less tormented thus completely screwing up the procedure of eye-brow shaping. And every time, the beautician would look closely at my said eye brows and tell me. "Oh, there is a defect. One eye brow is slightly different from the other". I just node at her...
Well, can i voice out this psychotic drama that goes through my mind....
If only i could retrieve the fundamentals of programming this well, i would be one of the top employees in my company... Twisted brain, i say.....
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
Presidential Visit
The humble town was very much flattered with the presidential visit.
Day 1 everyone was at the heights of excitement. People from far off places came and stood by the roads to have a glance of the honorable president. And that was the only topice being discussed.
The roads were all blocked one hour prior to her cruising through the said route and we were very honored to have a policeman by our gate.. And with 100 meters from our gate too!!!!!!
People like my amma, did postpond boiling milk for the evening tea so that it wont clash with the presidential timings. She took post at our gate with hundreds of people from the appartament opposite to ours. Her loving husband, my appa did call and inform her that the president had indeed passed by his office and she was sitting on the left side of the car. He didnt want his wife to miss seeing her. And the TATA Safari carrying her whisked past the waiting audiene with just a flash of her cream sari. But all was satisfied...Amm even took pity at the policeman who was sentried at our gate and fed him coffee!!!!!!!No, this is no lone story... We Keralities are really patriotic..
Day 2, when the newspapers announced the timings for the roads to be blocked , we Kottayamites rolled our eyes and said "Even Today???".. The crowd grew thin and amma did boil the milk on time for tea..
TOday is Day 3 and when the drama continues we are groaning and asking very politely, "When is the President going back to Delhi??"..
It is very much ok with people who can work around her timings. LIke go to the bank before she leaves for Place A and then get back home before the roads are blocked for her departure. Then take off for the market and get back home before she lands back from Place A. But then what about a poor lady who suddenly decided to deliver her baby?? God help her after the de routes she has to take...
And today i have to leave for the railway station 2 hours before the scheduled departure of the train.. Ask me why?? The president is landing for her lunch at that time and the roads are blocked... The said railway station is 7 minutes from my home.. Thank you very much..
Very Democratic country.. Oh, what do they say???? Of the people, Bt the people and For the People.. Very true, indeed....
And ask me why i am going to the railway station???? I am going to Tcr coz the husband is coming tomorrow..!!!!!!! I bet his intention of this sweet sweet gesture is to make me guilty for all the nagging and the fights and the crankiness.. :) :) :)
Day 1 everyone was at the heights of excitement. People from far off places came and stood by the roads to have a glance of the honorable president. And that was the only topice being discussed.
The roads were all blocked one hour prior to her cruising through the said route and we were very honored to have a policeman by our gate.. And with 100 meters from our gate too!!!!!!
People like my amma, did postpond boiling milk for the evening tea so that it wont clash with the presidential timings. She took post at our gate with hundreds of people from the appartament opposite to ours. Her loving husband, my appa did call and inform her that the president had indeed passed by his office and she was sitting on the left side of the car. He didnt want his wife to miss seeing her. And the TATA Safari carrying her whisked past the waiting audiene with just a flash of her cream sari. But all was satisfied...Amm even took pity at the policeman who was sentried at our gate and fed him coffee!!!!!!!No, this is no lone story... We Keralities are really patriotic..
Day 2, when the newspapers announced the timings for the roads to be blocked , we Kottayamites rolled our eyes and said "Even Today???".. The crowd grew thin and amma did boil the milk on time for tea..
TOday is Day 3 and when the drama continues we are groaning and asking very politely, "When is the President going back to Delhi??"..
It is very much ok with people who can work around her timings. LIke go to the bank before she leaves for Place A and then get back home before the roads are blocked for her departure. Then take off for the market and get back home before she lands back from Place A. But then what about a poor lady who suddenly decided to deliver her baby?? God help her after the de routes she has to take...
And today i have to leave for the railway station 2 hours before the scheduled departure of the train.. Ask me why?? The president is landing for her lunch at that time and the roads are blocked... The said railway station is 7 minutes from my home.. Thank you very much..
Very Democratic country.. Oh, what do they say???? Of the people, Bt the people and For the People.. Very true, indeed....
And ask me why i am going to the railway station???? I am going to Tcr coz the husband is coming tomorrow..!!!!!!! I bet his intention of this sweet sweet gesture is to make me guilty for all the nagging and the fights and the crankiness.. :) :) :)
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Love- Personified
A very romantic scene was staged before my eyes today. I was traveling by train, and there was an elderly couple sitting with me. They would be in their late 60's. It was lunch time and the tiffin carrier was opened by the wife. Well, my eyes were slyly directed to examine the contents of their lunch. Ok.. Ok, i know it is a bad habit to peep into others lunch. But yeah, those who know me well, knows that I don’t qualify an A in the behavior department. Hence the excuse..
He had 2 pieces of fish fry and she one. Before he started lunch, he broke his second piece into two, and placed the other in her box without as much as lifting his head from the plate. She looked at him, gave him a half smile, and they resumed with their lunch. No words exchanged
There was no hand holding, no stolen glances.. But a much matured love, hardened by years and experiences... Was very touching..
I guess there shouldn’t be much fuss made for a bouquet not given or a holiday not taken, if we can grow up to a couple like them...
God bless them, who ever they are.....
He had 2 pieces of fish fry and she one. Before he started lunch, he broke his second piece into two, and placed the other in her box without as much as lifting his head from the plate. She looked at him, gave him a half smile, and they resumed with their lunch. No words exchanged
There was no hand holding, no stolen glances.. But a much matured love, hardened by years and experiences... Was very touching..
I guess there shouldn’t be much fuss made for a bouquet not given or a holiday not taken, if we can grow up to a couple like them...
God bless them, who ever they are.....
Friday, August 6, 2010
Let Communism take over
My town is smallish and there are quiet a few tycoons who adorn the town. Blue blooded news print owners, estate lords, latex dons marry each other and has a fine breed of sophisticated, delicate, i-have-never-ever-been-on-public-transport-ish kinda people in the esteemed gene-pool of the town. And the funniest thing is that, the town shops, pedicures and borrows books according to tiers in society. Its a we-don’t-cross-each-others-boundary attitude. And for me there was never a situation till very recently, to intrude into their walls.
And it is quiet annoying when they look down on us. 2 weeks ago, i went to a very famous saloon, 'famous' coz of nothing other than the fact that the society ladies think that it is the only place to visit to keep up their dignity, or their nail structure or whatever. There is nothing wrong with that. They can afford the exorbitant prices. Good for them. But then, isn’t it the fundamental etiquette of a business woman to be pleasing to her clients, whether they have holiday homes at Manali or if they go for vacation to Greece?? Or she least bothered about lesser mortals and all she cares about is the right mixture of genes to adorn her chairs???Anyway, let us come back to the point. I went to this saloon to check out what the town oohs and aahs about. The owner thought it was much below her decorum to do small talk with me. She was too busy gossiping to a Page 3 aunt and i was just an insect. She did what she is supposed to do as if it was a favor to me, didn’t take much interest in my suggestions-though it was "MY" hair that she was styling and when she was done, ran away as if she wants to forget the whole episode. The point is that, i didn’t go their for a charity. I was dishing out cash. Hard earned cash, and not what my great grandfather saved so that his not-so-great grand daughter can cruise around on skodas and wax her legs in deluxe saloons. I sat up late nights to pacify irate clients, did excel sheet work for my manager that i dont really have to do and broke my head over issues that gave us nightmares for weeks and worked on many a weekends.. So dont i deserve decent attention too???? No, i am not telling that the lady should discuss with me about the polish her newly acquired rock or about the lettuce not being fresh at the bio-fresh shop they visit. A pleasant manner is all what i am asking for..
A tailoring shop also taught me that, cast system can never be demolished fully. The employees there, gave me a full check- head to toe. And detected that, i am not a visiting niece of the Sector-A families nor was i married into one. So according to their cardinal rule, I could wait. A damsel jumped out of a shining Chevrolet about half an hour after i arrived and announced that she has a train to catch and hence needed preference. That is none of my freaking business if she has a moon bound rocket to catch or if her house is on fire. But then the lady at the shop, went about with taking her measurements and totally ignored me in spite of my protests.. Yeah, the big news is that, the whole town is married to each other. SO if you cross one of them, be rest assured that they can close down the shop or worst; open it to Tier 2. Goodness. Never again i am going to the shop. Oh yeah and if you want to know how the kurtha came out??? It is definitely going to inspire me to never ever gain weight, even by a millimeter. Because if i as much breath in the said kurtha, i can stretch the seams..
Sometimes, communism makes a lot of sense.. Do you get what i said????????
And it is quiet annoying when they look down on us. 2 weeks ago, i went to a very famous saloon, 'famous' coz of nothing other than the fact that the society ladies think that it is the only place to visit to keep up their dignity, or their nail structure or whatever. There is nothing wrong with that. They can afford the exorbitant prices. Good for them. But then, isn’t it the fundamental etiquette of a business woman to be pleasing to her clients, whether they have holiday homes at Manali or if they go for vacation to Greece?? Or she least bothered about lesser mortals and all she cares about is the right mixture of genes to adorn her chairs???Anyway, let us come back to the point. I went to this saloon to check out what the town oohs and aahs about. The owner thought it was much below her decorum to do small talk with me. She was too busy gossiping to a Page 3 aunt and i was just an insect. She did what she is supposed to do as if it was a favor to me, didn’t take much interest in my suggestions-though it was "MY" hair that she was styling and when she was done, ran away as if she wants to forget the whole episode. The point is that, i didn’t go their for a charity. I was dishing out cash. Hard earned cash, and not what my great grandfather saved so that his not-so-great grand daughter can cruise around on skodas and wax her legs in deluxe saloons. I sat up late nights to pacify irate clients, did excel sheet work for my manager that i dont really have to do and broke my head over issues that gave us nightmares for weeks and worked on many a weekends.. So dont i deserve decent attention too???? No, i am not telling that the lady should discuss with me about the polish her newly acquired rock or about the lettuce not being fresh at the bio-fresh shop they visit. A pleasant manner is all what i am asking for..
A tailoring shop also taught me that, cast system can never be demolished fully. The employees there, gave me a full check- head to toe. And detected that, i am not a visiting niece of the Sector-A families nor was i married into one. So according to their cardinal rule, I could wait. A damsel jumped out of a shining Chevrolet about half an hour after i arrived and announced that she has a train to catch and hence needed preference. That is none of my freaking business if she has a moon bound rocket to catch or if her house is on fire. But then the lady at the shop, went about with taking her measurements and totally ignored me in spite of my protests.. Yeah, the big news is that, the whole town is married to each other. SO if you cross one of them, be rest assured that they can close down the shop or worst; open it to Tier 2. Goodness. Never again i am going to the shop. Oh yeah and if you want to know how the kurtha came out??? It is definitely going to inspire me to never ever gain weight, even by a millimeter. Because if i as much breath in the said kurtha, i can stretch the seams..
Sometimes, communism makes a lot of sense.. Do you get what i said????????
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Turning to Kitchen-side
After hybernating at home for about a month with infrequents visits, i have had enough of it. And i decided to shake myself out of the slumber and the laziness.. Drawing inspiration from Chech and Ans, i decided to try my hand at a little baking.No,no.... Nothing grand or intricate like what those two gals do.
My mind was at baking some muffins, but due to the lack of a muffin mould i had to scrap the plan and here i am; with a plain cake baked and frosted with butter chocolate icing... I liked the way it has turned out-light and fluffy.. Beginners luck, ha?????????
Oh.. watched Julie and Julia too. And yes, that too is the reason behind this.... :)
My mind was at baking some muffins, but due to the lack of a muffin mould i had to scrap the plan and here i am; with a plain cake baked and frosted with butter chocolate icing... I liked the way it has turned out-light and fluffy.. Beginners luck, ha?????????
Oh.. watched Julie and Julia too. And yes, that too is the reason behind this.... :)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Sisters
You make friends; you loose friends,
You fall in love; you fall out of love,
You give away your heart; you shatter your heart,
But Sisters would remain sisters come what may..
You fight with them, you call them names, you deny all what is fair to them, you embaress them in public.
Yet, at the end of the day, you have a shoulder to lean onto, a ear to listen to all your cribbing sad stories , to lend you some pearls of wisdom, to guide you, to be your mentor and friend at the same time..And to tell you that your flabby tummy really has a cute angle to it and to laugh about the "family-asset"
A big Cheer to the Lovely Sisters !!!!!!!
P.S : Alish, i have posted what we broke our heads about
P.P.S : Ans, Sisters ofcourse are fun, even before they have their kids.. But then, the kids do bring an extra amount of bubbling!!!!!!
You fall in love; you fall out of love,
You give away your heart; you shatter your heart,
But Sisters would remain sisters come what may..
You fight with them, you call them names, you deny all what is fair to them, you embaress them in public.
Yet, at the end of the day, you have a shoulder to lean onto, a ear to listen to all your cribbing sad stories , to lend you some pearls of wisdom, to guide you, to be your mentor and friend at the same time..And to tell you that your flabby tummy really has a cute angle to it and to laugh about the "family-asset"
A big Cheer to the Lovely Sisters !!!!!!!
P.S : Alish, i have posted what we broke our heads about
P.P.S : Ans, Sisters ofcourse are fun, even before they have their kids.. But then, the kids do bring an extra amount of bubbling!!!!!!
Monday, June 21, 2010
No.8 on her way.....
12 years back, if someone had told me that i would be counting down the hours for Alish to land here, i would have smacked them personally. Yet i am doing precisely that today and i just cant wait for the little sister to finally arrive...
We had a gripping war going on between us, ever since we knew each other. Ans being my soul mate just increased the feud between us because Ans & me so wanted to exclude piggy from our earth-shattering secrets.. But then the irony of it is that, Alish always always knew what we were upto and has made suicidal comments about our current crushes in the public... Well, cant blame the kid alone.. I was a nightmare. Ever blackmailing the kid and torturing her to no ends.God, i am really searching for my claws and draggers now.. I cant believe that i could get so humanless!!!!
Well, years later we have become thick friends. The decade of fuming fights are topic for a hearty laugh these days.. And after my wedding when i was looking for a worthy partner to shed my penned up tears, it was Alish who came to my rescue. And though i was coming home with them, we hugged and cried as if there is no tomorrow... And Gin was clueless about what the drama is all about.
And tomorrow she is landing for a few days and then, the saddest part is that i will have to take off to the in-laws in between.. Married life, i say.
Hopefully we can paint the town red and i can make upto the little lady for all the times Ans and me went to watch movies without her & do some more mischevious things and get some advise from the girl on fashion and attires..
Come fast piggy...
And i love this picture a lot and lot... Somehow, it is really nice to see us , all grown up and looking all wow!!!!!!! Esp Alish, who was looking very delicious and was the best looking dish that day.
And the second picture is also a fav :)Of a quick trip to Chennai and an afternoon of posing for photos....
We had a gripping war going on between us, ever since we knew each other. Ans being my soul mate just increased the feud between us because Ans & me so wanted to exclude piggy from our earth-shattering secrets.. But then the irony of it is that, Alish always always knew what we were upto and has made suicidal comments about our current crushes in the public... Well, cant blame the kid alone.. I was a nightmare. Ever blackmailing the kid and torturing her to no ends.God, i am really searching for my claws and draggers now.. I cant believe that i could get so humanless!!!!
Well, years later we have become thick friends. The decade of fuming fights are topic for a hearty laugh these days.. And after my wedding when i was looking for a worthy partner to shed my penned up tears, it was Alish who came to my rescue. And though i was coming home with them, we hugged and cried as if there is no tomorrow... And Gin was clueless about what the drama is all about.
And tomorrow she is landing for a few days and then, the saddest part is that i will have to take off to the in-laws in between.. Married life, i say.
Hopefully we can paint the town red and i can make upto the little lady for all the times Ans and me went to watch movies without her & do some more mischevious things and get some advise from the girl on fashion and attires..
Come fast piggy...
And i love this picture a lot and lot... Somehow, it is really nice to see us , all grown up and looking all wow!!!!!!! Esp Alish, who was looking very delicious and was the best looking dish that day.
And the second picture is also a fav :)Of a quick trip to Chennai and an afternoon of posing for photos....
Itz the time to Collage
Did i tell that i am in a mood for collage?? I discovered the collage facility by Picasa recently and was kicked. Hats off to Ans, who so patiently sat and made a collage from scratch using paint.SO am looking for every oppurtunity to make one....
When i left M'lore, i did make one for my coffin cubicle mates. Though the source of that name is now a mystery to us itself, we had a blast in that cubicle and we have annoyed many a people with our uncanny sense of humor and incessant laughter. We were a mad bunch, though San & Shanthu tried their best to be the decent of the lot :P Oh God, we have been many a times reprimanded by our then PM, for the racket we make too... Dee and me graciously did forgive him, coz he was so adorably handsome.... Slurp....
Well, leaving behind a collage of the good times
And it would be an unforgivable crime if i close my Mangalore chapter without mentioning my Salvista roomies. I had a jolly good time with those girls there. The one who was a pain at the wrong place too provided entertainment and enough matter for never-ending gossip. Only because of her, Rah has had us in splitting laughter for hours together... Since my stint in that flat was interwined with long hours at office, i have only few photos of my stay there. And hence the lousy collage. But that is no way to judge the heart-bond i share with the 2 lovely friends i made- Div and Rah...
SO this is to you girls.. FOr the long nights and for the "bond" we made while our roomie was doing the famous Bombay-Darshan...
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Home-maker in Making
So after almost 3 years cross-south-India i am back home as a home-maker... Well, it's not time yet to know whether i will love it or get bored of it in weeks.. Anyway, i caught a bad bug of fever 2 days before i left M'lore and so the promised farewell party had to be ditched.. I felt like such a traitor. And it was only through divine intervention that i managed to stuff-in my three years of material possessions into the suitcases, bags and well into plastic covers. And miraculaously managed to board the train amidst excruciating throat pain and a roaring fever. Got home and was parked under covers of blanket until everything became bearable...
Well, in a way being sick was good. I didnt have energy to waddle in my usual emotional roller coaster ride when i leave anything/anyone.. I think had i been better, i would have looked at the security dude & would have shed tears.... Dont underestimate me.. To the shock of Div& Rah i did shed a few tears.. How can i not??? It's there in my blood!!!!! But i didnt cry when i bought my lunch parcel from Kairali for the last time neither did i weep when i boarded the train for the last time from the station that tops my most frequently used list... Well done, Anna.. Well Done *Standing Ovation, please*
SO here i am 3 days into back home & hasnt even stepped out of the house...
The tasks ahead before the next leg of journey are many. One day at a time is the way out.. Like having a bath and then into bigger things *winks*
Well, in a way being sick was good. I didnt have energy to waddle in my usual emotional roller coaster ride when i leave anything/anyone.. I think had i been better, i would have looked at the security dude & would have shed tears.... Dont underestimate me.. To the shock of Div& Rah i did shed a few tears.. How can i not??? It's there in my blood!!!!! But i didnt cry when i bought my lunch parcel from Kairali for the last time neither did i weep when i boarded the train for the last time from the station that tops my most frequently used list... Well done, Anna.. Well Done *Standing Ovation, please*
SO here i am 3 days into back home & hasnt even stepped out of the house...
The tasks ahead before the next leg of journey are many. One day at a time is the way out.. Like having a bath and then into bigger things *winks*
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
When the kids go to school
My college is at the middle of no-where & before the good ol' days of mobile phones we had to walk a good kilometer to get to the telephone booth. It was the 29th of September in 2003. and i knew i would be an aunt that day. That day, i traversed the distance twice and on the second time i heard the happy news that i am indeed an aunt of baby girl. The little angel was the one who exalted us with the suffix 'KO'. And it was her gibberish that we adopted into our vocabulary and was in her every growing state we oohed-and wowed.. It was this little angel who grew up and complained that, me& her other aunts would come for her wedding complaining about "nadu noovunne" & "kaalu noovunne" and wouldn’t do a thing to help her out. And this was because she was the doomed one to squeeze in between the little space between the bed and the wall& pick the stuffs, when anything would fall into the said space- which was actually several times a day, during my wedding time. Now before everyone complaints about the cruelty of it all, she was the only one among us, who would fit into that little space. Yes, our family did grow in the past several years but it was mostly sideways!!!! And tomorrow this little one is taking another big leap in her life. Going to the big school....
And this is to wish you all the goodness in life, my Bekhs. May you grow up to bring a lot of happiness & pride to your parents and all the ones who love you.. Grow up to be a strong, unique, confident, kind, helpful and an amazing woman. You are nothing short of it even now.. But we are looking forward to that big size Bekhs .Do keep the Dhoom-Machale spirit in you going on, my chakkudu..
And i want you to remember this incident when you grow up to be 25 ...
Once you and me were sitting at Iris and you were showing me the Hindi alphabets and i was writing the consecutive Malayalam alphabets to each. Half way through, i was blank about a few, not-so-frequently used ones. Mind it, i am out of touch with them since i passed out from the 10th standard. And once this happened for a few times, the little one so innocently asked me...
"Without knowing all these alphabets, how did you go through your college?"
So keep your alphabtes afresh, or this Ko is going to take revenge when you get to 25!!!!!!!!!!!
It is a day later that the nephew is going to school for the very first time. And this is the little one, who is so oblivious to the world& his passion is to run free enjoying the sheer freedom of it. We doubt whether the long-term goal is to bring in a gold medal to the family at the Olympics. Whatever it is, run free, little Av. Be the cheerful little cherub you are. I have not as much seen your parents getting mad at you for anything other than being a free soul you are and neither have i seen making a major scene when they reprimand you. Well, scooping mud from the compound and laying it all on the porch doesnt actually call for capital punishment and when else are you eligble to do it, if not at 2????So continue to spread the love&smile and hitch your wagon to the stars, little one.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Stuck Note
I have this annoying habit and Dee, Chikku and Sai has been hapless victims of the same. Once a song is stuck onto my head, I sing it over and over for days together. Once this got bad, and I sang a song for over a week like a stuck record – it was REAL bad, I assure you.. To be truthful, my voice is not sooo bad. But then I can’t catch onto high notes for my life. So when I sing, it is like the rumbling. And when high pitches come, I squeak like un-oiled door. So, back to the point. I listen to random songs, suddenly I get interested in a particular one and take to it.. I load it on my iPod and on my phone - in repeat mode & when I am not listening I will be singing the same. Funny thing is that, I take after a song, only years after the song is released.. And the only exception to it was Zoobidoobi from 3 idiots.It got stuck in my head the next month after it was released. But then, it didn’t stay with me for long like the others..
The first song to be jammed into my head was “Pyaar ki eek kahani suno” from Honeymoon travels(released in Feb 2007). It happened while I was in Hyderabad, June 2008. And I still remember that, one night I googled for the lyrics of it and wrote it down onto a paper, because we didn’t have printer access there& by hearted the song.. I sang it over and over to my hearts consent, but that didn’t annoy anyone much because my roommate was away most of the time.. And yes, I did bring smile to faces, with this number. It is still a favourite.
The next one is pure murder. We had a project party at The Taj Manjarun, Mangalore in October 2008. A young girl, performed Mayya Mayya from Guru(released in 2007) and it was sheer joy. I was awed by her voice, her ability to catch up to the high notes effortlessly, the way her voice swayed from one to the other from raspy to sweet to husky, as required in the song.. I was dumb-struck for about 6 minutes. And then it happened. The song caught onto me like a vice-grip. I was hooked onto it. From that night onwards, for about 3 weeks Chikku, Dee & Sai had no peace what-so-ever. I sang it from the the time I walked into the door and till the time I walked out- sometimes softly, sometime loudly and sometimes shriekingJ. And at office, I used to listen it from the computer using my headphones. I used to get oblivious to the surrounding and would sing loudly, providing unlimited entertainment to dear cubicle mates… The girls back at 701, begged me, reasoned with me , told me nicely to stop and finally threatened. I wouldn’t have any of it and then gradually the craze died on it’s own. The repeat mode on the song was duly taken off. But even now, I cant play that song just once.. I would play it around 3-4 times even now& is all satisfied J
Zoobidoobi got glued in about a month after the movie was released. Nan too got the bug from me. I was visiting once & she took a liking to the song. She was walking around with my phone, stuck to her ears and listening to it over and over. It was a very sweet scene. She wouldn’t sit down, but was walking from room to room and finally came to the front room & was walking in circles. Nan was very sleepy that night and hence cranky. So each time the song would get over, the little face of hers would crumple up into a annoyed twist and tears would start rolling out. She would come running to me and ask me to change the song for her and that went on for about an hour or so and then the little one just fell asleep…. And I too lost interest in it.
The picture here depicts Nan dancing with her dad for Zoobi-Doobi, when the song was still fresh to our ears...
The last one on my list is Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai from Rab Ne Banaadi Jodi(released in 2008). Heard the song yesterday on TV and it snapped something in my brain. And the lyrics caught onto me like a mouse to cheese (yikes, I HATE mouse)..Whoever wrote it has a way to others heart. I was in tears, literally. And looks like the song is meant to be mine. Evening when I went back home from office, the song was playing on the bus and then once home, saw that the movie is playing tomorrow night on TV.. And the poor roomies are in for a tough few weeks ahead…. J
Go listen to this song guys and dedicate it to your special someone… I just did!!!!!!!!!
The first song to be jammed into my head was “Pyaar ki eek kahani suno” from Honeymoon travels(released in Feb 2007). It happened while I was in Hyderabad, June 2008. And I still remember that, one night I googled for the lyrics of it and wrote it down onto a paper, because we didn’t have printer access there& by hearted the song.. I sang it over and over to my hearts consent, but that didn’t annoy anyone much because my roommate was away most of the time.. And yes, I did bring smile to faces, with this number. It is still a favourite.
The next one is pure murder. We had a project party at The Taj Manjarun, Mangalore in October 2008. A young girl, performed Mayya Mayya from Guru(released in 2007) and it was sheer joy. I was awed by her voice, her ability to catch up to the high notes effortlessly, the way her voice swayed from one to the other from raspy to sweet to husky, as required in the song.. I was dumb-struck for about 6 minutes. And then it happened. The song caught onto me like a vice-grip. I was hooked onto it. From that night onwards, for about 3 weeks Chikku, Dee & Sai had no peace what-so-ever. I sang it from the the time I walked into the door and till the time I walked out- sometimes softly, sometime loudly and sometimes shriekingJ. And at office, I used to listen it from the computer using my headphones. I used to get oblivious to the surrounding and would sing loudly, providing unlimited entertainment to dear cubicle mates… The girls back at 701, begged me, reasoned with me , told me nicely to stop and finally threatened. I wouldn’t have any of it and then gradually the craze died on it’s own. The repeat mode on the song was duly taken off. But even now, I cant play that song just once.. I would play it around 3-4 times even now& is all satisfied J
Zoobidoobi got glued in about a month after the movie was released. Nan too got the bug from me. I was visiting once & she took a liking to the song. She was walking around with my phone, stuck to her ears and listening to it over and over. It was a very sweet scene. She wouldn’t sit down, but was walking from room to room and finally came to the front room & was walking in circles. Nan was very sleepy that night and hence cranky. So each time the song would get over, the little face of hers would crumple up into a annoyed twist and tears would start rolling out. She would come running to me and ask me to change the song for her and that went on for about an hour or so and then the little one just fell asleep…. And I too lost interest in it.
The picture here depicts Nan dancing with her dad for Zoobi-Doobi, when the song was still fresh to our ears...
The last one on my list is Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai from Rab Ne Banaadi Jodi(released in 2008). Heard the song yesterday on TV and it snapped something in my brain. And the lyrics caught onto me like a mouse to cheese (yikes, I HATE mouse)..Whoever wrote it has a way to others heart. I was in tears, literally. And looks like the song is meant to be mine. Evening when I went back home from office, the song was playing on the bus and then once home, saw that the movie is playing tomorrow night on TV.. And the poor roomies are in for a tough few weeks ahead…. J
Go listen to this song guys and dedicate it to your special someone… I just did!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
It's the Final Countdown
Yesteday, a big shot in my practise at work called to clarify about me working on a project despite on being on a bench code..And when i mentioned that, i am on notice period he graciously said that i can leave by the end of the next week and my manager also was happy with it, because the so-called "crisis" situation in my project has been passed.
It is sitll a doubt whether i will have to leave quitting the job or whether i will get the sabbatical, which i am hoping for. Which ever way it is, i will have to bid farewell to this place in a weeks time.. Booo-Hoooooo...
Though i loved to hate the job i am in now, i am all teary eyed at the mention of leaving here.. I have wonderful friends at work and the roomies, Div & Rah are angels. Though, Jos is one-of-a-kind pest, she provided unlimited entertainment to all of us. All these put together and at the thought of loosing the ecconomic freeedom i had for so long i am all worried.
I have no doubts in the fact that Gin is going to support me. But then, the last time i was financially dependent was on Appa, while i was a student. And at that time your needs are very basic. A few clothes a year, a sandal to go with all the clothes,notebooks and money for photostat copies of study materials(!!!!!!!), and the minimal telephone recharges& the yearly subscription to the local library would mostly cover the list. Once i had the job, i used to amass books, and at times electronic gadgets. And defenitely a floatter cant go with your salwar or a kholapuri with your formals, so mathcing shoes with your clothes.. Or to put it in a nut-shell, i could buy the things i had really an interest in without having to beg for amma's approval to debit money from Appa. In 3 years, i had kind of got used to it.. And seriously, i dont know how comfortable i will be to ask for money to Gin initially & i really hope that the familiarity would build up over the days.. I feel an arranged marriage which happened over a week's time is like a new sandal... You would love it at the sotre & would buy it off, but then on the first few days it will bite your leg & you will have blisters and boils which hurts. But ovet the time, you will get used to it. And the said-sandal will bear impressions of your toes and heels and you would be really comfortable in it and the familiarity of the straps and the loops on your feet would be like your second skin,that you would think twice before having to discard it..... Isn't it??
Back to the point, I have mixed emotions, the excitememnt of startting a new life at a new place with an almost new person, the grief of leaving the friends you made and strange enough, can you guess that i am gonna miss the chair i used to sit in office too... Doesn't that tell how much of a clingy person i am!!!!!!!!
Well, isnt that the way of life?? You kind of get established in a place and start liking it and you are uprooted immediately. And all the stuffs i have accumulated in the last 2 and a half years have to be packed and taken. Also as soon as i get home, i will have to start packing yet again for SA.
Sigh, packing has come to be the way of life these days
And yes, the count down starts too.....
It is sitll a doubt whether i will have to leave quitting the job or whether i will get the sabbatical, which i am hoping for. Which ever way it is, i will have to bid farewell to this place in a weeks time.. Booo-Hoooooo...
Though i loved to hate the job i am in now, i am all teary eyed at the mention of leaving here.. I have wonderful friends at work and the roomies, Div & Rah are angels. Though, Jos is one-of-a-kind pest, she provided unlimited entertainment to all of us. All these put together and at the thought of loosing the ecconomic freeedom i had for so long i am all worried.
I have no doubts in the fact that Gin is going to support me. But then, the last time i was financially dependent was on Appa, while i was a student. And at that time your needs are very basic. A few clothes a year, a sandal to go with all the clothes,notebooks and money for photostat copies of study materials(!!!!!!!), and the minimal telephone recharges& the yearly subscription to the local library would mostly cover the list. Once i had the job, i used to amass books, and at times electronic gadgets. And defenitely a floatter cant go with your salwar or a kholapuri with your formals, so mathcing shoes with your clothes.. Or to put it in a nut-shell, i could buy the things i had really an interest in without having to beg for amma's approval to debit money from Appa. In 3 years, i had kind of got used to it.. And seriously, i dont know how comfortable i will be to ask for money to Gin initially & i really hope that the familiarity would build up over the days.. I feel an arranged marriage which happened over a week's time is like a new sandal... You would love it at the sotre & would buy it off, but then on the first few days it will bite your leg & you will have blisters and boils which hurts. But ovet the time, you will get used to it. And the said-sandal will bear impressions of your toes and heels and you would be really comfortable in it and the familiarity of the straps and the loops on your feet would be like your second skin,that you would think twice before having to discard it..... Isn't it??
Back to the point, I have mixed emotions, the excitememnt of startting a new life at a new place with an almost new person, the grief of leaving the friends you made and strange enough, can you guess that i am gonna miss the chair i used to sit in office too... Doesn't that tell how much of a clingy person i am!!!!!!!!
Well, isnt that the way of life?? You kind of get established in a place and start liking it and you are uprooted immediately. And all the stuffs i have accumulated in the last 2 and a half years have to be packed and taken. Also as soon as i get home, i will have to start packing yet again for SA.
Sigh, packing has come to be the way of life these days
And yes, the count down starts too.....
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Not Knowing my Dals Apart
Trust my brain to abandon me at the weirdest of the places… Sunday I was all motivated to cook. At SPAR, the new hyper market that is opened here, they have a counter where there are huge barrels filled with grains and pulses. We can weigh and buy even the smallest quantity we need from there. I am standing there to buy my dal for sambar and suddenly my short term memory loss is at its prime. For nuts, I can’t remember the name of the blessed-dal we use in sambar. I tried telling the guy who stands there what I need, but he too is clue-less as me, about the exact name of it.. Hah!!!!! Since this confusion is not getting me anywhere, I decided to look around for help.
So ignoring my ego, I ask the lady standing next to me the name of the dal we use in sambar. She stares me from tip to toe and sheepishly mumble.. “Toor Dal”. I gather the shattered ego and walks away with my 100gm of Toor dal.
I bet that woman will be either laughing with her family about a woman, not knowing or dals apart or better she will be blogging about the same.. DUH!!!!!!!!!
So ignoring my ego, I ask the lady standing next to me the name of the dal we use in sambar. She stares me from tip to toe and sheepishly mumble.. “Toor Dal”. I gather the shattered ego and walks away with my 100gm of Toor dal.
I bet that woman will be either laughing with her family about a woman, not knowing or dals apart or better she will be blogging about the same.. DUH!!!!!!!!!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Back into Kitchen!!!!!!
Ahem.Ahem. There is earth-shattering, constellations-disturbing, awe-inspiring, thunder-struck news for all & sundry ....
Me, the very same Anna talking to you, started cooking after a long siesta of 6 months from the kitchen. Today as conveyed to Ans, I made Tomato rice with shredded chicken in it. To be speaking the truth, there was some chicken left from the curry we bought on Saturday and being the true granddaughter I am of my grand mother, I re-cycled the same into shredded chicken in the said tomato rice..
Well, now let me google for some recipies, while those who know me closely pick up their jaws from where they have fallen down & resume with thier work…
Ta-da!!!!!!!!!
Me, the very same Anna talking to you, started cooking after a long siesta of 6 months from the kitchen. Today as conveyed to Ans, I made Tomato rice with shredded chicken in it. To be speaking the truth, there was some chicken left from the curry we bought on Saturday and being the true granddaughter I am of my grand mother, I re-cycled the same into shredded chicken in the said tomato rice..
Well, now let me google for some recipies, while those who know me closely pick up their jaws from where they have fallen down & resume with thier work…
Ta-da!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Heights of Joblessness
The go-live for my project is tomorrow and we don’t have anything much to be done, on a life-or-death basis. So things are slow and we are bored…
I see that the CBSE 12th results are out and start typing in random numbers into the roll number filed on the website. Once the marks are displayed, I do a analysis on the guy/gal associated with that number.. I guess whether the person is a hard worker or not, whether the parents were the bullying type or the cool types, whether the student was happy with the marks or did he get too little or too much than expected, what is the future educational stream choices… And the likes…
After an hour of analyzing the personalities of around 20-30 kids, scattered around the country, I felt deeply relaxed, satisfied and an evening was well-spent….
Well, now go figure why our companies doesn’t give us full internet access…
I see that the CBSE 12th results are out and start typing in random numbers into the roll number filed on the website. Once the marks are displayed, I do a analysis on the guy/gal associated with that number.. I guess whether the person is a hard worker or not, whether the parents were the bullying type or the cool types, whether the student was happy with the marks or did he get too little or too much than expected, what is the future educational stream choices… And the likes…
After an hour of analyzing the personalities of around 20-30 kids, scattered around the country, I felt deeply relaxed, satisfied and an evening was well-spent….
Well, now go figure why our companies doesn’t give us full internet access…
Monday, May 17, 2010
And, this is about Dee
I was talking with Dee about how our life was at 704 and she reminded me of 2 incidents about her. well, Dee is a 3 year old in a 24 year old's body (don't kill me for this,love). She is still tied to her mummy's sari, to put it lightly.
So here it goes, love… For you !!!!!!!*Clinks the glass*
Once we all realized that we are putting on way too much weight. i.e Dee,Chikku and myself, Sai doesnt put on even half a kilo for the world. She can gobble up a tons of food and remain the same 34-kg weighing girl she is. So we decided to go on a wheat diet as per the Holy Google advised. But Dee for some reason didn’t want chapathi and wanted to make herself dosa. Mind it that, we all are quiet novel to the field of cooking and our experience in the said field is to the extent of walking into the kitchen for demanding food or to questioning amma what is making us sneeze when she sautéed chilly on the flame. So Dee was quiet unfamiliar with the ratio of water: atta for the dosa. As any self-respecting female, she went with the trial and error method!!! Come-on, we all are forever testing our software in the office and we know the best thing to do after googling for the solution, is trial and error… But as luck has it, the water added was way too much than what was required for a modest dosa. And her knowledge of the consistency of it is that, the batter should be in liquid form!!!!!!
Well, with a happy glee she decided to pour on the batter onto the tawa. In the mean while we had settled to have our chapathis. For sometime there was no other sound to be heard other than the sizziling sound of the batter being poured onto the hot tawa. Few minutes later, Dee enters the dining room tearfully. We were puzzled. And then she said the reason behind the tears. The batter was too watery that it was not standing on the tawa. The said dosa looked like a scrambled egg.. And Dee was crying thinking how useless she is, who can’t make a decent dosa.. we tried to reason with her & Chikku forced her to have some chapathi of ours, but then her verdict was that, a person who doesn’t know how to make dosa doesn’t deserve to have food!!!!!!!!
Another incident that stands bright in my memory about Dee is of rainy nights. Rosh used to go home on all weekends. So Dee sleeps alone in the room. One night, it was raining complete with thunder and lightning. The true mals we are, Chikku & myself are oblivious of this and was sound asleep. Suddenly Chikku senses a movement at the foot of her bed. She springs up and sees a figure sitting there. And the meek voice of Dee speaks..
“I am scared of sleeping alone in thunder & lightning. So can I please sit here at the foot of the bed till it is over”.
Chikku mumbles consent and goes back to sleep and me, is dead in the land of slumber….. And Dee remained there till the thunder storm passed & no, it was not a once in a life time incident. It faithfully lasted till the monsoon was over, whenever Dee was alone in her room
*Bows and leaves the Stage*
P.S : A million dollar to whom ever will guess what the pic here means
So here it goes, love… For you !!!!!!!*Clinks the glass*
Once we all realized that we are putting on way too much weight. i.e Dee,Chikku and myself, Sai doesnt put on even half a kilo for the world. She can gobble up a tons of food and remain the same 34-kg weighing girl she is. So we decided to go on a wheat diet as per the Holy Google advised. But Dee for some reason didn’t want chapathi and wanted to make herself dosa. Mind it that, we all are quiet novel to the field of cooking and our experience in the said field is to the extent of walking into the kitchen for demanding food or to questioning amma what is making us sneeze when she sautéed chilly on the flame. So Dee was quiet unfamiliar with the ratio of water: atta for the dosa. As any self-respecting female, she went with the trial and error method!!! Come-on, we all are forever testing our software in the office and we know the best thing to do after googling for the solution, is trial and error… But as luck has it, the water added was way too much than what was required for a modest dosa. And her knowledge of the consistency of it is that, the batter should be in liquid form!!!!!!
Well, with a happy glee she decided to pour on the batter onto the tawa. In the mean while we had settled to have our chapathis. For sometime there was no other sound to be heard other than the sizziling sound of the batter being poured onto the hot tawa. Few minutes later, Dee enters the dining room tearfully. We were puzzled. And then she said the reason behind the tears. The batter was too watery that it was not standing on the tawa. The said dosa looked like a scrambled egg.. And Dee was crying thinking how useless she is, who can’t make a decent dosa.. we tried to reason with her & Chikku forced her to have some chapathi of ours, but then her verdict was that, a person who doesn’t know how to make dosa doesn’t deserve to have food!!!!!!!!
Another incident that stands bright in my memory about Dee is of rainy nights. Rosh used to go home on all weekends. So Dee sleeps alone in the room. One night, it was raining complete with thunder and lightning. The true mals we are, Chikku & myself are oblivious of this and was sound asleep. Suddenly Chikku senses a movement at the foot of her bed. She springs up and sees a figure sitting there. And the meek voice of Dee speaks..
“I am scared of sleeping alone in thunder & lightning. So can I please sit here at the foot of the bed till it is over”.
Chikku mumbles consent and goes back to sleep and me, is dead in the land of slumber….. And Dee remained there till the thunder storm passed & no, it was not a once in a life time incident. It faithfully lasted till the monsoon was over, whenever Dee was alone in her room
*Bows and leaves the Stage*
P.S : A million dollar to whom ever will guess what the pic here means
Thursday, May 13, 2010
The Stint at Mangie- #704, Golden Empire
It is now that I realize that the 2 years I spend in Mangalore is a unique phase of my life. Unique and lovely. And never again those sort of days are going to come back. Struggling to find a footing all alone, adjusting with people and the joys and maladies of it. It was a carefree life, though realizing that the sugar jar is empty after you have finished making the coffee at 12:00 in the midnight has it’s own frustrations..
#704, Golden Empire
This was the flat we hunted for as if there is no tomorrow. And 704 warmed us all, because of the many balconies and the furniture that came with the house & also because the owner promised to give us a washing machine!!!!!! Dee, Chikku , SaivaChettiyar (SAI) moved into this flat on the 2nd of July 2008. And to our great luck 3rd of July was a hartal in Mangalore which provided us with a day off!!!! SAI & myself did a funky paalukaachal too, and then analyzed the direction to which the milk boiled out, so that SAI’s mom can tell us how auspicious our stay there is going to be!!!! Yeah, a bunch of logical thinking engineers we are….
Life was good,even amidst the yaksha-ganas that used to be staged at the ground near our flat, for all occassions good and bad. Pardon me for my gross sense of enjoying arts. But for God's sake, i cant understand what is there to enjoy in an art form, which only consist of a costumed man, shrieking & shouting murder at high pitches in the highest decibel a human can attain. Many a nights we have spent on our favourite sofa with iPods plugged into out ears to escape the madness. There was no way,we could sleep with all the yelling going around.. But then we thourougly enjoted the lovely rasams that SAI used to make, the late night anthaakshari we had after a rain-dance at office, gossips exchanged,antics of Dee.. It was nice, except for the water seeping through the walls during the monsoons. And we were scared out of our wits when the main-switch almost fused out, coz the box housing it was flooded with water. IF not for Chikku who was sleeping on the sofa that day, we all would have been dead meat!!!!!! She smelt the wires getting burnt and promptly alerted the watch-man, who inturn cut off the power to our flat.
SAI moved out & Rosh joined us. A real angel and we all got to eat yum food when she came back from home after weekends. Mid-2009, my nephew who is 6 years elder to me also moved in and finally we had a chaperon.(Pssst.. Our floor had 3 flats, and the other two housed bachelor boys much to our amusement/astonishment & the nephew moved into one of them). We cooked, drove pigeons out of the washing machine, Scrubbed the floor- tile by tile, made midnight trips to the junction to get curd, Dee and Rosh practised mehendi designs on the lesser-crafty souls like Chikku&me, nursed many heartaches and finally had to leave the house for the love for our lives. The next monsoon saw us yapping at layers of plaster falling off from the wall,because of the rain soaking the walls..
And we decided that is it.. It is time for us to move out.. And it was time for Rosh to fly to her husband also.
And the search started in frenzy. We couldn’t find a place that would accommodate even Chikku & me together. And so I packed my things and moved to another hole (it was literally a hole)near the old flat itself.
I didn’t shift as a whole. Did take bits & pieces of luggage and used to dump them in the new flat on a daily basis. And then on the day I was moving in there, as Ans so imagined, I just swung the HUGE suitcase I own and went in there to stay for good..
Yes, as amma and ammachi had doubted about me adjusting with 3 tamilians, I had major difficultiy. I mean, with due respect to them(i have wonderful friends who are tamilians themselves), the cleanliness levels of theirs was in a totally different wavelength as mine. It calls for another post..
Cheers to 704 and to my roomies(Something I wrote as a farewell to #704)
I was quiet comfy with the place i was staying. A nice spacious, airy, sunny 2BHK. And the high light was the sofa in the drawing room. All of us loved curling up on it, either chatting on the phone, reading a book, or jabbering away into the wee hours of the morning. And the sofa was never left alone. One after the other, we used to perch on it, till we were all worn out and HAD to hit the bed.
Can you believe that a concrete roof can leak. Well, it did in our place and the walls were soaked with water. THis monsoon there was even a spot where water was oozing out of the wall.And here we are shifting to other places for our personal safety.
The bags are packed and ready to go, the utensils all stacked away to be whisked to the new dwellings.. THe flat looks so empty. The sofa looks empty without assortment of chargers, books and even clothes. The dining table lies bare of the jars of chutneys and pickles we bring from home, garnished with our mothers love. The counter at the kitchen looks clean with out the stray peel of onion or potato ,the aftermaths of our chapathi making trials and the sink has no vessels in it.
The bed rooms are no different. The mattresses are all rolled off and the wardrobe emptied.
Sigh, we are moving out today...
This was my first place outside home. And so it will always have a special place in my heart.
Anyway, Cheers to my roomies and to 704, for a new beginning..... yeah, and to the worn out sofa...
#704, Golden Empire
This was the flat we hunted for as if there is no tomorrow. And 704 warmed us all, because of the many balconies and the furniture that came with the house & also because the owner promised to give us a washing machine!!!!!! Dee, Chikku , SaivaChettiyar (SAI) moved into this flat on the 2nd of July 2008. And to our great luck 3rd of July was a hartal in Mangalore which provided us with a day off!!!! SAI & myself did a funky paalukaachal too, and then analyzed the direction to which the milk boiled out, so that SAI’s mom can tell us how auspicious our stay there is going to be!!!! Yeah, a bunch of logical thinking engineers we are….
Life was good,even amidst the yaksha-ganas that used to be staged at the ground near our flat, for all occassions good and bad. Pardon me for my gross sense of enjoying arts. But for God's sake, i cant understand what is there to enjoy in an art form, which only consist of a costumed man, shrieking & shouting murder at high pitches in the highest decibel a human can attain. Many a nights we have spent on our favourite sofa with iPods plugged into out ears to escape the madness. There was no way,we could sleep with all the yelling going around.. But then we thourougly enjoted the lovely rasams that SAI used to make, the late night anthaakshari we had after a rain-dance at office, gossips exchanged,antics of Dee.. It was nice, except for the water seeping through the walls during the monsoons. And we were scared out of our wits when the main-switch almost fused out, coz the box housing it was flooded with water. IF not for Chikku who was sleeping on the sofa that day, we all would have been dead meat!!!!!! She smelt the wires getting burnt and promptly alerted the watch-man, who inturn cut off the power to our flat.
SAI moved out & Rosh joined us. A real angel and we all got to eat yum food when she came back from home after weekends. Mid-2009, my nephew who is 6 years elder to me also moved in and finally we had a chaperon.(Pssst.. Our floor had 3 flats, and the other two housed bachelor boys much to our amusement/astonishment & the nephew moved into one of them). We cooked, drove pigeons out of the washing machine, Scrubbed the floor- tile by tile, made midnight trips to the junction to get curd, Dee and Rosh practised mehendi designs on the lesser-crafty souls like Chikku&me, nursed many heartaches and finally had to leave the house for the love for our lives. The next monsoon saw us yapping at layers of plaster falling off from the wall,because of the rain soaking the walls..
And we decided that is it.. It is time for us to move out.. And it was time for Rosh to fly to her husband also.
And the search started in frenzy. We couldn’t find a place that would accommodate even Chikku & me together. And so I packed my things and moved to another hole (it was literally a hole)near the old flat itself.
I didn’t shift as a whole. Did take bits & pieces of luggage and used to dump them in the new flat on a daily basis. And then on the day I was moving in there, as Ans so imagined, I just swung the HUGE suitcase I own and went in there to stay for good..
Yes, as amma and ammachi had doubted about me adjusting with 3 tamilians, I had major difficultiy. I mean, with due respect to them(i have wonderful friends who are tamilians themselves), the cleanliness levels of theirs was in a totally different wavelength as mine. It calls for another post..
Cheers to 704 and to my roomies(Something I wrote as a farewell to #704)
I was quiet comfy with the place i was staying. A nice spacious, airy, sunny 2BHK. And the high light was the sofa in the drawing room. All of us loved curling up on it, either chatting on the phone, reading a book, or jabbering away into the wee hours of the morning. And the sofa was never left alone. One after the other, we used to perch on it, till we were all worn out and HAD to hit the bed.
Can you believe that a concrete roof can leak. Well, it did in our place and the walls were soaked with water. THis monsoon there was even a spot where water was oozing out of the wall.And here we are shifting to other places for our personal safety.
The bags are packed and ready to go, the utensils all stacked away to be whisked to the new dwellings.. THe flat looks so empty. The sofa looks empty without assortment of chargers, books and even clothes. The dining table lies bare of the jars of chutneys and pickles we bring from home, garnished with our mothers love. The counter at the kitchen looks clean with out the stray peel of onion or potato ,the aftermaths of our chapathi making trials and the sink has no vessels in it.
The bed rooms are no different. The mattresses are all rolled off and the wardrobe emptied.
Sigh, we are moving out today...
This was my first place outside home. And so it will always have a special place in my heart.
Anyway, Cheers to my roomies and to 704, for a new beginning..... yeah, and to the worn out sofa...
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Touched a Raw Spot Somewhere
Came across an article in the office blogs..Sharing it here, with all credit given to the author.. Hmmmmmmm...
"and that reminds me of something i've been mulling over lately... "honour killings". what is it about "honour" and "the family name" and "values" and "morals" that drives people into killing their own children/siblings/nepwhews/nieces ? what is this family name or this value system that they are trying so hard to protect? what is so noble about marrying within one's own community, or only to the person of one's parents' choice, as to earn the chance to be spared at the hands of an "honour killer"? is the so called shame of having to endure taunts from neighbours and relatives so very unbearable, that it could drive a father or a mother to kill the very child they brought into this world?
i've heard people say, "your parents brought you up with a great deal of love and affection, so they would expect..." and yet we also hear the same people say, "a mother's love is unconditional". expectation is an exception to the unconditionality i guess...
strange is this world and strange are the ways of the people that inhabit it! and for all the strangeness, i do hope we don't lose genuinely nice people to maniacs who are out to protect their so called honour; god knows, we need nice people around. "
"and that reminds me of something i've been mulling over lately... "honour killings". what is it about "honour" and "the family name" and "values" and "morals" that drives people into killing their own children/siblings/nepwhews/nieces ? what is this family name or this value system that they are trying so hard to protect? what is so noble about marrying within one's own community, or only to the person of one's parents' choice, as to earn the chance to be spared at the hands of an "honour killer"? is the so called shame of having to endure taunts from neighbours and relatives so very unbearable, that it could drive a father or a mother to kill the very child they brought into this world?
i've heard people say, "your parents brought you up with a great deal of love and affection, so they would expect..." and yet we also hear the same people say, "a mother's love is unconditional". expectation is an exception to the unconditionality i guess...
strange is this world and strange are the ways of the people that inhabit it! and for all the strangeness, i do hope we don't lose genuinely nice people to maniacs who are out to protect their so called honour; god knows, we need nice people around. "
Friday, May 7, 2010
Me was happy when i realised .........
You realise that chivalry and gallantry, goodness of heart and generousity are not dead, when your male project mates reserve the front seat of the cab for you, in which you are the only female travelling, even though they will have to duck their tall lanky legs under the seat and sit uncomfortably for over an hour in the back seats.
Prashanth & Kunal.. This is dedicated to you!!!!!
Prashanth & Kunal.. This is dedicated to you!!!!!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The Reward....
Most things in life comes with a price tag attached to it.. Monetarialy or otherwise.. But certain other things comes with a reward attached to it.. Like the train journeys...
The reward of the journey is???? The YUMMILICIOUS biriyani i always order from Hotel Kairali for the trip :-) Hmmmmmmm... The IRCTC biriyani is also a close bet too....
The reward of the journey is???? The YUMMILICIOUS biriyani i always order from Hotel Kairali for the trip :-) Hmmmmmmm... The IRCTC biriyani is also a close bet too....
Monday, April 26, 2010
Baby Talk with Nieces
The aunt is snuggling and rolling on the bed with the eldest niece.. The niece is in a good mood to be pampered and loved.. There are a lot of kisses and mock-bites delivered. And the aunt began to talk with the niece...
Aunt : Can i kiss you??
Niece: Yeeees *A kiss promptly delivered*
Aunt : Can i hug you?
Niece : Yeeeeeees *A hug is given*
Aunt : Can i eat you??
Niece : *With a mock-scared expression* Noooooo... I will get blood (baby-talk of, it will pain me )
Fastforward to 4 years...
The same scene repeats with the second niece, at precisely the same age as the elder one was,when the above incident happened..
Aunt : Can i kiss you??
Niece: OKkkkkk *She answers with a bored expression &the aunt delivers a kiss *
Aunt : Can i hug you?
Niece : OKkkkkk *With the same bored expression and the aunt quickly gives a hug *
Aunt : Can i eat you??
Niece : *Looks up from what she was doing with a quiet startled look & says matter-of-factly& with her ever-naughty-look* Nooooooo...You go eat chicken&chooru.... !!!!!!!!!
Hmmmmm.... Point taken, my Nans
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Jinxed with trains
I think i am terriblyjinxed with trains... But how i love the train journeys themselves. The multicoloured landscape rolliing past you. Differnt shades at differnet times of the year... And you get to meet wide variety of people co-travelling with you. Some grumpy, some their noses deeply burried in their own business, some looking for the slightest reason to get cranky like a year-old who is teething,some over friendly-making you yearn for some quiet time, but a few others who respect your space but at the same time is friendly enough for those few hours span.....
In mid-2009 i had to travel home coz chech and the girls were home and i just couldnt miss being here when the girls were ripping the house apart :-). So got into a train in general compartament (!!!!!!) confident that i will be home early morn and can cathc some sleep before the kids are up... Only if i knew that, i plan in great detail, only to be a victim of the exact reverse .. The co-passengers were a nightmare. Quarelling with each other for God-knows what. And people were literally pushing me to get space on the rack i was perched upon... I composed myself saying that i would be home soon...well, in the middle of the night the train stopped somewhere... And it remained put.. It was rainign heavily which saved us from the terrible heat that would build up when a few hundred human bodies are packed like sardines. THe train didnt move an inch. By early morning we heard that there is a land slide at few kilometers from where we were stuck and it would take hous for the trains to start moving...I couldnt afford to waste time waiting on a train, when all i wanted is to play silly with the girls.. SO i stepped out from the familiarity of the train,into pouring rain and marched out of a tiny station which housed as much as a staion-masters office. Managed to manouver my way into the nearest town after changing two local buses. The town was steaming with people from various trains that were stranded in the nearby places, having the very smae brain-wave as mine. To cut a long story short, i managed to board a bus for the 4 hour journey home. And all was well, when a very tired, ragged aunt walked into the house to the glee of 2 surprised yet, happily grinning nieces and to the wondering-look of the tiny one... Though i dont want to remember or mention the details of that highly disturbing and tiring bus journy
But todays journey was most disturbing. An uncle had passed away and in the name of a dumb "project issue" my boss in Netherlands wanted me to send condolances and stay back at office.. Yeah, dream on!!!!!!!... And i walked out of office,blowing his protest in the air,fully assured that now i have G to fall back on,even if they chuck me out !!!!!! Got into train, happy that i will be home in the wee hours of mornign. But when the train chugged into a station which is about 6hours away from the station i was supposed to get down, at the scheduled arrival time; i sensed things were BAD.. This time it was a goods train which was derailed that made my day a nightmare... Though initially a bugging,over-interfering guy tried to befirend me, i was lucky to get the company of a very nice lady. She made my day with small talks and a happy time.WE were drenched in the summer sun for a whole day and the horrible experience ofthe yester-years bus journey after the train being stuck, made me sink deep into the seats ignoring the sun... And 24 hours after i started i reached home, also with a 14 hour delay from the scheduled arrival...But i was lucky enough to bid the beloved uncle goodbye. Aunt MA was not so lucky.. SHe was stuck at some place even farther from home and had to finally take a taxi to get home before the next day's train she has to catch back home..
In mid-2009 i had to travel home coz chech and the girls were home and i just couldnt miss being here when the girls were ripping the house apart :-). So got into a train in general compartament (!!!!!!) confident that i will be home early morn and can cathc some sleep before the kids are up... Only if i knew that, i plan in great detail, only to be a victim of the exact reverse .. The co-passengers were a nightmare. Quarelling with each other for God-knows what. And people were literally pushing me to get space on the rack i was perched upon... I composed myself saying that i would be home soon...well, in the middle of the night the train stopped somewhere... And it remained put.. It was rainign heavily which saved us from the terrible heat that would build up when a few hundred human bodies are packed like sardines. THe train didnt move an inch. By early morning we heard that there is a land slide at few kilometers from where we were stuck and it would take hous for the trains to start moving...I couldnt afford to waste time waiting on a train, when all i wanted is to play silly with the girls.. SO i stepped out from the familiarity of the train,into pouring rain and marched out of a tiny station which housed as much as a staion-masters office. Managed to manouver my way into the nearest town after changing two local buses. The town was steaming with people from various trains that were stranded in the nearby places, having the very smae brain-wave as mine. To cut a long story short, i managed to board a bus for the 4 hour journey home. And all was well, when a very tired, ragged aunt walked into the house to the glee of 2 surprised yet, happily grinning nieces and to the wondering-look of the tiny one... Though i dont want to remember or mention the details of that highly disturbing and tiring bus journy
But todays journey was most disturbing. An uncle had passed away and in the name of a dumb "project issue" my boss in Netherlands wanted me to send condolances and stay back at office.. Yeah, dream on!!!!!!!... And i walked out of office,blowing his protest in the air,fully assured that now i have G to fall back on,even if they chuck me out !!!!!! Got into train, happy that i will be home in the wee hours of mornign. But when the train chugged into a station which is about 6hours away from the station i was supposed to get down, at the scheduled arrival time; i sensed things were BAD.. This time it was a goods train which was derailed that made my day a nightmare... Though initially a bugging,over-interfering guy tried to befirend me, i was lucky to get the company of a very nice lady. She made my day with small talks and a happy time.WE were drenched in the summer sun for a whole day and the horrible experience ofthe yester-years bus journey after the train being stuck, made me sink deep into the seats ignoring the sun... And 24 hours after i started i reached home, also with a 14 hour delay from the scheduled arrival...But i was lucky enough to bid the beloved uncle goodbye. Aunt MA was not so lucky.. SHe was stuck at some place even farther from home and had to finally take a taxi to get home before the next day's train she has to catch back home..
Leaving with the pics of the happy time i came to after train-chucking and bus hopping last year....
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Vishu Aashamsakal
Today is Vishu, they say the beginnign of the Malayam year. People wake up to an elborately prepared Vishu Kani, complete with the riches and the finest things life can bring. Assortment of vegetables, the lovely konna poo, fine clothes, gold jwellery and of course money..
But this new year, above wealth and health i wish myself and my loved ones, a year filled with a lot of love to go around- to give and to take in bountiful, people to care for you& for you to care about and to make you giddily happy, reasons to laugh out loud from the pit of your stomach,intelligent ideas to ponder over, a skip in your step, and a song on your lips, enough money to satisfy you, enough trials to keep you rooted to the ground, hands to hold you tight and shoulders to weep on.....
May this year be a blessed one, with you in the hollow of the creators hands....
But this new year, above wealth and health i wish myself and my loved ones, a year filled with a lot of love to go around- to give and to take in bountiful, people to care for you& for you to care about and to make you giddily happy, reasons to laugh out loud from the pit of your stomach,intelligent ideas to ponder over, a skip in your step, and a song on your lips, enough money to satisfy you, enough trials to keep you rooted to the ground, hands to hold you tight and shoulders to weep on.....
May this year be a blessed one, with you in the hollow of the creators hands....
Saturday, April 3, 2010
The Boss....
Aah.. I am about a week late in publishing this. But then.. Better late than never. Today was palm sunday. The passion week we look forward to started today. I went to church, only to miss Kottayam all the more badly..Those were really the days. Practising for weeks the chants and the songs. And then the joy of them coming out perfectly well. The sheer goosebumps when thousand odd people recite prayer after prayer together and when hundreds of hearts are united and is at THE THRONE.... Oohh.. How beautiful were they. But then that was not the only feeling
As the preiest go through chanths after chants, it begins to touch on some raw spots in all our hearts at one point or the other.. What condition-less love led The Man to give his life for creatures like me.. Oh.. giving away the life is simple, but to go through the torture, humiliation and the torments..That too by the King of Kings....Isnt He disappointed at sometime seeing wayward creatures like me?? No way, that was The Love... Which led Him to take the scorn and the whips and the slashes so gracefully.. Knowing fully well, that He was saving generations and generation of sin....
Well, Anna is going to be rid of unnecessary worries, too much of complaints and the lack of trust this week.. Why should I fret, when a man loves me so well, knowing my iniquites, my shortcomings and even my tomorrow.. Isnt He in better control of my life than G, N & RP put together and doubled over...... So get a grip and face the world with a bold bold smile, coz i know who my boss is.
The Boss is INDEED a Jewish Carpenter .....
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