Blah, Blah, Blah!

Three weeks since I left Chennai…assorted stuff has been happening…I was too tempted to get inspired and name this post as “General Bakwas” from my friend’s blog…I somehow liked that phrase…but then dropped the idea of “getting inspired”!

So here are the assorted happenings going on with me in the past three weeks: -

Spent the first week in Mumbai…Coming back to Mumbai always feels good…known place, known language…you simply feel comfortable! Though this time my stay in Mumbai was more of a social-catching-up rather than work…the work domain included only to walk in the office, inquire about any project opportunities and getting nothing close to a positive response J So after this chore, I met my friends from office, VMS, parents’ of my friends, etc., etc., etc… Enjoyed my weekend with the VMS kids…happy to realize that few of the kids recognized me! All others joined in after I left for US so couldn’t blame them…met the Slumdog Millionaire star of VMS: Sidhdhesh PAtil…am so excited to know that one of my students actually acted in this movie that’s been appreciated worlwide! The weekend went great with these kids…though I found myself amidst a GK quiz when a group of 6-7 answer-us-else-you’ll-bear-the-consequences surrounded me and started shooting questions! History, Geography, Science, Movies, Sports…you think of a topic and there was a question about it!! I guess I scored pretty decent…maybe an 8/10! J one of the kids asked me New Zealand’s capital and I was completely blank!! Not good, right!? But it actually happened! Another kid had a fascination for Australia! He wanted to know everything about the place, the language, currency, sports, and last but not the least…”the number of cities”! few other questions included: How many rivers and states are there in USA, who are the top actor and actresses in Hollywood, currency of Australia, China, etc. National sport of US, how are volcanoes formed, weather condition of places where I stayed in US, how do people manage in the snow, the list is endless….I just wished my kids to be as inquisitive as these guys!! No harm in wishing…ain’t it!?

Had another interesting experience…I boarded a local from Andheri to Borivali on the 2nd day of my stay in Mumbai…as I got in the ladies compartment, my glance met the eyes of a dame…smart and pretty…holding one of my favorite books…Shantaram…maybe I was biased, but I immediately grew fond of this gal. we just exchanged smiles and the journey began. HOLD ON! Don’t you guys dare to rush your thoughts in the Dostana direction!! The fondness and smiles were VERY MUCH straight! :D anyways, back to the story… More and more people got in the train at each station. A scarf wearing girl got in my compartment at Goregaon…there was something very peculiar about this girl, and her actions made her all the more to-be–noticed kinds. She simply rushed in the compartment and threw her bagpack on the shelf above and ran back towards the gate…the train hadn’t started by this time…I was noticing her, and after her bagpack-throwing-in-the-shelf action, I missed a heartbeat…at this moment my eyes met the eyes of Shantram-holding-girl and we saw the same fear in each other’s eyes…the next moment both of us were frantically searching for that girl in the pool of women standing with a thousand thoughts going in our minds…a couple of minutes after the train started, we finally saw that gal standing at the door...we saw her, felt kind of relaxed and smiled back at each other…this whole incident happened in a span of not more than 4-5 minutes, but the adrenaline rush was something that I experienced for the first time. That incident shook me, for the fear, for the helplessness, for the universal nature of these feelings…and more than everything else, it shook me for the naked fact that how presumed we have become about things, to how much extent our notions and concepts have been preconceived with the past incidents! Wish the world becomes a peaceful place to live in…

Watched Oscars and it was great to see ARR and Rasool to get a worlwide recognition for their amazing work! More than for Slumdog, I feel this Oscar should be seen as more of a tribute to ARR for his amazing work all these years! He ROCKS!

Watched Delhi 6 with my friends…liked the movie despite a few loopholes here n’ there …I loved the songs…Dil gira dafatan is my fav…I instantly fell in love with the word “dafatan”…its’ just so beautiful! I loved Abhishek…didn’t notice his accent that people are complaining about…I was lost in his eyes….(long sigh)….and the sweet romance b/w Roshan and Bittu…it was suchcha pleasant change to see the subtle romance which is not-so-common these days! Infact I loved the line that Bittu says after Roshan proposes her…”mujhe laga tum yeh kabhi nahi bologe…”! (I thought you would never say that…)hayyy! So sweet! For a more professional review visit http://atleespeak.blogspot.com/2009/02/dilli-35.html

Came home, always feels good to be back…unpacked my bags “yet-another-time” not knowing when would I need to pack it again…getting lectures from aai on the ocean of stuff I possess! [she’s still not aware of the 25-30 books that I couldn’t carry with myself from Chennai due to the weight restrictions on the flight!! ;) ]…anyways, apart from that its’ just complete absolute vellagiri happening…ma and pa leave for their jobs and follow a disciplined routine…as for me, I am waiting to get allocated to a project, pass my time with TV, movies, books, cooking and search-for-a-project…tough one at this time! And becomes all the more difficult to maintain your patience and keep your cool when there’s recession all around, and when you get the news from all directions about people being laid off from the company, its’ just a cherry on the cake!! …but then, a-pat-on-my-back…m doing a pretty decent job on this front…though I had almost lost it the day before…infact I have been thinking all the what-if options! :) not a bad time to pursue your ambitions, hobbies and change in your professional profile! Well, in my case, I can go bagpacking to some place, or try my hands on that white-chef-cap in some restaurant, or start writing something more structured and disciplined! Infact, had I got a boyfriend handy, I actually would have thought of getting married and play the role-of-a-homemaker! ;)) there’s no harm in thinking, ain’t it!? On a more serious note, I am trying to find some opportunity so that I can start working ASAP…compulsive vellagiri is strictly not my types! :D

Watched Filmfare tonite…must say IK and RK did a pretty decent job…pleasant change sans dirty jokes, dark humor and sarcasm…though SRK was as always I-am-present kinds…liked Priyanka’s eye make-up…Aishwarya looked pleasant with her simple look, especially the small bindi…flanked by AB Sr. and AB Jr. just helped her catch all the more eyes! ;) Jodha Akbar was overhyped! Shockingly “A Wednesday” didn’t get awards it deserved…loved ARR for his modesty and simplicity…and the thank-you-speech of Manjot Singh for his Best Actor Critic Award was really cute and genuine!

And to end it, this pop up seems to be apt! The iconic fashion doll Barbie turned 50 today! Though she doesn’t look 50, but then she doesn’t look like a doll either! I never liked her anyways! Check out this quotation by Paris Hilton: "One of my heroes has always been Barbie. She may not do anything, but she always looks amazing doing it." so typically Paris Hilltonish!!

Help Gaurav...

for all of you reading this post, pass it on to everyone you know...

http://helpgaurav.com/

Let's not ignore something like this for once!

life is beautiful...

There are times when you feel really really low, depressed, sad....evrything around seems meaningless...all you feel like doing is crying out...and you know that there's absolutely no reason for doing that...but thats something you just feel like and there's nothing wrong in just doing what you feel like...ain't it..!?!and to put an icing on the cake, you don't know the reason for this mess...for me...I know the reason..."hormones at work"...one of those days that make you feel pathetic!! just a biological phenomenon...nothing more...nothing less...all that you need is to pull yourself up and "DO" something...sitting, thinking just helps to worsen the situation...and hello! why on the earth am I writing all this!! The reason is simple enough...I am "doing" something...after pulling myself up...the weather's really nice out here...the songs are one of my "all time favorites"...Hazaron Khwahishein Aisi...there's something about the songs that just soothes me completely...now when I sit here and think about the state I was in fifteen minutes back...all I do is smile...I then realize the sadly funny part of all of us, somewhere deep down in each one us is a compulsive self obsessed creature...My wishes, My concerns, My problems, My sorrows, My life, My life's story, and the list never ends...when I see myself in this state from a third person's perspective, I feel so low and shallow...I am on the verge of losing my self respect...but never lose it...'coz each time I find myself in this mess, I just pull myself out of it....look at myself from the eyes of a person who has problems bigger than mine.. sorrows greater than mine...challenges more serious than mine...and all that remains is a guilt inside of being so self obsessed...self centered comforted by a feeling of thankfulness to God who has blessed me with such a lovely life ....parents that are too great to be expressed in words...family that has stood by me always, friends who are some of the most wonderful people I have met, ability to be independent socially and financially, experiences that have made me a better person than what I was, and maturity to understand all these things and then I promise myself of not falling in this trap very often and whenever I am into this mode, then thinking the same each time... My life is a beautiful song, so what if I am not that great a singer to sing it along, melody of this song is so eternal and beautiful, that even my "not so melodious" voice manages to make it meaningful...

Hey, time won't wait... Life goes by... Every day's a brand new sky... Every tear comes to dry... by Rebecca Lynn Howard and Jim Brickman

endless race...

Its’ been quite sometime coming to the workplace has become an ordeal for me…I am finding myself void of opportunities to learn and grow…that’s what I think…each day I come here, talk to the people up in the hierarchy about my concerns. The best part is all of them have time to listen to me and a decent understanding about my concerns but the worst part is nothing is being done about it.

Yesterday I happened to talk to one of my close friends. She is flying onsite next month, and I am really happy for her! She was struggling for it for the past 5-6 months…but there was something in our conversation that hit me real hard…suddenly she broke down and told me about her fear of going away from her family, her boyfriend, her friends…she was afraid of losing it all….it struck me so hard that what are we running after!!? I was forced to think why I get upset after coming to the office? Why I am complaining about the people around for not doing anything? What is it exactly that I want people to do? Aren’t we just running an endless race…running after something which even we don’t know…running just for the sake of it….

Isn’t it all about priorities!? One can’t get everything at the same time…he has to chose one from many…once that’s achieved…he runs after the other….and it goes on and on and on…I just thought about the many people I know and was amused that each one of them is after something…one wants a better job with a bigger salary…another wants a change in job but can’t get one…reason being his current package is SO huge that the other companies can’t afford him!! One is in the USA but feels sad being away from home and friends….another going to USA after a long struggle but now apprehensive about going there…still another who’s not even sure if at all she wants to leave her country…one tensed about not getting married…another crying for getting married so early that she couldn’t “enjoy” her life….one cribbing about not having a boyfriend…another tensed about the future with his girlfriend….the list is endless….

At the end of these string of thoughts all I am left with is “amusement”….life is so simple and we make it so complicated…. those 10 bucks as pocket money seemed so big an amount when we were kids…and today after earning thousands of rupees…what we crave for is MORE!! Prioritizing is necessary most of the times…but then a line needs to be drawn somewhere….or else we’ll keep on running after the unknown and the next second…life is gone…over….!

Life’s not just about running…craving for more….its’ also about being happy for what we have…stopping and enjoying the moments…making memories for us and for others…trying to be there for the people we love and care…may each one of us achieve what we want and feel content and happy about it….Amen...

Munnabhai!!

Watched Munnabhai, lage raho last week…its’ an awesome movie!! Nothing else to say for it…I appreciate the ease with which the Director who picked up only the positive universal principles of Gandhiji and conveyed it so beautifully…I am not a “typical pro-Gandhi” but I simply loved it!!! A really well made movie!!!

These lines in the movie are so true…they compel you to think about it…but nothing else…we think..and think…and leave it….

Shaher ki es daud me daud ke karna kya hai?
Jab yehi jeena hai dosto to phir marna kya hai?
Paheli barish me train late hone ki fikr hai
Bhul gaye bhigte hue tahelna kya hai?
Serials ke kirdaaro ka saara haal hai malum
par maa ka haal puchhne ki fursat kise hai?
Ab ret pe nage pao tahelte kyu nahi?
108 hai chanel phir dil bahelte kyu nahi?
Internet ki duniya ke to touch me hai,
lekin pados me kon raheta hai jaante tak nahi.
Mobile, Landline sab ki bharmaar hai,
Lekin jigri dost tak pahuche aise taar kaha hai?
Kab dubte hue suraj ko dekha tha yaad hai?
Kab jaana tha shaam ka woh banana kya hai?
To Dosto Shaher ki es daud me daud ke karna kya hai
Jab yahi jeena hai to phir Marna kya hai?

aging...

I happened to read George Carlin's Views on Aging... found it worth mentioning on my blog...

Here it goes...

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.
"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.
You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. . YOU BECOME 21.
YESSSS!!!
But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa!
Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50
and your dreams are gone.
But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!
So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.
You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!
You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

These might help...

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them "

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9 Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

humor Vs sentiments

I happened to read Sidin’s interview on one of the sites while browsing; its’ quite interesting to find a guy who is an IIM-A pass out and who left a decent job to take “writing” as a full time profession!! Since then I have been visiting his blog. One fine day I randomly jumped to another blog via Sidin’s blog and have become a big time fan of this chap called Abhinav! I really admire people who have a good sense of humor and my admiration grows all the more when they can map their “sense of humor” into words!! This guy seems to be just too good at it…everytime I am pissed off from this place called “office” or when work stops fascinating me (not that I am fascinated by it at any point of time!), I simply read this blog and end up giggling!!


When I read Abhinav’s blog, I was forced to think about the content on my blog and I was astonished to find out that the whole stuff on my blog was so “senti” and “nostalgic”!!! I had/ have no intentions what so ever to compare any two blogs; only that I was a bit surprised on this discovery! Most of the people who know me are aware about my humorous side, and what surprised me was not even one tiny tweety bit of it was present in my blog!! Somewhere I realized that each time I had scribbled something on my blog was at an instance when I was too full of nostalgia and emotions and found my blog as the best place to vent out those emotions…only on such occasions the “dormant writer” in me wakes up!! I always believe that each one of us has a unique way of letting out our emotions; I happen to pour it out in words too full of sentiments and nostalgia managing with my limited, restricted writing skills and vocabulary…people like Abhinav, on the other hand happen to vent it out in the funniest possible combination of words!!! As far as my sense of humor is concerned, I happen to use it with myself and people around…and most importantly I find myself handicapped in mapping my Sense of Humor with my writing skills…very much unlike Abhinav! Maybe someday, I’ll write something “humorous”…at the end of day your blog is the space to write whatever you feel like, its’ not about writing good or bad; its’ just about putting your thoughts, perceptions, ideas at some place that you own…

down the memory lane...

I had started writing something...but then suddenly I was bombarded with "work"...yes..."work"...that I am not used of...So my scribbling was put on hold till now...even now I have "work"...but everyone deserves a break...isn't it...??

I recieved an email from one of my friends today...a forward to be specific...I usually ignore forwards, but happened to check out this one...and That was one of height of coincidence!! It was actually everything I had started scribbling about...

So, here it is...I am sure all of you will go down the memory lane of your childhood...its' really nostalgic...

When gulli-danda and kanche (marbles) were more
popular than cricket…

When we always had friends to play aais-paais (I-Spy), chhepan-chhepai and pitthoo anytime…

When we desperately waited for 'yeh jo hai jindagi'

When chitrahaar, vikram-baitaal, dada daadi ki
kahaniyaan were so
fulfilling…

When there was just one tv in every five houses and
When bisleris were not sold in the trains and
we were worrying if papas will get back into the train in time or not when they were getting down
at stations to fill up the water bottle…

When we were going to bed by 9.00pm sharp except for
the 'yeh jo hai zindagi' day ..

When Holis & Diwalis meant mostly hand-made pakwaans
and sweets and
moms seeking our help while preparing them…

When Maths teachers were not worried of our mummysand papas while slapping/beating us…

When we were exchanging comics and stamps and
chacha-chaudaris and billus were our heroes...

When we were in nanihaals every summer and loved flying kites and plucking and eating unripe mangoes and leechis ..

When one movie every Sunday evening on television
was more than asked
for and 'ek do teen chaar' and 'Rajni' inspired us .

When 50 paisa meant at least 10 toffees ...

When left over pages of the last years notebooks
were used for rough work or even fair work .

When 'chelpark' and 'natraaj' were encouraged
against 'reynolds and family' ..

When the first rain meant getting drenched and
playing in water and mud
and making 'kaagaz ki kashtis' ...

When there were no phones to tell friends that we
will be at their homes at six in the evening .

When we were using our hearts more than our brains,
even for
scientifically brainy activities like 'thinking' and
'deciding'

When we were crying and laughing more often, more
openly and more sincerely…

When we were enjoying our present more than worrying
about our future…
When being emotional was not synonymous to being
weak…

When sharing worries and happinesses didnt mean
getting vulnerable to the listener .

When blacks and whites were the favourite colors
instead of greys…

When journeys also were important and not just the
destinations....

the list can be endless...

Generation gap!?

Tanvi, one of my cute little cousins turned 5 yesterday…Both of us share an age difference of some 20 odd years!! I made it a point to go and attend her Birthday Party no matter what…and what a wise decision that was!! Tanvi looked amazingly pretty in her birthday dress…her smile made her look all the more charming. She was all busy with her friends…a gang of some 10-12 kids…most of them 5-6 years old. Each one of them was dressed up for the occasion, carrying a gift of course! We all played some games, starting with “passing the parcel”. No Birthday Party can be complete without this game! I actually walked down the memory lane of my birthday parties when I was a kid…and all I felt was “nostalgic”….completely nostalgic. Suddenly it seemed that time had just taken a big leap…felt as if it was just a few days back when I was in my school and had a Birthday party like this…time flies off…seriously…

But the surprise was yet to come! After all the games played: indoor and outdoor, the “kids” decided to dance for sometime…only then I realized there were couples in place, as in “boyfriends” and “girlfriends”!!! And my first reaction turned out to be WOW!! I came to know from my aunt about Tanvi’s boyfriend …and I am still searching for one!!! Ain’t that funny!?? Then started the music and the way these kids danced and jived…I was left speechless!
The ease and perfection with which these chaps were shaking their leg was amazing…in between I happened to overhear the conversations these kids had amongst each other…the gals discussed about the latest trends, placed their comments on each others dress and accessories…the guys talked about the movies…the happenings at school and some random stuff. Listening to all that stuff…and watching the way these kids talked, behaved, their expressions, body language…quite some experience, I must say. All n’ all I had a great time!!

When I came back home and lay on the bed, the party snapshots were fresh in my mind. Suddenly I remembered the term “generation gap”! sounds funny, but somewhere down the line I did feel that. As far as my memories go, the way we used to celebrate our Birthday Parties, our topics of conversation, our definition of enjoyment when we were kids seemed to be a bit too old for today…this is very much close to the sentence my parents say to me at times….and I just laugh it out! One of the reasons of me feeling this way might be the fact that I was bought up in a small town…but now when I have moved out and live in a place like Mumbai, after Tanvi’s Birthday Party I felt that the ways of enjoying that I can relate to now are already a part of the kids of Tanvi’s generation…!!

Life styles, perceptions, behavior patterns, everything changes with each generation, but at the same time, the concepts remain universal…Birthdays were, are and will always be celebrated with balloons and ribbons, cakes and gifts; friends will turn up and have a bash…kids will always enjoy the ice-creams and cold-drinks…and of course…“passing the parcel” will always be a part of every Birthday Party!!!

muse...

Aren’t these amusing…?

Dew drop on a leaf…!!
A sudden call from a friend after many years…
The twinkle in the eyes of a baby…
Your pet wagging its’ tail and following you….
Your first job…
Getting gifts for your parents with your first salary and watch them open the gifts…
Watching a kid learn to ride a bicycle…
Smell of the soil after the rains…
All you friends going out in a group to a crowded place n’ randomly sing a Birthday Song for one of the friends…when its’ not his birthday!!
Searching your mum’s purse for chocolates…of course when your mum’s a School Teacher…!!
Holding your baby Bro/sis in your arms…
Chatting with your roommates all night long and laugh endlessly on some stupid jokes…!!
Attending your friend’s marriage..!


There are just too many to list down…anyways I’ll keep on updating this list…