ONE DAY AT COFFEE DAY...

Yes and I am little too polite (friendly may be) to the waiters at the restaurants I visit…and sometimes it backfires.

There is a COFFEE DAY quite close to my house (within a kilometer diameter is considered to be near in Bangalore). So we happen to visit it quite sometimes. One fine day, when I and Db had been there for breakfast, as we were fighting over the menu, I noticed the waiter smiling at us. I wondered if he understood Oriya, but then we just let that pass.

Many a times, I visit the place on my way back from office, to grab a quick sandwich if I missed my evening snacks at office. One such day, I went in. I was greeted by the same waiter…

Good Evening maa’m…he smiled.

I smiled back

Good evening. Could you please pack me a Chicken Tikka Sandwich. Quick Please.

Sure…Au kichi maa’m.(anything else maa’m)

I impulsively raised an eyebrow and smiled at him

Na..setiki ( No that should be fine)

I left with my parcel. I could hear him say…

Sabdhan re jibe maa’m (please drive carefully maa’m)

I was really touched by his gesture. It sure feels good to find a fellow Oriya in Bangalore…and more so when we acknowledge each other.

Last night I happened to go there again. I was greeted by another waiter, though I could find the Oriya guy at the cashier counter. I ordered my usual sandwich, and sat down on the couch with a coffee to kill time. Soon same Oriya guy arrived with my sandwich and the bill.

So how was the diwali maa’m. he smiled at me.

It was good.

So maa’m, what do you do here?

I work.

Where???

IT. What else do Oriya people do here in Bangalore!!!
Suddenly I realized that most of the security guards, watchmen and cooks were also Oriya in Bangalore. But I was sure I didn’t look like one of them.

Married...he inquired.

Yes…my voice had a tinge of skepticism.

Well maa’m, which place from Orissa do you belong?

Rourkela. And where are you from?

Cuttack. Hmm…Rourkela. My girlfriend got married there.
I raised an eyebrow. I didn’t expect him to give me his love details to someone who is almost a stranger. But visibly he misinterpreted my reaction.

No no maa’m. I have no contacts with her anymore…he cleared (As if I was bothered…huh!!!). Last time I went back to my village, she came with her son. That’s when I met her. I am married now, I have two kids…my daughter is 6 years old and my son is 2. So you see, we are both happywith our lives.

Yeah. I started looking at my watch.

I have been across almost the entire west Orissa, worked in almost all kind of restaurants (I was wondering by any chance he believes that people working in IT can refer waiters at restaurants). But then my parents and my brother shifted to Bangalore, so I thought what would I do alone in Orissa, so I joined them too here.

My smile was fast vanishing now.

Oh maa’m. the guy who joins you here often, he must be your husband right!!!

(What the fuck!!!) Yeah. I gotta leave now. Thanks.

Sure maa’m.

I rushed towards the door.

Sabdhan re jibe maa’m (Please drive carefully maa’m).

I went towards my bike without looking back.

I have always been polite to people of the lower grade. That’s because I believe, that makes them happy, feel individual and acknowledged. The lady who cleans the rest room in my office, the security guard who checks me when I enter the office gate, the helper at the coffee machine, the laundry guy for our apartment, my house maid, I always exchange a “hello…how are you” with them. And it makes me feel good since I do consider life is gonna be terrible without them.

But, this time it was like…

बच्चा समझ के गोद में उठा लीया तो कान में सुसु कर दीया

DEEPAWALI CELEBRATION AT OFFICE

Today we had a deepawali celebration at office. Well…I didn’t expect much from it, but some how it was good.

I was really tempted to jump on the stage, but alas…the no. of years and kilos that I have put on, steals away most of the confidence and zeal.

Back in the college days, I remember, jumping on the stage with my friends while the junior was performing on the welcome day for the electricals. We danced the entire song off, while the junior who was originally performing ended up being a spectator herself.

I think I have done it all, all kinds of dancing, singing, a minuscule bit of acting too. But where is the confidence to perform among a thousand people now. I never shied away from the crowd before.

I saw quite a good number of people performing today, not all of them were good but at least they had the guts to come up on stage and give it a shot. A few were so free and absolutely unaware about the spectators, they clearly came to enjoy themselves. I sure believe I was a lot better than most of them, but that’s BOL BACHAN...the end of it, all that matters is, I didn’t have the courage to perform among so many people, which they did. Next time I am sure gonna try something.

And yes...before I forget…HAPPY DIWALI TO ALL OF YOU

The great wall street meltdown

Came accross a nice article on the US recession and the crisis in the finacial market explained in a very simple and interesting way. Have a look:

The great wall street meltdown

FLATTERED...

Off late a lot of people have been surprised to know my marital status. There have been three cases already where people gave me that Oh-you-are-married look to me. May be I am too young to be married…hmm…don’t think so. Then it must be MERI TWACHA SE MERI UMR KA PATA HI NAHIN CHALTA…
Too flattered…more so when Db has been creating a fuss over my steady weight gain all these days.

As happy and thrilled as I am, that doesn’t mean I am gonna forget about my pledge to lose weight. Who knows I might turn into a size zero figure aka Kareena dearest.

Midnight blog from Db's PDA

This infact is a little crazy test blog from Db's new PDA.
Don't know why...but its more fun than my office desktop and the lappie as well. And yes Db's got to watch it...l am already eying on it...muahhhhhhhhhhhhh

DETERMINED THIS TIME…

Every time I looked at the mirror before, it said I wasn’t putting on, Ahem…well…huh…okay…let’s say not too much. Not sure if mirrors lie, or I need to get my eyes checked.

But yes, I have put on…put on a little too much. None of my old dresses fit me anymore. It took me more than half an hour to dress up for office today…why??? Damn…none of my formals fit me. Gone are those days when I used to wear the trendiest of all clothes…now I will have to manage with anything which fits me. SOB SOB

Not really.

I am a Gemini…remember. Not the one to give up so soon.

I am hell determined to hit the gym daily now on. Being lucky enough to have a husband who doesn’t mind me wearing any damn thing on earth, I am not going to give up this luxury just because I couldn’t maintain my figure

So the agenda is:

I am not having food outside (including the home deliveries) more than 2 times a month.

Hit the gym daily for half an hour in the morning.

Suryanamaskar every morning.

No ice creams, and chocolates and pizzas…Db can’t coax me anymore.

No soft drinks either.

No mid-day munching on mixtures, cakes or cookies.

All said and done, I plan to get a weighing machine at home to put a constant check on my weight. If all goes well, I am determined to lose some good 5 kg in the next two months.

AMEN to that!!!

SCARED...WHO ME???

As a teenager I loved horror shows like QUILA, AAHAT and ZEE HORROR SHOW, all of which were telacasted late in the night. My Dad was strictly against watching horror, particularly in the night. He believed, it had some harmful impact on your brains, since some of our brain nerves would be tired and not actively functioning by late in the night. So I would wait for my parents to sleep and then sneak into the drawing room to watch the horror shows.
I remember watching RAAZ with my friends during my hostel days. When we entered the theater, we were 9 people and by the time the movie ended we were only two left in the theater.
We watched BHOOT at the middle of the night, I remember half the hostel slept in the same room with the lights on. I had a hearty laugh on them before I retired to my room. I slept with the lights off.

But last night I watched this movie 1920. When I saw the promos, I passed it off as a B grade horror movie that came from Bollywood in recent times. By word from mouth, I decided to give it a try, horror being one of my favorite genre. I got a DVD, and watched it last night soon after dinner.
This film is certainly not for the faint hearted. Man!!! There were a few breath taking scenes, which sent a chill down my spine. I could have never watched it in the theater.

More than just the horror, each frame in the movie looked like a painting. The movie is set during the year 1920. The locations in Yorkshire are captured very well. The first half is used only to build the platform for the second. Merely, the best part is where Lisa (Adah Sharma) is pulled into a Dark black hole of a room just before interval.
And the roller coaster begins when the girl is possessed by the spirit.
The scene where she is caught by her husband eating a dead cat was disgusting(more so since I am quite incapable of seeing blood).
The scene when she (rather the spirit) talks to the doctor when he is about to inject her.
The exorcism scene, when Lisa breaks loose and runs away.
The climax of the movie is just apt. Normally the horror movies in bollywood have rather funny climax(e.g. BHOOT).
The main protagonist Lisa, she looks like a entirely different person when posses. Brilliant debut. Normally girls look for a debutant film where they can showcase their beauty, dancing skills and sexuality. Its nice to find a debutant who can act.

Overall, its worth a watch.
And yes, after watching the movie, I did feel a little eerie when I entered the kitchen in the dark last night.

DRESSED TO KILL...

No...It wasn't me.

Its some lady at Db's office, the way she dresses up seems to have caught some attention from men. Not sure if its a deliberate attempt, I do know some girls love that kinda attention from men.

But Db is worried, since theirs is a small office with very few employees and he is bothered if she notices him looking at her assets and complains. He has been trying to avoid her by all means but whenever she does come across he cant keep his eyes off her.
He will sure be relieved when she is sent back to Pune, i.e. where she originally comes from, after her deputation is over.

Ah!!!Think of the ways a woman can scare the day lights out of men.

I AM TOP 100

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
I am among the top 100 coders in my firm. I am so happy.

Well...I agree on some foul play. I accept that I answered a few questions by actually running them on eclipse. But then I am sure, everyone would have and why not, it’s a competition and all that matters is YOU GOTTA WIN!!!

And no matter what, I am a winner.

No stop, there are two more rounds to go, to reach the Top 10 coders and win myself a laptop. But I already feel like a winner. Being among top 100 coders in a firm of say 50000 employees, is a great deal too.

Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee again!!!

I AM PLEASANTLY SURPRISED

I am at Db's office today.

On a weekend!!!!, as you might ask. Well...he was working, so I thought I will give him company and will get to see his office too. I always considered his office work culture to be a lot different than what I have normally seen. It’s a smaller firm with a strength of only 200 across Bangalore.

I have always worked for big companies, and branded clients like metLife, New York Times and JPMorgan Chase. Big brands have big policies and big headaches. For instance, I have never known to use yahoo talk and GTalk in office. In my current account, I cant use web mail either. I want to download I.E 1.8 and Google Chrome, to get a hand on the new software, but I can’t download them without the approval from my manager and the networking fellas. Downloading any freeware, mp3, songs, watching youTube, using webmails is all prohibited by my client and my employer. The cab I use, the tea/coffee I drink is all billed to my client. So my employer provides me with limited facilities so that they don’t have to produce never ending bills to their clients. Off late since we have seen the market going down after Lehman brothers and Merrill Lynch have filed for bankruptcy, I have even found toilet tissues disappearing :)

Now I am here since morning and this place has been constantly shocking me.

I am sitting in the ODC(Offshore Development Center) next to Db, blogging on his laptop while he is in talk with some team member, and all I had to do is sign in the Visitor’s Register, I am taken aback at the trust the company has on its employees here.

I look around and find that I have ready access to all the company resources(I just used the scanner) unlike my employer, who allows vistors only till the reception.

I moved to the pantry, I saw all kind of fresh juices, tea, coffee, milk, cornflakes, bread, Jam, soup, Cheese slices, butter, biscuits and whatnot lying just like that, unlike my workplace where you get a limited no. of tea/coffee cups per month, horrible food for lunch and nothing except water is free. I am amazed, to what level this company pampers its employees.

The cleaning guys here are quite friendly and don’t give that why-are-you-here kind of look.

People here don’t have cubicles, they just sit together in one stretch of a table, including all managers who are given no special rooms or dedicated phone lines, and everyone is at par. They ensure equality for all.

I also found sanitary napkins provided at the ladies restroom, not those cheap, tacky ones, but the hygienic and the most costly ones. These guys sure have an eye for the employee convenience and hygiene. The fact that the napkins are costlier ones only proves that they actually respect and care for the employees and don’t do things just for the sake of doing it.

There is a guitar, a basket ball and some little soft toys around to give you the feel at home kinda mood. I really wish somebody would pick up the guitar and play something here as Db says does happen here at times.

There is a pack of facial tissues, a huge pen stand with all necessary stuff that you might need. These are very little things, and I don’t think they need a lot of money to get them, but they do make the employees feel they are special to the firm and does add on to the employee satisfaction.

I guess that’s the advantage of working in small companies. You are as important to the company, as the company is to you. The feeling is quite mutual. I big companies, you are one of the tens of thousands of people, who cannot be given any special treatment, who cannot be trusted and cannot be pampered.

No wonder, they say TW is an incredible place to work.

हिम्मत करने वालों की हार नहीं होती

Man!!! I had been looking for this since long...

हिम्मत करने वालों की हार नहीं होती,
लहरों से डरकर नौका पार नहीं होती|

नन्ही चींटी जब दाना लेकर चलती है,
चढती दीवारों पर सौ बार फिसलती है,
मन का विश्वास रगों में साहस भरता है,
चढकर गिरना, गिरकर चढना ना अखरता है,
मेहनत उसकी बेकार हर बार नहीं होती,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती|

डुबकियां सिंधु में गोताखोर लगाता है,
जा जाकर खाली हाथ लॉट आता है,
मिलते ना सहज ही मोती पानी में,
बढता दूना उत्साह इसी हैरानी में,
मुट्ठी उसकी खाली हरबार नहीं होती,
हिम्मत करने वालों की हार नहीं होती|

असफलता एक चुनौती है स्वीकार करो,
क्या कमी रह गयी देखो और सुधार करो,
जब तक ना सफल हो नींद चैन की त्यागो तुम,
संघर्ष करो मैदान छोड़ मत भागो तुम,
कुछ किये बिना ही जयजयकार नहीं होती,
हिम्मत करने वालों की हार नहीं होती|

-सूर्यकांत त्रिपाठी निराला

Yawning off...

Testing stuff again today…**yawn**

Well…1 year back, I would look down on testing, dismiss it as something which is done by people who are not good enough for development job. But since last 1 year in this project, I have spent 75% percent of the time testing. So mindset is changing very quickly about testers.

But I would still stand by it that it’s a damn boring job. May be testers would say the same thing about development job. Somehow, I can’t make myself do it from my heart. Despite the fact that the module I am testing today is so damn complicated that I sympathize with the plight of my team member who has developed it, I don’t have half the motivation to test it. Even listing to my mp3 player doesn’t make it any better. After 5 cups of coffee and three rounds of walk on the terrace, I am still at the same place where I started, only 3 damn bugs, that’s all. I am sure a tester would have filled up the excel sheet with failed cases by now.

I desperately want the clock to strike 8 so that I rush back home. No, there is something more interesting today…Db is going for a get together with his friends, I am keen to join them. A nice chit chat with a café frappe with an extra scoop of ice cream, chocolate sauce and nuts sounds far more interesting for sure. BHAGOOOOOOO….

Almost an half an hour to go. Let me start winding up things, have a glass of water, do away with the restroom, close up all windows on my desktop, check my bag…that would kill some time

'A Wednesday' on a Sunday...

I got a chance to watch “A Wednesday” last night. I kinda loved this one for more reasons than one.

Firstly, it doesn’t waste a lot of your time, a riveting plot with duration of 100 minutes.

Secondly, it’s a no-nonsense movie. It’s an intelligent approach which made 100 minutes of complete sense.

Thirdly, the characters are all believable. The character of Naseeruddin Shah is someone with whom you can relate to. Not that you would do what he does, but sometime or the other you would have certainly fantasized something similar.

A common man who is tired of tolerating things going around him dares to make a difference.

He is a ‘common man’ who vents out his angst by taking on the system and trying to bring it down to its knees.

It somewhere echoes exactly we feel as common people…doesn’t it???

”Given a chance I could kill all the terrorists, given a chance I get a chance to meet the corrupt politicians and beat the shit out of them, given a chance I could make India a better place to live in”.

It’s something within us, the frustration, the fury, the anger for things which don’t go our way.

I have always been terribly irritated by the crowd that has no other job other than protesting on the street which leads to my office. This way has no parallels, no shortcuts, and one of the busiest roads of the city. And there are freaks who have nothing better in their life to do other than making a hue and cry for, God knows what, making life miserable for us. I get terribly frustrated each time I have to fight my way through the road when one of such protests is happening. I believe, Gandhi gave us this idea of protesting against injustice through mass gathering, but people today are misinterpreting and misusing this weapon. Gandhi, through his non-violent gatherings wanted to say it loud and clear that “You can’t make us do it your way, I am not willing to co-operate”. It did not mean “We are going to harm you”. But these days the protest means “We are going to cause inconvenience, we are going to harm and disrupt till our demands are met”.

The roads in Bangalore is also plays a big part in frustration. The road that leads to my house was dug up for the OFC work. Once they placed the pipes, they simply patched the road with mud, without caring about public inconvenience. Soon the rain came in, making life miserable for us. Every other day a car or an auto or a truck gets stuck in the road blocking the way altogether. And no municipality, no government bothers to give a damn.

So what else is expected out of a common man in such conditions???

Are we expected to be tolerant, and bear this all, since we are given to believe that we can’t make a difference, or do we take up the task of cleaning the mess on our own.

I wont be surprised, if some day I get down and pull out and beat the daylights out of the fellow driver honking at a red signal or a traffic jam.

That's exactly the message that the movie passes on.

Needless to say, a rare example of great cinema, coming from Bollywood.

THE ONSITE CALLING…

Well hard luck with that one.
The first time I had the chance to travel to the US, I opted for a transfer to Bangalore…foolish me!!! The second time I was supposed to travel to London, I opted to get married...I dont't regret it though, I got a better deal :). A few hours back I got the chance again to travel to the US, my VISA isn’t ready….ARGH!!!!

Man!!! I am quite unlucky with this one. My onsite co-cord at US has got something called I-92(God only knows what it is) expired, so he has to return in a month. So my manager wanted me to replace him, but hello, my VISA isn’t ready. DAMN!!!!

Well, to an extent I think it’s good, I don’t think I would have liked to travel now, leaving Db alone when its just 6 months to our marriage. I think I would prefer to be with him at the moment and enjoy the marital bliss. If my VISA would have been ready, I might have regretted it later, may be hold Db responsible too. But now I just have my manager and my VISA to blame…and this sounds a lot better.

I am sure, I will get plenty of chances later. It may happen yet again that, I will miss them, the same way I did the last three times, but for sure, I will hit it some day and hit it hard. Till then, the US has to wait.

RIGHTS are RIGHT???

This weekend I was watching a program on the TV, where in the hosts of the show moved across the city of Bangalore trying to find out if the youngsters knew what were their fundamental rights as Indians. I was shocking to find that they actually did not know. I tried to recall, I think I remembered only three: right to freedom of speech, expression, religion and peaceful mass gathering. I was hell bent that I would not google it and try to remember them on my own, I tried for two days but failed to remember anymore than the ones I listed.

I read the wikipedia here which doesn’t include any of the three except the right to freedom of religion. It says all three have been included under one called right to freedom. Bad, at least I should have known this being the educated mass of India. Shame shame shame!!!

There were some interesting questions too, like given a chance, which right would you like to add to the constitution. There were real whacky answers. Many of them said there has to be a right to party late night without parental interference…can you believe this!!!
But the one I loved the most was…the right to freedom of PDA. For people who don’t understand this…PDA is Public Display of Affection. Sometime or the other, you must have caught some young couple getting cozy, or smooching in a park or other places…yeah that one!!! Youngsters want it to be fundamental right. I wonder our ancestors must be turning in their graves :).

I would love to remove one desperately, the right to peaceful mass gathering. Because the right of one should no become inconvenience to another. Almost everyday for some or the other reasons, there is a group of people protesting on the road that goes to my office. It takes me fifteen minutes to cross the road which otherwise would take less than 2-3 minutes. I genuinely believe, for gathering in a public place, there should be some kind of permit required, so that people don’t gather here and there for any damn reasons causing inconvenience to hundreds of others.

I am not sure which one would I like to add though, yeah, may be one. Yes, I would like to add another provision to the right against exploitation, right against getting exploited by auto/taxi drivers who refuse to run on meters :).

CHEERS TO LIFE...

I got confirmed with my new employer this week. I completed 1 year.

I can’t help being happy. I has been a good hike, quite good in fact. My ratings say I am good beyond expectations. And the beat part is I have got better rating and hike than other counterparts in my team...he he he!!! I earn more than my PL now...

My team is a wonderful mix of people…we are all of similar work experience, and all of us have got recently married or going to tie the knot in a few months. Since we have a call with clients almost on a daily basis, around 7.30pm, we mutually agreed on coming late, so I reach office by what…12 noon…corresponding to which, I see off Db to office smiling lazily, I gladly avoid the morning traffic to office, get time to cook some lovely food for dinner before I start, my maid comes late by 9 so that I can catch some good sleep in the mornings, I get time for some yoga, speak to my Mom for half an hour, read newspaper while lazily sipping my coffee, paint if I feel like it.
I start from office around 8.30-9, a little more at times. Again I gladly avoid the evening traffic, Db gets some time of his own when his wife is not around (its good to have some space of your own), get greeted by Db with a 440 watts of smile, warm up of the food, have dinner, watch a good movie together, and sleep late.

HOR KI CHAEEDA???
I love my life.

I look back at life, I feel I have come a long way. A long way from my failures, anxieties and dissatisfaction. I am quite a content person today.
For sure, this won’t last too long, since life is all about new challenges, nahin toh it gets boring man!!! But let’s enjoy while the sun shines. And once I enjoy this break, I am gonna smile at life and ask...so whats next...wanna play!!!

WHAT A WASTE

Well…to start with, my PAISE BACHO ABHIYAAN is still on. But guess who has been the biggest opponent against my mission this month…the GOVERNMENT…yes.
How???
This month Db and me filed our tax returns. Both of us have switched job last year, so we were anyway expecting that we owe a good amount to SARKAAR. But when we actually calculated the amount, it scared the daylights out of us. A whooping 70K!!! God Damn it!!!

Reluctantly, we paid them off. While I was handling the cheque to the tax consultant, I felt like giving away blood and flesh to the government.

Why I feel more agitated is, the hard earned money that we pay as taxes, where does it all go. Any guesses!!! To the parliament of course, where do you think they got the money that they were generously waiving in the Lok Sabha during the trust vote?

I wouldn’t mind paying my taxes, if the government would in return provide better roads, better sanitation, security…if not these…at least they use it for orphanages, cancer patients, Old age homes or other needy people.

But it doesn’t go to any of the good purposes. It is used to bribe politicians to favor political parties, to provide TV, mangalsutras and rice to people in exchange for their votes, or as black money to the politicians.

What a bloody waste of our hard earned money.

WHEN DEATH AND RAPE ARE INEVITABLE, JUST LIE BACK AND ENJOY.

Well yes. Holds good doesn’t it. It’s sometimes better to avoid fighting than run the risk of injuries. I was discussing a few problems I had with my life and how I felt so helpless not being able to do anything to change its course. Wise words, I must say and of all people it came from a friend who I wouldn’t think is half as wise.

There a few things I would love to change…but I can’t. I know that somewhere somehow people are taking advantage of me, but I can do nothing to change it. May be I can, Oh no, for sure I can, but I cant get to make myself stoop so low. But the question is why, why O why do they want to take advantage of me. If I sit back and start thinking, if I would ever deliberately try to cause inconvenience to somebody else, the answer is no and a OF COURSE NO. Then what makes any body want to enjoy at the cost of my inconvenience. I read a blog here where in he tries to analyze what makes people evil or cause harm to others.

But then how does it matter, why someone is doing something. What matters is how it is going to affect you. And if it does what can you possibly do to stop it. If eventually you realize you can’t stop it from happening, just as well lie back and enjoy the fun while you see people snatching the apple from your mouth.

One fine day, we were on the verge of an evening chat. On a lighter note I asked Db, if I and his sister had an argument and he would have to choose between me and his sister, whom he would pick. He said it would be me.

WHY??? Even if you would know that it was my fault.
He said yes. Even if I would know it’s your fault, I would still stand by you.
WHY???
Because I have to spend my entire life with you and not with my sister. Standing by you would make life simpler for me.

I look at my SIL, and she visibly agreed with her brother. She gave me the obvious look and said Of course…what else.

I try to look within myself, would I do the same thing too. If Db and my Dad had a difference of opinion over something, who would I choose. What came as an obvious answer was, I would try to find out who is correct among the two and take his side. (Though I agree I am not half as assertive as DB or even my SIL, I am not sure how exactly would I behave when put into such a situation. Pray it never comes). Because I don’t want to HAVE TO spend my life with him, I’d want to LOVE TO do so.

To which Db says, this is why I keep saying you haven’t grown up. Idealism doesn’t help. In practical life, it has to be given a backseat if you really wanna stay happy. We know we have to spend say the next 60-70 years together, so why not try to keep each other happy and make it simpler. The key to happiness is, be selfish…when its about your family vs the rest of the world, your family comes first. But when its about you vs your family, YOU stand over everything else. You have to be a little selfish to be happy, or you end up giving everybody a chance to step over your happiness to reach theirs. Since you are my family now, you stand over everything and everybody else, because I want to be happy in my life. But when its either you or me, I would probably get selfish again for the same reason, and I expect you to do the same if situation arises.

It amuses me at times, when I claim I am an idealistic person.

May be its actually not idealism that I practice, its perhaps the immaturity, the innocence that I am holding back. May be I miss the practical approach towards life.
Many a times we know what is going on is not the correct thing to do, but you have no other go other than doing it, for the sake of peace, happiness or plain and simple SELFISHNESS.

So while people make you their trail to glory and you know you can’t or don’t want to stop them, then the only way you have is sit back and enjoy them pursue their happiness and their selfishness.

A RAINY EVENING...

As DB likes to do normally, he came to pick me up from office last evening. WHY???? Well...he wants me to have a lesson or two with my driving skills on the busy roads to my office. All seemed well when I started, but suddenly it started raining midway. We got down to wear the jackets, Db placed both his mobile in my hand bag and we shoved the bag into the helmet storage under my seat. I realized that my mobile (which is hardly 4-5 months old) is still in my jeans side pockets. But somehow it didn't bother me since I thought this rain would not last longer and wouldn't get any heavier. Well, mutually we agreed on Db taking over the bike.

And then we started, and midway it started raining cats and dogs. The rain droplets were fast and big and they hit me, it felt like these droplets whipping me across my face. Like a tamed tiger, given up to the whip, I sat quietly at the back, my face down to avoid the water and eyes tightly closed. I asked Db his state and he said he was fine with the helmet on, and asked me to keep my eyes closed. I obeyed since I had couldn't find a better option.

As we closed towards AUDOGODI, I realized that the jackets had already given up (no wonder) and both of us were skin wet. And as I open my eyes to the world, I saw my bike cutting through knee height of water. I screamed MERI NAYI GADDI KHARAB HO JAYEGI, to which Db calmly replied “Don’t even think about it now!!!”. Well he had a point. We need to reach home ASAP, since my SIL would also be waiting, worried. Suddenly I though of my mobile in my pocket. My jeans was all wet and I could already feel the water seeping into my skin. I somehow got scared to check the status of my mobile, didn't even dare to tell Db about it. I sat there giving a silent appreciation to Db, as in how smart he was to have shoved up his mobiles to a safe place and I was the dumbo of the first order.

We reached Kormangala and the downpour ebbed, but I could see leaves and braches all over the road. Quite obviously, the rain and the wind had been quite worse there and the water was skill knee deep. But the worse awaited us. As we started heading towards our home, as we normally avoid the sony world signal because of the huge traffic, we took our usual alternate way only to find a huge tree blocking the road. Db took a U turn and took another alternate route to find another trunk at the middle of the road. Oh Bad!!! A U turn again and the next alternate, another trunk. He got back to the main road, but there is no right turn from the Sony world, you need to go to the kormangala main road again which is another 2 kms and the traffic was getting worse now. Damn!!! “What do we do now?”. But Db is not the one to give up. He found another alternate route to find that a trunk had fallen there also. I never knew there were so many routes to my home. There was no light anywhere, and strings of vehicles lined up, trying to find there way home...so were we. I suddenly had an crazy feeling. A ANACONDA or may be a KING KONG has attacked the city and the city is all in chaos. And Db is my only savior trying to take me home to safety, lets say the TERMINATOR. I told him my crazy idea and poor thing couldn't even bang his head anywhere. Of course at times like this, you don't expect people to (try to ) be funny.

And a few more alternate routes and finally we managed to reached home.
As we entered the parking to the apartment, Db was as excited as he had won a new video game to the last level in the first attempt. He entered the parking lot shouting FU** F**K **CK.

As we got down, we looked like warriors, who won the battle against nature, traffic and time, all tired and spent, wet to the last layer of the skin, my feet swollen to the cold water. But we were winners at last.

I checked my mobile, its still running steady, GOD BLESS the Nokia guys, I am sure no other brand of phone could have survived this.

As we reached and dried and helped our self to a cup of ADRAK WAALI CHAI, the lights had already gone out. Thanks to the generator of the building which helped us with light and a few rushes of TASHAN. JHEL as the movie was and we couldn't find the courage to watch the entire movie, but we could catch KAREENA with her green bikini. Donno what people find so hot in her, she looks starved to me, ANOREXIC as many people said on the web.

This morning I read all over the newspaper the chaos over the city, thanks to the rain last night.
I wanted to post this article right away but the net isn't working here, thanks to the rain last night again.
I cant do it from office as well...WHY???
My client was not satisfied after blocking the chat windows, social networking sites, even web mails and the company’s internal sites...so they have blocked the blogspot also…sob sob sob!!!

So I need to wait till things are up that have been brought down by the rain last night, to post this

WEEKEND ACTIVITY...

Oh it’s been such a painful summer in Bangalore this time, also for the fact that the summers have just started, and it’s already got humiliating. And how much I hate working in the kitchen, it leaves you so tired and drained out. Much as I wonder why they don’t invent helmets with an inbuilt AC, I do wonder as well, why they can’t invent cooler kitchens and some arrangement which would let you cook being seated all the time. That would be such a relief to people like us, these exhaust fans and chimneys are good for nothing, utter hopeless.

Db loves it, when I sit with him, keep smiling and doing silly things all the time, paint or watch TV in the worst case (given a chance he would throw it out of the balcony someday, or donate it to some orphanage). But as soon as I head to the kitchen, he starts frowning. But cooking on the weekdays is a compulsion, but cooking on weekends is my interest. But when on weekends, as I start surfing the net for new recipes, he gives me looks as if he would tie me down so that I can’t move to the kitchen. Nevertheless, he failed to change my mind with SAAM DAAM DAND BHED as we say. He couldn’t cajole me to his arguments, neither a pizza nor his severe warnings would work. So he finally gave up and had to go through my painful PANEER KOFTA last night. Oh yes!!! They were painful koftas, the yogurt that I used had turned sour and I, the genius, didn’t check it before using. They ruined my koftas which eventually landed up in the dustbin . Boo hoo hoo!!!!

But sometimes he gets lucky to avoid my cooking.
This Saturday we managed to have a lunch outside. It was special since we went out for a lunch after almost 2 months. Have you guys had a chance to visit this place SERENGITI in the Total Mall (Madivala)? Apparently it’s named on some African jungle which is some 3000 kms long, which means “land that doesn’t end” (Db, the more intellient of the two, read it on the menu and told me, I didn’t bother to know what it meant). Loved the ambience. It’s a themed restaurant, which gives the feel of a jungle. It has got those little wooden bridges, water flowing beneath with a string of tortoises lined up. A little waterfall, crocodiles, elephants to give you a real feeling of a jungle. It has got a cave inside with lighted up MASHALs. On what I have seen in Bangalore, I would say this one is the best I have known. The food is essentially Lucknowi and Peshawari, and has exoctic desserts to match the rich food.

And also this needs a special mention this weekend.
I got a new diamond pendant the same day.
While we started looking to mend my broken MANGALSUTRA, I ended up with a diamond in my neck. No, I didn’t ask for it, Db insisted. Now that I have a diamond, the revered MANGALSUTRA can take a back seat…my apologies!!! :)

All these years I believed, I am not fond of jewelries. It made life tougher for Db, since he would not know what else to gift me…jewelries are such an obvious choice for women. But I couldn’t believe my smile with that stone in my neck and the worst of it all, when I look into the mirror, I feel the diamond is quiet small and I could have done with a bigger one. NOT ME, NOT ME at all. Since when have I started loving gold and diamonds, I thought they never mattered to me and all these years I had considered them to be wastage of good hard earned money. So now I know, somewhere at the bottom of our hearts, we all women love jewelries may be a few of us are more passionate about it, but more or less we all love them.

So as they say, in the first year of marriage you would just get to know each other better, I think I am still not done with knowing myself.

U Me Aur Hum...

A long weekend is so welcome after such a hard week. Especially when Db has been working so hard, which also included most of his weekends too, a long weekend came as a welcome puff of fresh air. I somehow wanted a nice movie, may be the new flick “U Me aur Hum”, staring two of my all time favorite actors. But the price of tickets were so disheartening, I couldn’t spend a thousand bucks on a movie.

Early Saturday morning, while I was having a lazy sleep, Db (the more active of the two), suddenly woke me up, and whispered, tickets are available for seventy, shall I book two or three. I couldn’t believe my smile…I said THREEEEEEEEEE.

Well…my SIL thought it was a bad idea. Why do you want to take the KABAAB MEIN HADDI WITH YOU? She said. That reminds me of a little incident. My friend, who had just started off in her affair, was so excited about he first date with her boyfriend. This guy, her boyfriend was a football player by hobby. They went to the theater to watch a movie together. On reaching the theater, he asked her how much cash she had, she said she had enough to buy tickets, almost five hundred. On which he gave a disappointed look,
Oh that won’t be enough for thirteen people.

She got furious,
Who is coming???

He said…
My football team.

Still furious…
How could you do this? I thought it was our date, why did you get your friends???

To which he replied innocently…
Why? What’s wrong? What could we have possibly done in a public theater which we wouldn’t be able to do among my friends? Instead of sitting with some unknown people, we would sit with some known faces.

Bloody Moron!!! You bet!!!

I found it the appropriate time to answer the same to my SIL, and she laughed it off too.

And what a movie it was!!! Somehow I like these actors turning directors, they have a very fresh and positive approach, as if they get the creative independence, which they don’t get being actors and being directed otherwise. It started with Amir Khan with TARE ZAMEEN PAR, an awesome effort and now Ajay Devgan with U ME AUR HUM which is quite close to the same.

Needless to say, path breaking performances, a very fresh looking canvas, amazing chemistry among the actors. The characters look truly believable and genuine. The story resembles 51 FIRST DATES and THE NOTEBOOK in some ways, but to sum up all, it’s a nice touching love story, you relate to, more so since it showcases a real life couple.

And I loved the songs on screen, especially the SALSA song JEE LE and the title track. And KAJOL looks so pretty on screen, can’t believe she is the same dark, creepy girl who debuted with BAAZIGAR.

The only thing that goes haywire is the punch line. SOMETIMES THE GREATEST DISTANCE IS THE DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE. I didn’t find it quite relevant to the story.

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

I keep finding blogs on the net where in people describe things that make them happy. I don’t want to die without my list. So here I go with my list.

A late night long drive.

A nice, romantic love story (movie).

An unexpected piece of ice cream or a bar of chocolate. (How Girly!!!!)

A bubble bath with warm water.

The smell of soil on the first shower.

Smiling, Laughing toothless kids.

The gentle breeze soothing my body on a lazy summer evening.

A new haircut.

Late night gossips.

Gossip the night off and watch the sun rise in the morning.

Wake up suddenly in the morning and find out that I can sleep for another hour.

To find DB’s old t-shirt tucked away at some well ignored place, which still smells his cologne.

To find money in some abandoned purse or jeans pocket.

To receive a free voucher from some shop you shopped long time back.

An unexpected call from a close friend, you lost track over these years.

I meet Mom and Dad after a long long time, and I find them wearing the shirt/saree I gifted long back with my first salary.

I turn over an old family album and I find the letter I wrote Mom during my college days, neatly kept like a precious memory to be cherished.

I experiment some new recipe and it turns out yummmmmmmm.

When I do something silly and DB actually finds it sweet.

When people say we make a nice couple.

Every time Dad gets an award.

I reach the busiest of the traffic signals and find it green.

Coming across some old Hindi song which I heard as a toddler.

Unexpected good food at office.

I reach office and the find no mails (= no work) from onsite.

I stand on a weighing machine and find that I have lost a kilo.

When I get lucky and the autowallas have descent meters to charge me less than my usual fares.

A LAZY, USELESS DAY

No other day today.

I got of at 8, made tea and then lunch and dinner (both same ;), I am quite good at shortcuts) and soon its time to take bath and then office. Suddenly I start feeling lazy to go into the bathroom. So I sit right there chattofying with my SIL. She keeps reminding me time and again that I am getting late for office, but somehow I don’t care. If I could I would have taken a leave from office today. But I haven’t got any left, all leaves were over with the engagement and wedding. I cant even stay home if I get down with dengue or malaria. I suddenly feel that life is gone so regular and routined. Almost 2 months to my marriage, have I gotten bored already? Man man man!!! It’s sad to be a Gemini at times…it’s not so easy to capture your interest for a longer time.

So here I start almost dragging my legs to the bathroom yawning all the while, somehow manage a real quick bath. Wore a saree (1^st time ever after I set my feet on Bangalore soil, post marriage). I don’t feel like walking to the bus stop and taking the bus. Db has always been furious on me for this. He believes when we can actually afford an easy travel to office by an auto, my painful journey by bus is actually useless. But I can be real stubborn at times, and I am on this PAISE BACHAO mission now. But I can certainly make exceptions, so like an obedient wife, I catch an auto.

I reach office somehow, but I still feel as lazy as ever. To match that I have been made the DPL in this team where in I gotta only fill these excel sheets for effort tracking, defect tracking, billing, invoice and more and more bullshit. I couldn’t have gotten worse. I have to fill in the metrics today and some audit sheets. DAMN. Common guyz, I am a techie, these excel sheets and word docs don’t interest me.

Oh what a boring day. I have yawned countless times since morning. I feel like banging the monitor on the floor and enjoy the sadist pleasure of watching it break into pieces. I feel like going into my manager’s cabin and pull her nose till she howls. I feel like shouting from the rooftop “GIMME A BREAK”.

SENSE-ABILITIES OUT OF THE WINDOW

I have always considered myself to be a quite sensible girl. Oh am I!!!

I am now gonna give you some milestone examples of my sensibility.

Post marriage, I am the Finance Minister of my house.

I don’t travel in an auto to office since it costs me some 200 odd (i.e. when the auto drivers are decent with me), so I travel daily by the bus which costs me only 20. – Sensible.

I cook at home and avoid restaurants and home delivery as much as possible (we had enough lunch and dinner dates before marriage…I have visited almost all restaurants in Bangalore). It works both ways, you eat healthy food and save cash. – Yet sensible.

It’s almost 2 months to my marriage, and I haven’t shopped for anything else except for the household stuff. –Oh that’s damned sensible.

I have reduced visiting to multiplexes. After CHAK DE, the next movie I saw in the theater was JODHA AKBAR. – Now I don’t believe myself.

But wait till you read this.

Last week DB told me about this National Market which is close to my office. He wanted me to get some DVD’s from there, which we apparently get for some cheaper prices there. I visited there to get them, but I couldn’t quite check out the market since I had to reach office in time…

So today, when I was walking towards office, I checked my watch that I am good 20 minutes early, so thought of going around the market to see what all they sell.

So here I start with my favorite game, roaming around the market aimlessly, some descent people have given this act a descent name, WINDOW SHOPPING. Well nothing interesting, some DVD shops, fancy watches, sunglasses, mobile phones, some B grade clothes.

So I decided to return, but suddenly a watch caught my attention. Oh I loved to wear them as a teenager. Black, with a broad band, big black dial, tomboyish. Loved it. He said it’s for 750 Rs, bargained for 10 minutes, he gave it away for 450. Oh the taste of victory!!! Got hold of the trophy and moved on. Suddenly I thought, I should get something for my SIL, poor thing, she stays alone at home all day. So I got a pair of funky sunglasses for her. He quoted 220, got it for 100. Victory again!!! + 100. Db called me, knowing that I am at National Market, he asked me to get some plastic covers for the vagabonding DVD’s at home. So I went to the DVD shop. Suddenly I felt like taking a good classic comedy for the weekend. So I got the DVD of PADOSAN (Kishore Kumar, Sunil Dutt, Mehmood, Saira Banu). + 90. And as I come out, I am all bankrupt of cash, having just tenors in my purse.

Can’t believe it, after all these airs of money saving, I could actually spend a good 650 rupees in 10 damned minutes. I suddenly feel like that insensible, spendthrift housewifes, who think shopping is some damned sport. Now I realize that the watch I bought is for teenagers and I being a married(Aunty), it looks like being placed in the wrong wrist. I realize now, that I have never seen my SIL wearing sunglasses, and she hardly goes out of home at all to be wearing them.

ANd now this is what I call AKAL GHASS CAHRNE GAYI THI. What a waste!!!

PROUD TO BE A BITCH

When I stand up for myself and my beliefs, they call me a bitch.
When I stand up for those I love, they call me a bitch.
When I speak my mind, think my own thoughts or do things my own way, they call me a bitch.

Being a bitch means I won't compromise what's in my heart.
It means I live my life MY way.
It means I won't allow anyone to step on me.

When I refuse to tolerate injustice and speak against it, I amdefined as a bitch.
The same thing happens when I take time for myself instead of being everyone's maid, or when I act a little selfish.

It means I have the courage and strength to allow myself to be who Itruly am and won't become anyone else's idea of what they think I "should" be.
I am outspoken, opinionated and determined. I want what I want and there is nothing wrong with that!

So try to stamp on me, try to douse my inner flame, try to squash every ounce of beauty I hold within me.
You won't succeed.

And if that makes me a bitch , so be it.
I embrace the title and am proud to bear it.
-------------------------
no, i didn't write that. was forwarded to me by a fellow bitch. but yeah, i do like it. THAT is why it's here.

DRUMS ROLL PLEASE!!!

I got my vehicle. Drums roll please…yipeeeee!!!
It’s a brand new HONDA DIO.
I have been working for 3 years now…managed with the public transport all the while…but having my own vehicle is like having freedom. I don’t have to walk down to the stops, I don’t have to keep waiting for the bus, I don’t have to worry about getting a seat in the bus, and I don’t have to stay late in office to avail the cabs.

We actually planned to buy a car, so that its all easier for me to travel to office. But soon I realized that with a car it would take me double the time to reach office considering the amount of traffic I will have to beat. So a two wheeler sounded like a much better option.

Yesterday Db and I went to get the delivery. He wanted me to ride back home. Well…I have a good 10-12 years of experience of driving in Orissa…but the traffic in Bangalore scares the shit out of me. I started driving but couldn’t manage to concentrate on one thing…the road, the route, the indicator, the horn, the rear mirrors, the traffic signals, the traffic police or the traffic itself. People started overtaking me from left and right inches fair between our vehicles. All the while Db was sitting alert for something that might go wrong. I couldn’t manage a speed beyond 25.
Soon we reached Kormangala where Db was sure I won’t be able to handle it any more. So he took over and I gladly obliged. I must say he is a good trainer. He asked me to go around the parking lot of our apartment…trying the 'U' turns and cutting the vehicles that were parked there. I went nostalgic of the days when my Dad taught me ride bicycles and his car later.

Dad is a darling I tell you. He does wonderful blunders at times. The day I told him that we are planning to buy a two wheeler for my communication, we realized that I had lost my driving license. He got me a duplicate copy while I was at Bangalore all the while(thanks to his PR in Orissa). When I went home and collected my duplicate DL, my Dad had actually cropped my matrimony photograph to a passport size and used it on my DL. So the cops get to see matrimony pic on the DL, I am not sure if the DL would work now…I look so different in the pic with all that damned makeup. And that reminds me of another incident. While I was at college, I have been a real tom boy. I went home on vacation while my Dad was out on a tour, and changed the seat cover of my two wheeler at home, to TIGER PRINTS. I planned to come home again the next month. My Dad wanted to set up my two wheeler perfect when I was home, so he got the brakes checked, filled up the petrol tank and changed the seat cover to TULIPS AND ROSES. And then I reach home, he proudly presents me my newly done vehicle, visibly expecting some appreciation. Ahem…ahem…!!!The entire vacation I rode his car and he rode my two wheeler.

Back to my new DIO. Db is adamant that I don’t take it o office for a month till I get a hand on the traffic. Oh its so frustrating…having a sparkling new bike at your doorstep and you are not allowed to ride it conveniently to office, rather go through all the pain packaged with these public transport services. Oh how much would I love to defy Db and ride to glory on my new bike? No I can’t…why…do you think I am scared of him…nah!!! Do you think he is the Hitler of the house…nah nah!!! It would have been lot easier to defy him if either of them were true. But this is one thing I really really really hate about him…he is always dammed right. And you can’t really fail a person who knows what he is talking about.

FUNNY QUOTES ON MARRAIGE...

Here are a few...

Marriage? It is an agreement in which a man loses his bachelor degree and women gains her masters.

I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.

Love is temporary insanity curable by marriage.

Behind every successful man stands a surprised mother-in-law

Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence. Second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience.

Marriage is the process of finding out what kind of person your spouse would have really preferred

A man is incomplete until he is married. After that, he is finished.

The happiest marriage I can picture would be the union of a deaf man to a blind woman.

The secret of a happy marriage remains a secret.

Men marry women with the hope they will never change. Women marry men with the hope they will change. Invariably they are both disappointed.

A wife is someone who'll stand by you through all the trouble you wouldn't have had if you'd stayed single.

Marriage is give and take. You'd better give it to her or she'll take it anyway.

My wife suggested a book for me to read to enhance our relationship. It's titled, "Women are from Venus, Men are Wrong."

I fell in love at first sight… I should have looked twice.

Getting married is very much like going to a restaurant with friends.You order what you want then when you see what the other person has,you wish you had ordered that.

Before marriage a man yearns for a woman after marriage the ‘y’ is silent.

The best way to remember your wife's birthday is to forget it once

Getting married is a lot like getting into a tub of hot water. After you get used to it, it ain't so hot

I haven't spoken to my wife in years. I didn't want to interrupt her.

Can you imagine a world without men? No crime and lots of happy, fat women.

If a married couple puts a penny in a pot for every time they make love in the first year, and takes a penny out every time after that, they'll never get all the pennies out of the pot

There's a way of transferring funds that is even faster than electronic banking. It's called marriage

The husband who wants a happy marriage should learn to keep his mouth shut and his checkbook open.

When a man opens the car door for his wife, it's either a new car or a new wife.

A husband's last words should always be, OK buy it.

Before marriage, a man declares that he would lay down his life to serve you; after marriage, he won't even lay down his newspaper to talk to you

If you want to sacrifice the admiration of many men for the criticism of one, go ahead, get married.

The man who says his wife can't take a joke, forgets that she took him.

I never knew what real happiness was until I got married. And by then it was too late.

It's a funny thing that when a man hasn't anything on earth to worry about, he goes off and gets married.


well!!!...nothing to get very impressed...I found them on the net. :)

MY WEDDING INVITATION...

Hey Guyz...
I thought i would be nice to have my wedding invitation in my blogs...
dont start looking for the invitation here...
the attachment has been delibarately missed out...
check your inbox for the same.


They say : The secret of a happy marriage remains a secret.

And here's presenting two more people who join the hunt to explore this secret.


Doston,

After staying single for 24 long years, it feels great to find that one special person, I would want to annoy for the rest of my life,

someone, I would love to stand by, while he goes through all the trouble he wouldn't have had, if he would have stayed single.


It gives me immense pleasure to invite you for my wedding with

Db

on Monday,

the 11th of February, 2008

at R****.

Please find the wedding invitation below.
Kindly treat this as a personal invitation and add to my joy by gracing the occasion by your presence.

Thanks
SplashPress

The nation grows with me…and I have a hand in it.

It’s about the pre Christmas evening. I was out with my fiancée and few of his friends. Suddenly I found a Toyota Innova cross past us and then it suddenly lost balance and tilted off. We rushed to its rescue only to find that the vehicle had landed into a manhole. I don’t blame the driver…the manhole was almost in the middle of the road and just at the mouth of the turning, it was some 4 X 2.5 inches in measurement…good enough for a bike to almost get lost inside…luckily it was a four wheeler and even better that it was a big one. That road is supposed to be one of the busiest roads in Bangalore, and the fact that it was pre Christmas evening makes the crowd even worse. Having an open manhole at that point of time is like inviting accidents. Who takes the responsibility if someone falls into it and gets hurt or killed? All it takes is just a few inches column in the local newspaper and a few convenient apologies.

The point that I am trying to make is…we as law abiding citizens, pay our taxes to the civic services, which are also meant for the maintenance of the roads, cleanliness of the city and hygienic environment to live in. if these things do not happen, i.e. the municipality doesn’t perform their duties which they are entitled to, its like paying someone his salary irrespective of the fact that whether he works or not. So I am trying to figure out here what is the problem with these government workers. Why do we have this broken system? I can see three major problems:

1. Job that last till retirement
2. No transparency, no accountability
3. And a sure shot paycheck irrespective of whether you work or not

We are paying for this big tamasha for 50 lacks, which is 0.00078125% of 64000 crores, i.e. the money which goes to the social sector…and we award 64000 crores and more to this monster called the “broken delivery system” of the Indian Government … without a whimper, without a debate, without anyone asking “what will we get in return”? All answer that we have is…”This is India yaar!!”. It’s high time that we, as citizens at least realize our responsibilities, because our own money is getting gobbled off by the government under the name of one scheme or the other.

How I wish to see a war-less world, a caste-less society, a race-less civilization, malice-less neighbors, self-less taxpayers, dowry-less marriages, non-chauvinistic society etc. But as I always say…I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code. But that never means, that I close my eyes and start believing that that’s how the world is. I need to do my bit at least. India would grow, but each one of us needs to have our hand in it…it would never happen in a day…nor would you being the most ideal Indian, make a difference to the nation…but it needs to start somewhere. So the next time, do not throw garbage on streets, obey traffic rules, stop practicing the baseless rules set by our ancestors which don’t allow you to grow rather pulls you back, fight for your rights and do your duties. When each one of us grows, I am sure there is no stopping for the country.

Some Tits and Bits, here and there…

Remember my article Here goes my small little FEMALE EGO wherein I said I am determined to lose weight. Well that determination lasted only 2 kgs and one month. HAH!!! You know me better than this guys…how could you even expect it to last any longer, I being a perfect example of a Gemini. When did last find me sticking to one habit for long and not getting bored out of my skull…following that equation I guess 1 month and 2 kgs is NOT BAD AT ALL!!!

Well…the good news is that I have joined VLCC. I am visiting them since last 3 days. But don’t worry, this time I have well considered my habits…so I have joined them for a course of only a month…so that, by the time I get bored, I would have lost some assured 5 kgs with a tummy reduction. NOT BAD HAAN!!!!
Awe man!!! I have to get up at 7 everyday, take a 45 min walk to the hub, then I have a 1 hour session…imagine, I used to get up at 10 am daily man!!! Awh…well…ahem…huh!!!...I dare not say that I am bored already…I am sure one of you would love to pull my nosey for that. To add to my misery I have paid them a whooping 10 K for a 1 month course…OH!!! Did that raise a few eyebrows!!!

The first day, they were kind enough to leave me in 15 minutes…so I thought I would meet my buddy. He was in the middle of a nice leisured Sunday morning sleep when I gave him a buzz. I asked him to be ready, I will be there in 5 mins and we will have breakfast together…and poor thing kindly obliged, the only offending thing he said on phone was “I hate you!!!” Oh I can forgive that, waking someone at 8 on a Sunday morning is a sin after all (Does the church say that too!!?)…but I can be quite a sadist at times.

Hey did I tell you guys that I am getting married. Finally!!!...did I hear someone say that? I don’t mind it though…pretty obvious remark for me. Well… for all those who are getting concerned for me, my fiancée is a wonderful person. For people who are worried for me, lemme tell you that I am sure he will keep me very happy… he listens to all my BAKWAAS patiently, feeds me with a lot of ice-creams, takes me for shopping quite often, doesn’t want me to cook or clean and he has gifted me a diamond already :D. HOR KI CHAEEDA!!!! And on a lighter note, our wedding rituals are so vast and elaborate by now that I am sure, its gonna last for 14 JANAMs.
And did u know…some 9 lacks are being spend on the wedding…I mean both sides inclusive. 9 lack man!!! I could buy a Honda City with that. It’s my salary for 2 years almost. A court marriage with a lavish reception…does it sounds all that bad!!! As ridiculous as it sounds but it’s rational. 9 lack man!!! 9 lack!!! Does that sound like enough money? Yeah, I amuses me when we keep talking about enough money…how much is enough actually? I happened to be the brightest student in my group at school. And today I earn more than any of my friend at offshore. My friends who earn less than me say they don’t have enough money, they think I have. But I say the same. I am getting married and I want some good furniture for my house, but I don’t have the money. So how much would be enough? I don’t know…it has never been enough.
Nothing has been enough. Time has never been enough, success has never been enough, love has never been enough, happiness has never been enough…on an average, life, has never been enough. Life is too short to be enough.

Oh I didn’t want to sound like some saint. Does that make you think, since when I started making these big talks? Come on man!!! I am getting old. I am engaged, getting married in 2 months, I might have kids in a year or two. MEIN TOH AUNTY HO GAYI YAAR!!! Somehow, I like it when people treat me like a baby, that’s how I have always been. Its so difficult now to take responsibilities, to live up to expectations, to cope up with all kinds of people, to accept things which u don’t believe in and yet keep the smile on, to adjust, to compromise…in short to become an AUNTY is so difficult. Now I know what my Mom has been through and it makes me respect her so much more now. I love you Mom, and I am sorry for all those times when I was stubborn, when I thought you bored me, when I underestimated your work, when I took you so granted. I am sorry for all those times when I said that Dad is my Hero, and forgot to mention your name. Now I know that your job was a lot difficult and you are the real hero of the house.

Oh Man!!! I have tears in my eyes now. Do all girls get so this emotional before marriage? Are all girls as confused as me when they tie the knot? Or is it just me, a rare species which is found nowhere else on the planet, with its eroding ethics and annoying ego finds it tough everywhere and sucks big time. I don’t know. May be we should just talk about it and laugh it off.

Why, the ironies of life...

Why, are GOOD THINGS IN LIFE ARE EITHER FATTY, BAD FOR HEALTH OR MARRIED TO SOMEBODY ELSE.
I recently heard this and found it so true.
Why, are ice creams, chocolates, and spicy stuff so fattening…why aren’t these vegetables fattening otherwise (I hate almost all of them).
Why, the biggest hunk, a real eye candy of the college, is committed to the most fat and ugly looking girl of the college (what a waste!!!).

Why, when you are early to office your boss is late, and the day when you get late by chance…your boss has been looking for you since an hour.

Why, when you decide to diet, the same caterer at office, who made such pathetic food (which actually inspired you to diet), suddenly starts giving ice creams free with a meal.

Why, when the entire month you kept cribbing about having no work and no calls…the client wants to speak to you, the very day you plan a candle light dinner with your spouse.

Why, the day I am at my best, when everyone around is complementing me, my crush has to be absent on the same day.

Why, the day I didn’t get time to take a bath, wore the shabbiest outfit in my wardrobe, he has to call me out for a coffee on the same day.

Why, the chances of meeting someone on the way increases when you are with someone, you don’t want to be spotted with.

We...the literate herd of India...

And how often have I heard this…Politics is a pot-hole.

But I have a question here. Even if it is a pothole, how many of us are willing to take up the responsibility to clean this pot hole…none actually. And why…because we don’t want to soil our hands or because we simply don’t care.
People like us are more concerned about their monthly paycheck and yearly appraisals and onsite assignments than being bothered by the Indian politics. How many of us actually know the stories behind the operation Blue star in 1984 and the consequences of the riots in Gujarat in 2003. Thousands of people die every year due to these communal riots which are normally planned and guided by the ruling parties…the same people whom we elect as our representatives to rule our country. I keep coming across so many people who keep blaming Indian politics, conveniently predicting that this country is headed to be doomed. But tell me how many of, we so called educated people, are actually willing to do something about it. Forget being a part of this political pot hole, how many of us use our voting rights…very very few in fact.

Talking about politics in the South, here we are lead by Karunanidhi vs JayLalitha. Karunanidhi, who has been appointed as the CM of TN five times already. Politics in TN has been a paradox. The absence of political debate can be clearly seen in the election campaign of 2006, which was predominantly based on the fight that who could bribe the voters more outrageously. Karunanidhi won with his promise of providing color televisions for all households and rice at the rate of Rs 2 per kilo.
This kind of politics is encouraged since very few of the so called educated mass take part in the elections and the non-educated mass can be easily wooed by such temptations. And the worst part is, this bribe was given from the government treasure, i.e. the money the middle class pays as taxes to the government…which is expected to be spent on the benefits of the citizen of India and not for the hopeless politicians to bribe people for votes.
Where as in Bihar we have Laloo and Rabri, who need no mention.
As I know from history, the kings who ruled India, the power came with heredity. The king when dies, his son would take over the dynasty and it went on for generations. Things look no different to me in the democratic India. All politicians children are also politicians. Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and now Rahul Gandhi have all become presidents of Congress Party- consistently for five generations. Rahul Gandhi is now slated to become Prime Minister of India, no questions asked.

Being a part of the literate herd of India, are we doing our duties towards our country…if not, what rights have we got to blame the politicians if they don’t to their bit. The fact is, even we as the citizens of India are running away from our responsibilities and find it so convenient to put the blame on the system. As long as, we, the educated mass of India are not going to take a stand, the situation would never improve and most certainly this country is going for a toss. 10-15 years down the line, we would all be managers in our respective MNC’s, we would have earned enough dollars, we would have married the man of our dreams, have a dream house far from the city traffic which would have a luxurious terrace, where would be conveniently reading the morning newspaper with a hot cup of tea and cribbing…”THIS COUNTRY IS GOING NOWHERE…”. You bet!!!!

My evening coffee

I was standing in my office terrace sipping my evening coffee when it flashed me.

Standing on my office terrace, as I look down, I can see the city rushing to their destinations, on the flyover below. I hear the horns honking, vehicles trying to overtake each other, each one in more hurry than the other, pedestrians waiting for the vehicles and vehicles waiting for the pedestrians. This is our life today…everyone is in a hurry, there is no time to stand and stare. Life has become so easy so convenient but still we are in a hurry. My parents are so proud of me…my father speaks to his friends, with his head held high…”My daughter earns more than me” , We have money, lots of it for our age…but where is the time to spend them. The amount of money I draw per month is almost double of the no. of years I have spent on this planet…money comes flowing in and peace goes out of the window…because I am always in a hurry. When I see these people on the roads hurrying, I feel this void in my life. These running people symbolize my life. They remind me of my failures. They remind me of all those times when I was busy hurrying into things in my life, while something more important got neglected. They remind me when things just went on and I couldn’t control them. They remind me of those times, when I knew what is going on was wrong, but I could do nothing to stop them from happening, I just sat like a silent spectator and watched it all. They remind of all those weak moments when I couldn’t be strong enough to control things and change them my way. They remind me of people who went away from me and I could do nothing but to let them go. They remind me of all those people who were once my closest friends but we have lost track of each other since we are all hurrying like this.

We are rich enough and so are others. We earn more so we spend more…so the shopping centers and malls earn more. We can afford lavish food and…so restaurants earn a lot. Luxurious food and no exercise land us easily to bad health…and hence doctors earn a lot. We gain health easily and hence these slimming centers earn a lot. So basically we are rich and we make other people richer.
Life has become so much simpler these days.
You don’t even have to climb stairs, you have escalators, but that really simplify life….It doesn’t rather it complicates it with health problems.
I can keep in touch with my nursery school friends through orkut and chatting sites, they are just a phone/skype call away but I am ignorant who stays in my neighborhood. Isn’t that ironical!!?
My friends say I am so successful today, but my parents stay alone today since I am in a far off place celebrating my so called success, while they are alone craving for their daughter, watching her grow only in photographs.

So where am I heading to?
A life, where in the controlling factor is not money, its time. We have money to buy all the happiness under the sun, but no time to explore them. I keep wondering, is this the life I always wanted. Is this what my definition of success is? Am I really a happy and successful person? These questions flash me and go unanswered since I have finished my coffee now and I need to rush back to work.