New day, new look, new design.
Howzzit?? Do send in your ayes/nays. Not a survey of 'coz, just another perspective.
Its refreshing to me from all that black, altho' I did love that color.
Orange reminds me of vibrance, not that I'm feeling vibrant or anything, but it's also a color I likes the muchly.
Man, I can see clearly now!! (beautiful song...don't remember the singer now). The text, the links, the damn punctuation, everything is clear as day...wow! I feel like I've had an eye operation and can see. I wish the image in my head of Nirupa Roy in a 1970's film had not just popped up.
Ah...googled the song and found the whole deal. Such simple lyrics and a peppy li'l melody.
"I can see clearly now"
Sung by: Anne Murray
Composed by: Johnny Nash
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I've been prayin' for
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
Look all around, there's nothin' but blue skies
Look straight ahead, nothin' but blue skies
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
That was my blog singing, by the way.
:-)
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Test
Just checking to see if this works.
Here goes: To the blurry govt. that bans freedom of speech and shamed this democracy, this one's for you.
_l_
P.S. The blogs are back up and running as usual. The ISPs have unblocked the hosting sites such as blogspot, typepad, and geocities. Praise be to Allah. The govt has acted swiftly as usual and for once, all for a good cause, thank goodness :-D
Here goes: To the blurry govt. that bans freedom of speech and shamed this democracy, this one's for you.
_l_
P.S. The blogs are back up and running as usual. The ISPs have unblocked the hosting sites such as blogspot, typepad, and geocities. Praise be to Allah. The govt has acted swiftly as usual and for once, all for a good cause, thank goodness :-D
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Ladka Hua Ya Ladki??
Meet Ipu--one of the third generation of kids in the family, a.k.a. Gen Next.
Androgynous already?
Androgynous already? Kids start off early at everything in life these days!
And what do we have here?
What a cute li'l thing, wearing a dhoti and hair clips...
The costume was my gift, guess I confused the poor soul and its mother, hahaha! :D
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
O Ogden!
Ogden Nash -- One of my fave poets.
His crazy verses always give me a chuckle.
Some of his short and light-hearted lines are below.
Ode to a Baby
A bit of talcum
Is always walcum.
The Cow
The cow is of the bovine ilk;
One end is moo, the other, milk.
My Dream
This is my dream,
It is my own dream,
I dreamt it.
I dreamt that my hair was kempt.
Then I dreamt that my true love unkempt it.
Further Reflections on Parsley
Parsley
Is gharsley.
The Guppy
Whales have calves,
Cats have kittens,
Bears have cubs,
Bats have bittens,
Swans have cygnets,
Seals have puppies,
But guppies just have little guppies.
The Abominable Snowman
I’ve never seen an abominable snowman,
I’m hoping not to see one,
I’m also hoping, if I do,
That it will be a wee one.
The Wasp
The wasp and all his numerous family
I look upon as a major calamity.
He throws open his nest with prodigality,
But I distrust his waspitality.
What's the use?
Sure, deck your limbs in pants,
Yours are the limbs, my sweeting.
You look divine as you advance . . .
Have you seen yourself retreating?
His crazy verses always give me a chuckle.
Some of his short and light-hearted lines are below.
Ode to a Baby
A bit of talcum
Is always walcum.
The Cow
The cow is of the bovine ilk;
One end is moo, the other, milk.
My Dream
This is my dream,
It is my own dream,
I dreamt it.
I dreamt that my hair was kempt.
Then I dreamt that my true love unkempt it.
Further Reflections on Parsley
Parsley
Is gharsley.
The Guppy
Whales have calves,
Cats have kittens,
Bears have cubs,
Bats have bittens,
Swans have cygnets,
Seals have puppies,
But guppies just have little guppies.
The Abominable Snowman
I’ve never seen an abominable snowman,
I’m hoping not to see one,
I’m also hoping, if I do,
That it will be a wee one.
The Wasp
The wasp and all his numerous family
I look upon as a major calamity.
He throws open his nest with prodigality,
But I distrust his waspitality.
What's the use?
Sure, deck your limbs in pants,
Yours are the limbs, my sweeting.
You look divine as you advance . . .
Have you seen yourself retreating?
Friday, July 07, 2006
What’s your W.Q.?
I’ve decided to attack two tags as well as kill my laziness to do them at one go :-)
1) List atleast 5 weird things about yourself by Aarti
2) Weird things you do/did at your workplace by Sayesha
Tag 1
a) Billions of blue blistering barnacles, I have a multitude of names. Name-calling ain’t so terrible anymore! Rolls off me back like water off a duck’s (no reference to TGFI here :P)
b) Thundering typhoons, I also have a multitude of email ids. When I first joined blogosphere, I signed up for my first ever email id at Rocketmail. It had a real cool looking interface, but eventually it was bought over by Yahoo! and all the coolness quotient vanished. In quick succession, I registered for email accounts at Hotmail, Yahoo! (4 totally, 1 is solely for messenger), Mailcity — which was renamed to Lycos eventually, Email.com — which is now Mail.com, Rediffmail, Sify, Care2, and a whole host of other free email service providers that I can’t even remember now. Now I use 1 Hotmail, 3 Yahoo!, and 1 Gmail ids. Couple of the above-mentioned ones are still in existence and I check them once in a blue moon.
c) I have two pairs of glasses (spectacles). I keep one pair at home and the other in my desk drawers at work. Since I only need glasses while using a PC, these are kept at two different locations.
d) I had 26 pairs of unstitched a.k.a yet-to-be-tailored salwar suits as of this month. There are also some 10 odd pieces of ‘material’ or cloth that was purchased to make tops/kurtas out of them. Although most were bought eons ago, they have been carefully stored in the closet. Don’t ask me why, I have no idea. I have a closet bursting at the seams. My cousins and friends think I should hold a sale or open my very own store! At the rate I’m going, I can even open a branch or two! Earlier this week, I gave 3 pairs of suits and 2 pieces of material (to make kurtas) to the tailor. Two different tailors in the vain hope of getting them back around the same time. No such luck, one tailor is taking one week and the other two weeks. I also ended up buying yet another salwar suit the same day! In my defence, it was a beautiful chiffon outfit with Parsi embroidery, something I don’t own. :-D
e) I haven’t counted exactly, but I own at least 16 pairs of shoes. Out of which, I regularly use only 2 or 3 pairs for months on end. Now of course, I pretend like I’m walking on the sand at a beach resort since I’m barefoot most of the time after the toe fracture.
f) I have spent a whole night yakking on the phone during college days. Think this has happened on more than a couple of occasions. Have also been online for as many hours and more at a stretch. Spending time online only happens when I’m stuck at home for a while, when I was job hunting and now that I’m homebound. A daily work/study routine fixes this addiction automatically.
g) What’s weirder is how this tag has turned into ‘numbers of this, that and other’.
Think these will do for now. There are way too many weird things about me than I’d care to acknowledge :-)
Tag 2
a) My workplace (popularly known as Siberia) does not have uniform airconditioning. It’s like that commercial with Eskimos in one corner and people covered in layers of clothing and in another, there are camels and people peeling off their ties and sweating buckets. Ewwww! I know! Similarly, at Siberia, you will find some areas with people bundled up in jackets, sweaters, shawls and even monkey caps, and some people with all of these on! And then there are other corners with people wearing next to nothing (ok slight exaggeration, but I swear there are some people who at least wish that people would wear next to nothing :-)).
My seat initially used to be in the Arctic zone and I eventually succumbed to the eccentricities when parts of me began turning blue with the cold. So I stuffed my desk with a few essentials. I had picked up this beautiful Kashmiri shawl a year ago at a charity auction. It was an alternative to Pashmina shawls, though almost as soft in texture. I knew there would hardly be an occasion to use the shawl in Chennai, but thought it would be great for Mom when travelling to places with cold climes. And what do you know it came in handy for me in this city itself! From being relegated to the back of the closet, it was brought out to be used and displayed. So I took it to work and kept it in my desk drawer. Friends would vie to get their grubby hands on it and wrap themselves in it ‘coz it was so pretty.
Despite its beauty, the shawl wasn’t enough to battle the cold, so I also took along a pair of socks. I would put them on every morning after arriving at work and take them off whenever I needed to use the restroom or during breaks or if I had to leave my seat and go to some other part of the office. I would put them back on again upon returning to my seat. Irksome, it was!
Sometimes, we take breaks to stretch our legs by walking down the stairs (7 floors down) and then walking around the building a few times. Once I was taking a break and went down to walk about with a friend and realized halfway through the 2nd round that I still had my socks on. Had forgotten to take them off before leaving my desk! I happened to be wearing a salwar that day, not even pants. There were lots of people around and some might have wondered why this girl was wearing socks in the blazing summer heat of this tropical state! My friend had a hearty laugh at my expense and discomfiture. I figured there was nothing I could do about this embarrassing situation, so might as well carry on with the walk and break and then return to my desk :-)
b) An internal chat service/instant messenger is available and meant to be used only for “official purposes”. You can bet, however, that it is used for anything and everything but work! So people buzz each other to say stuff like:
-- You are an idiot!
-- I’m hungry, let’s go get a bite to eat.
-- What are the lyrics to ABC, do you remember? Can't get the tune outta my head...
-- I’m ordering juice, would you like something? (Reply: I’d rather have chocolate cake.)
-- Himesh Rishammiya needs to be shot dead!
-- The boss (nickname will be used so that MIS would have to use their detective skills in case the conversations were tracked) is a jackass!
-- Click this link at once! (some silly article on MSN/TOI)
-- I love Johnny Depp and hate Brangelina!
-- Did you read XYZ’s blog?! Omigawd...!
This software is also put to use for other important uses such as gossip about coworkers and lovers' chats/tiffs.
Just like MSN, the chat client's contact list can be categorized into team/managers/big bosses/trainees/other teams/friends/ciggie supplier or coffee man (just kidding) etc.
Once I received some ridiculous astrological prediction via email about marriage. I had to share it with a few friends who I knew would have found it equally hilarious. I pressed the Ctrl key and randomly selected a bunch of names across different categories on my contact list, to send them the same message at one go. This is called sending an "announcement" and will flash on the receiver’s screen immediately. I did not know that announcements selected across different categories would go to all the people under that category, not just the names selected. It turns out my "matrimonial joke announcement" went to my boss, my coworkers, HR and other random acquaintances apart from my friends! I managed to provide amusement and a break to quite a few people that day!
c) My boss at a company I'd worked in earlier had a car in the same model and color as mine, and as per parking lots provided, both cars were always parked next to each other.I was not in my manager’s good books for this sole reason! This parking situation could be seen from inside the office. The lady boss could not digest that her subordinate had a car, much less the exact same model and color and had the audacity to park it next to hers. Some people! *rolls eyes* This is probably a weird fact about my boss rather than about me, but it was one helluva weird situation (oh, weird bosses would be a whole other list!).
d) I later graduated to a two-wheeler when I changed jobs. Yes, it’s usually the other way around for most people, but what with increased traffic and parking problems not to mention obnoxious bosses, I found riding a bike to work more convenient. Plus, I've always been different :P Had booked a bike and was awaiting its arrival. Had not yet fully learned how to ride one. I had to visit a client and for once, decided to borrow my co-worker’s bike instead of risking life and limb in an autorickshaw. Well, a rick would have been safer than a bike. Anyway, I nearly ended up risking his vehicle and the lives and limbs of people walking on the road while bravely attempting to maneuver the bike on traffic congested streets.
e) I can’t sit at my desk in an upright position for too long. I get uncomfortable within a short span of time and then sit cross-legged or with legs folded one below the other, or stretched out under the desk and resting on a stand/the overturned dustbin.
I can think of plenty of weird happenings/co-workers/bosses at the different places I’ve worked. Many of them weirded me out so much, I was probably the only sane person around.
And that’s saying a lot about my weirdness quotient!
1) List atleast 5 weird things about yourself by Aarti
2) Weird things you do/did at your workplace by Sayesha
Tag 1
a) Billions of blue blistering barnacles, I have a multitude of names. Name-calling ain’t so terrible anymore! Rolls off me back like water off a duck’s (no reference to TGFI here :P)
b) Thundering typhoons, I also have a multitude of email ids. When I first joined blogosphere, I signed up for my first ever email id at Rocketmail. It had a real cool looking interface, but eventually it was bought over by Yahoo! and all the coolness quotient vanished. In quick succession, I registered for email accounts at Hotmail, Yahoo! (4 totally, 1 is solely for messenger), Mailcity — which was renamed to Lycos eventually, Email.com — which is now Mail.com, Rediffmail, Sify, Care2, and a whole host of other free email service providers that I can’t even remember now. Now I use 1 Hotmail, 3 Yahoo!, and 1 Gmail ids. Couple of the above-mentioned ones are still in existence and I check them once in a blue moon.
c) I have two pairs of glasses (spectacles). I keep one pair at home and the other in my desk drawers at work. Since I only need glasses while using a PC, these are kept at two different locations.
d) I had 26 pairs of unstitched a.k.a yet-to-be-tailored salwar suits as of this month. There are also some 10 odd pieces of ‘material’ or cloth that was purchased to make tops/kurtas out of them. Although most were bought eons ago, they have been carefully stored in the closet. Don’t ask me why, I have no idea. I have a closet bursting at the seams. My cousins and friends think I should hold a sale or open my very own store! At the rate I’m going, I can even open a branch or two! Earlier this week, I gave 3 pairs of suits and 2 pieces of material (to make kurtas) to the tailor. Two different tailors in the vain hope of getting them back around the same time. No such luck, one tailor is taking one week and the other two weeks. I also ended up buying yet another salwar suit the same day! In my defence, it was a beautiful chiffon outfit with Parsi embroidery, something I don’t own. :-D
e) I haven’t counted exactly, but I own at least 16 pairs of shoes. Out of which, I regularly use only 2 or 3 pairs for months on end. Now of course, I pretend like I’m walking on the sand at a beach resort since I’m barefoot most of the time after the toe fracture.
f) I have spent a whole night yakking on the phone during college days. Think this has happened on more than a couple of occasions. Have also been online for as many hours and more at a stretch. Spending time online only happens when I’m stuck at home for a while, when I was job hunting and now that I’m homebound. A daily work/study routine fixes this addiction automatically.
g) What’s weirder is how this tag has turned into ‘numbers of this, that and other’.
Think these will do for now. There are way too many weird things about me than I’d care to acknowledge :-)
Tag 2
a) My workplace (popularly known as Siberia) does not have uniform airconditioning. It’s like that commercial with Eskimos in one corner and people covered in layers of clothing and in another, there are camels and people peeling off their ties and sweating buckets. Ewwww! I know! Similarly, at Siberia, you will find some areas with people bundled up in jackets, sweaters, shawls and even monkey caps, and some people with all of these on! And then there are other corners with people wearing next to nothing (ok slight exaggeration, but I swear there are some people who at least wish that people would wear next to nothing :-)).
My seat initially used to be in the Arctic zone and I eventually succumbed to the eccentricities when parts of me began turning blue with the cold. So I stuffed my desk with a few essentials. I had picked up this beautiful Kashmiri shawl a year ago at a charity auction. It was an alternative to Pashmina shawls, though almost as soft in texture. I knew there would hardly be an occasion to use the shawl in Chennai, but thought it would be great for Mom when travelling to places with cold climes. And what do you know it came in handy for me in this city itself! From being relegated to the back of the closet, it was brought out to be used and displayed. So I took it to work and kept it in my desk drawer. Friends would vie to get their grubby hands on it and wrap themselves in it ‘coz it was so pretty.
Despite its beauty, the shawl wasn’t enough to battle the cold, so I also took along a pair of socks. I would put them on every morning after arriving at work and take them off whenever I needed to use the restroom or during breaks or if I had to leave my seat and go to some other part of the office. I would put them back on again upon returning to my seat. Irksome, it was!
Sometimes, we take breaks to stretch our legs by walking down the stairs (7 floors down) and then walking around the building a few times. Once I was taking a break and went down to walk about with a friend and realized halfway through the 2nd round that I still had my socks on. Had forgotten to take them off before leaving my desk! I happened to be wearing a salwar that day, not even pants. There were lots of people around and some might have wondered why this girl was wearing socks in the blazing summer heat of this tropical state! My friend had a hearty laugh at my expense and discomfiture. I figured there was nothing I could do about this embarrassing situation, so might as well carry on with the walk and break and then return to my desk :-)
b) An internal chat service/instant messenger is available and meant to be used only for “official purposes”. You can bet, however, that it is used for anything and everything but work! So people buzz each other to say stuff like:
-- You are an idiot!
-- I’m hungry, let’s go get a bite to eat.
-- What are the lyrics to ABC, do you remember? Can't get the tune outta my head...
-- I’m ordering juice, would you like something? (Reply: I’d rather have chocolate cake.)
-- Himesh Rishammiya needs to be shot dead!
-- The boss (nickname will be used so that MIS would have to use their detective skills in case the conversations were tracked) is a jackass!
-- Click this link at once! (some silly article on MSN/TOI)
-- I love Johnny Depp and hate Brangelina!
-- Did you read XYZ’s blog?! Omigawd...!
This software is also put to use for other important uses such as gossip about coworkers and lovers' chats/tiffs.
Just like MSN, the chat client's contact list can be categorized into team/managers/big bosses/trainees/other teams/friends/ciggie supplier or coffee man (just kidding) etc.
Once I received some ridiculous astrological prediction via email about marriage. I had to share it with a few friends who I knew would have found it equally hilarious. I pressed the Ctrl key and randomly selected a bunch of names across different categories on my contact list, to send them the same message at one go. This is called sending an "announcement" and will flash on the receiver’s screen immediately. I did not know that announcements selected across different categories would go to all the people under that category, not just the names selected. It turns out my "matrimonial joke announcement" went to my boss, my coworkers, HR and other random acquaintances apart from my friends! I managed to provide amusement and a break to quite a few people that day!
c) My boss at a company I'd worked in earlier had a car in the same model and color as mine, and as per parking lots provided, both cars were always parked next to each other.I was not in my manager’s good books for this sole reason! This parking situation could be seen from inside the office. The lady boss could not digest that her subordinate had a car, much less the exact same model and color and had the audacity to park it next to hers. Some people! *rolls eyes* This is probably a weird fact about my boss rather than about me, but it was one helluva weird situation (oh, weird bosses would be a whole other list!).
d) I later graduated to a two-wheeler when I changed jobs. Yes, it’s usually the other way around for most people, but what with increased traffic and parking problems not to mention obnoxious bosses, I found riding a bike to work more convenient. Plus, I've always been different :P Had booked a bike and was awaiting its arrival. Had not yet fully learned how to ride one. I had to visit a client and for once, decided to borrow my co-worker’s bike instead of risking life and limb in an autorickshaw. Well, a rick would have been safer than a bike. Anyway, I nearly ended up risking his vehicle and the lives and limbs of people walking on the road while bravely attempting to maneuver the bike on traffic congested streets.
e) I can’t sit at my desk in an upright position for too long. I get uncomfortable within a short span of time and then sit cross-legged or with legs folded one below the other, or stretched out under the desk and resting on a stand/the overturned dustbin.
I can think of plenty of weird happenings/co-workers/bosses at the different places I’ve worked. Many of them weirded me out so much, I was probably the only sane person around.
And that’s saying a lot about my weirdness quotient!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Putting My Foot In It
1) Into the shoe: For a shoeaholic like me, it's a sad state of affairs indeed. Having fractured my left toe a little over a month ago, it was like being cavewoman. I hardly stepped outta my cave...err...home for days on end and was barefeet for a whole month. Didn't step out even to catch the sunlight. Today someone tells me that sunlight is good for bone strengthening and especially for fractures. Better late than never info, I guess. So anyway, there I was, foot swathed in bandages and cotton and what not for all this time, and now finally, I can walk...I mean...limp free. Only...it ain't the Neanderthal age, and realized I needed to cover up my feet. None of the couple of dozen odd pairs of shoes I own fit now thanks to a swollen foot. One swollen foot that is. The other foot is fit and fine. What a dilemma! Tried Dr.Scholl's footwear, other brands, and popular stores, but nothing seems right. Everything fits on my right foot quite comfortably, but nothing fits on the left foot. Have heard of hair and nails growing longer and paunches getting larger in a month, but a whole foot?! A shoe of size 6/7/8 (varies depending on the brand) decently fits on my right foot, but only about 2 sizes bigger than that fits on the left foot. *slaps forehead*
Finally, found a pair today (size 9!) that is really comfy 'coz it has a slight arch, all other soles were flat. Its not a micro-cellular-rubber (MCR) pair according to the store owner, but an MCP one. Of all the shoes in the city, the MCP one fits! The P in this acronym stands for 'polymer'. What were you thinking? :P Anyway, the store owner, after hearing the sordid tale of my accident and feeling all queasy about it, proceeded to force his choice of shoes on me, and lecture me worse than my doctor or my folks ever did! Uff! To top it all, he avoided all my queries on the prices of the shoes. Eventually, when my patience showed signs of running thin as well as the smile on my face, mom whispered that he was hard of hearing! Finally chose a pair that had nothing to do with supporting the fractured toe, but was comfy in all other aspects! Why can't they make pretty medically supported footwear? Why do looks have to take a backseat when it comes to comfort? Why can't shoe designers spend their time designing pretty orthopedic shoes? The prices are high anyway! Arrrrrgh! And the store fella acts like my grandmother! Had a good mind to stomp and yell, "my foot!" at all his droning.
2) Into my mouth: After the very 'happening' evening (see above), I watched TV, had dinner, and got online. Found a friend online whose leg I thoroughly enjoy pulling and began the old routine. This pal is always game for a few laughs and bravely ventures teasing me back, also as per routine. Only today, she was in 'durga mata' avatar. I had no idea she was down in the dumps/fuming away (she was alternating between the two emotions like a pendulum) on the other side of the intangible net. Online chats are so misleading. You never really know what the other person is actually thinking, feeling, and even saying. Although I could sense she wasn't in the best of moods, it didn't deter me from ribbing her a bit. Next thing I know, another friend calls and gives me an earful. Got fired left, right, and center today. The friend who had called was discussed in the online convo and Durga Mata messaged the Furious One. A silly incident blew the whole thing outta proportion and my li'l prank backfired bigtime. Total miscommunication gap! Is it Amavasya or something? Jeeeez! According to me, both overreacted and jumped the gun and to conclusions, which they otherwise wouldn't have. Now they are hurt and upset! Apologized to both to soothe frazzled nerves, but still feeling lousy.
End of the day, not only am I nursing a big foot, but also a big mouth.
Finally, found a pair today (size 9!) that is really comfy 'coz it has a slight arch, all other soles were flat. Its not a micro-cellular-rubber (MCR) pair according to the store owner, but an MCP one. Of all the shoes in the city, the MCP one fits! The P in this acronym stands for 'polymer'. What were you thinking? :P Anyway, the store owner, after hearing the sordid tale of my accident and feeling all queasy about it, proceeded to force his choice of shoes on me, and lecture me worse than my doctor or my folks ever did! Uff! To top it all, he avoided all my queries on the prices of the shoes. Eventually, when my patience showed signs of running thin as well as the smile on my face, mom whispered that he was hard of hearing! Finally chose a pair that had nothing to do with supporting the fractured toe, but was comfy in all other aspects! Why can't they make pretty medically supported footwear? Why do looks have to take a backseat when it comes to comfort? Why can't shoe designers spend their time designing pretty orthopedic shoes? The prices are high anyway! Arrrrrgh! And the store fella acts like my grandmother! Had a good mind to stomp and yell, "my foot!" at all his droning.
2) Into my mouth: After the very 'happening' evening (see above), I watched TV, had dinner, and got online. Found a friend online whose leg I thoroughly enjoy pulling and began the old routine. This pal is always game for a few laughs and bravely ventures teasing me back, also as per routine. Only today, she was in 'durga mata' avatar. I had no idea she was down in the dumps/fuming away (she was alternating between the two emotions like a pendulum) on the other side of the intangible net. Online chats are so misleading. You never really know what the other person is actually thinking, feeling, and even saying. Although I could sense she wasn't in the best of moods, it didn't deter me from ribbing her a bit. Next thing I know, another friend calls and gives me an earful. Got fired left, right, and center today. The friend who had called was discussed in the online convo and Durga Mata messaged the Furious One. A silly incident blew the whole thing outta proportion and my li'l prank backfired bigtime. Total miscommunication gap! Is it Amavasya or something? Jeeeez! According to me, both overreacted and jumped the gun and to conclusions, which they otherwise wouldn't have. Now they are hurt and upset! Apologized to both to soothe frazzled nerves, but still feeling lousy.
End of the day, not only am I nursing a big foot, but also a big mouth.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Identity Crisis
Main kaun hoon? Main kahaan hoon? Uffo, main abhi tak yahaan hoon!! :P
What's in a name they say? I did a bunch of 'what is your name in this country's language' quizzes on blogland and discovered Japanese, Italian, Spanish, French et al versions of my name. Got bored with that eventually. I continue to use a rather 'German-sounding' version of my name on email.
When I was a kid, each of my aunts had a different goofy 'pet name' for me. It was painful writing them thank you cards for their gifts trying to remember which name to sign off by, based on what they called me. Interestingly enough, whatever they called me, became the name I called them back, with an 'aunty' attached to it at the end! The names are just so ridiculous, but now I can look back at them and poke fun at them and at myself for going along with it.
Sample this: One aunt decided to hum when she addressed me, so I was christened "Gun Gun" and she became "Gun Gun Aunty". Dunno if there was some competition going on like 'Tag this kid with the most embarassing name', but the aforementioned aunt's sister decided that "Mun Mun" it is, henceforth, and of course, she was "Mun Mun Aunty". The squabbling sisters had another sibling who then promptly christened me "Minna". Atleast there was some logic to it as I was a tiny baby, a bit underweight even. (Those familiar with my size now, shall not comment and can just put a sock in it :D). Now, these aunts weren't masters of the game after all. Their mother and my beloved Naaniamma was alive and well then. Un sab ki amma nikli and she passed an order that the new kid on the (execution, in my view) block shall hereby be referred to as "Shammu". When I visited Disneyland, the most popular act was that of "Shammu The Whale". I somehow lived it down, kinda helped by the fact that the whale was cute :) Never mind. Till date, I call my uncle (the brother of all these aunties and Naaniamma's son), Shammumam. I have no clue how that connection was made. My guess is he was the only one who abided by Naani's grand orders and called me "Shammu", and hence he was introduced to me as "Shammumam". Now, can the father of all these wonderful people be left behind in this prem kahani? No sirree. Naaniammi's husband and my dear, sweet, adorable granddad officially named me 'Poornima' since I was born on paurnami ki raat, aka, full moon night. AAAAWWWOOOOOO! Ahem. That was quickly shortened 'affectionately' to "Punimo!" Yes, with an exclamation. 'Coz he used to yell out my name like that in public. This was of course once I was older and could run as far away from this crazy bunch as my two li'l legs could carry me.
Mum and Dad were on their own trip back in those days. Literally. Mom was tripping on being a new mom, all rosy cheeked and glowing, and Dad was on his own trip in Calcutta, post IIM days. They were high on life and love, among other things. Innocent stuff like music, friends, clubs, and parties of course. Ze good life, basically. And food! Boy, oh boy, what a food loving family I'm a part of. Which has no doubt left a telling and lasting impression on my adult life. Anyway, I digress. So Dad got wind of the name given by his dad-in-law and put his well-educated foot down. He was just coming out of a hangover of its own kind after pocketing an MBA and had joined an MNC, only back then, apna desh was still UK dominated and not the US of A based MNCs of today. So he said "Poornima" was a terribly old fashioned name. After spending a lot of time hunting for names, he gave me a typical Bengali name. Kolkata hangover I guess. In between, he had almost finalised on "Suman" and even wrote a letter to his mom about it. I still cherish that letter though it is in tatters. Dad also christened his youngest sister "Asha" and the basis of that was that the day she was born, he had seen a Hindi movie and the pretty heroine's name was "Asha". Ahem. Anyway, Mum and Dad, going by family tradition, bestowed upon me a pet name and that was "Chotu". Ok, you can stop laughing now.
By the time I was three, responding to so many names must have taken its toll. As I grew up and smartened up a wee bit, I developed 'convenient hearing ability'. Whenever someone called me by one of the above crazy names, I would act like I couldn't hear them. In school, of course, it was my 'official' (Bong) name. Can a kid be more tortured, you think?
Once I started using the net, I simply couldn't think up any nicknames for myself. Bland stuff like 'zodiacgal' was my handle on chat only because I was hung up on reading the astrological columns in magazines and Linda Goodman's book about Sunsigns enthralled me as a teenager. Picking a nickname for email accounts, chat handles etc., gave me nightmares. I took hours and even days to think of something, well, a little less ridiculous than the ones I've suffered while growing up.
I had 'name block' like writer's block for a while. Now of course I am a pro at different names and even identities. Played the fool online enough times under god knows how many nicks and personas. When venturing into blogworld, I suffered from 'name block' again. And Kini suggested I stick with A Jane. This one was also thrust upon me by him and Sayesha in some silly name calling game :P Kini got a bit cleverer (for once) and suggested 'Jane Doe'. I listened to him (for once) and it became my url. But for my 'posting' name, I was bored with that and so decided on 'The Chosen One'. *rant alert* After all, wasn't I 'chosen' for all those idiotic names as a kid? *end of rant* Besides that, back in college, my fave phrase when something unfair happened to me was "Why me?" I even had a Charlie Brown poster in my room asking that question. So I would wail and groan "WHY ME?" and my friend would reply, "Because you're the chosen one!" So that became the blog posting nickname. I wondered if it sounded weird, but heck, I've always been that way. Chosen, not weird! Ok, maybe a bit mad sometimes. :D
Most people on blogworld liked it and thought was different from the usual. This guy thought it was an ode to Neo! :) Others thought it was silly, or even sounded pompous. If only they knew!! Dishoom happily shortened my blog nick to TCO, which sounds suspiciously like PCO.
Today, however, someone said it was cheesy. Heck, it was my cheese to move, you know? So now I am The Cheesy One. *cheesy...err...cheeky grin*
With friends, my nicknames have gone the range from Sugar, to Hanuman, to Gabbar Singh.
Sigh...seems as if my tryst with names will carry on into my afterlife avatar as well!
What's in a name they say? I did a bunch of 'what is your name in this country's language' quizzes on blogland and discovered Japanese, Italian, Spanish, French et al versions of my name. Got bored with that eventually. I continue to use a rather 'German-sounding' version of my name on email.
When I was a kid, each of my aunts had a different goofy 'pet name' for me. It was painful writing them thank you cards for their gifts trying to remember which name to sign off by, based on what they called me. Interestingly enough, whatever they called me, became the name I called them back, with an 'aunty' attached to it at the end! The names are just so ridiculous, but now I can look back at them and poke fun at them and at myself for going along with it.
Sample this: One aunt decided to hum when she addressed me, so I was christened "Gun Gun" and she became "Gun Gun Aunty". Dunno if there was some competition going on like 'Tag this kid with the most embarassing name', but the aforementioned aunt's sister decided that "Mun Mun" it is, henceforth, and of course, she was "Mun Mun Aunty". The squabbling sisters had another sibling who then promptly christened me "Minna". Atleast there was some logic to it as I was a tiny baby, a bit underweight even. (Those familiar with my size now, shall not comment and can just put a sock in it :D). Now, these aunts weren't masters of the game after all. Their mother and my beloved Naaniamma was alive and well then. Un sab ki amma nikli and she passed an order that the new kid on the (execution, in my view) block shall hereby be referred to as "Shammu". When I visited Disneyland, the most popular act was that of "Shammu The Whale". I somehow lived it down, kinda helped by the fact that the whale was cute :) Never mind. Till date, I call my uncle (the brother of all these aunties and Naaniamma's son), Shammumam. I have no clue how that connection was made. My guess is he was the only one who abided by Naani's grand orders and called me "Shammu", and hence he was introduced to me as "Shammumam". Now, can the father of all these wonderful people be left behind in this prem kahani? No sirree. Naaniammi's husband and my dear, sweet, adorable granddad officially named me 'Poornima' since I was born on paurnami ki raat, aka, full moon night. AAAAWWWOOOOOO! Ahem. That was quickly shortened 'affectionately' to "Punimo!" Yes, with an exclamation. 'Coz he used to yell out my name like that in public. This was of course once I was older and could run as far away from this crazy bunch as my two li'l legs could carry me.
Mum and Dad were on their own trip back in those days. Literally. Mom was tripping on being a new mom, all rosy cheeked and glowing, and Dad was on his own trip in Calcutta, post IIM days. They were high on life and love, among other things. Innocent stuff like music, friends, clubs, and parties of course. Ze good life, basically. And food! Boy, oh boy, what a food loving family I'm a part of. Which has no doubt left a telling and lasting impression on my adult life. Anyway, I digress. So Dad got wind of the name given by his dad-in-law and put his well-educated foot down. He was just coming out of a hangover of its own kind after pocketing an MBA and had joined an MNC, only back then, apna desh was still UK dominated and not the US of A based MNCs of today. So he said "Poornima" was a terribly old fashioned name. After spending a lot of time hunting for names, he gave me a typical Bengali name. Kolkata hangover I guess. In between, he had almost finalised on "Suman" and even wrote a letter to his mom about it. I still cherish that letter though it is in tatters. Dad also christened his youngest sister "Asha" and the basis of that was that the day she was born, he had seen a Hindi movie and the pretty heroine's name was "Asha". Ahem. Anyway, Mum and Dad, going by family tradition, bestowed upon me a pet name and that was "Chotu". Ok, you can stop laughing now.
By the time I was three, responding to so many names must have taken its toll. As I grew up and smartened up a wee bit, I developed 'convenient hearing ability'. Whenever someone called me by one of the above crazy names, I would act like I couldn't hear them. In school, of course, it was my 'official' (Bong) name. Can a kid be more tortured, you think?
Once I started using the net, I simply couldn't think up any nicknames for myself. Bland stuff like 'zodiacgal' was my handle on chat only because I was hung up on reading the astrological columns in magazines and Linda Goodman's book about Sunsigns enthralled me as a teenager. Picking a nickname for email accounts, chat handles etc., gave me nightmares. I took hours and even days to think of something, well, a little less ridiculous than the ones I've suffered while growing up.
I had 'name block' like writer's block for a while. Now of course I am a pro at different names and even identities. Played the fool online enough times under god knows how many nicks and personas. When venturing into blogworld, I suffered from 'name block' again. And Kini suggested I stick with A Jane. This one was also thrust upon me by him and Sayesha in some silly name calling game :P Kini got a bit cleverer (for once) and suggested 'Jane Doe'. I listened to him (for once) and it became my url. But for my 'posting' name, I was bored with that and so decided on 'The Chosen One'. *rant alert* After all, wasn't I 'chosen' for all those idiotic names as a kid? *end of rant* Besides that, back in college, my fave phrase when something unfair happened to me was "Why me?" I even had a Charlie Brown poster in my room asking that question. So I would wail and groan "WHY ME?" and my friend would reply, "Because you're the chosen one!" So that became the blog posting nickname. I wondered if it sounded weird, but heck, I've always been that way. Chosen, not weird! Ok, maybe a bit mad sometimes. :D
Most people on blogworld liked it and thought was different from the usual. This guy thought it was an ode to Neo! :) Others thought it was silly, or even sounded pompous. If only they knew!! Dishoom happily shortened my blog nick to TCO, which sounds suspiciously like PCO.
Today, however, someone said it was cheesy. Heck, it was my cheese to move, you know? So now I am The Cheesy One. *cheesy...err...cheeky grin*
With friends, my nicknames have gone the range from Sugar, to Hanuman, to Gabbar Singh.
Sigh...seems as if my tryst with names will carry on into my afterlife avatar as well!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Life's a Beach
They collapsed into the sand
Their faces turned up against the breeze
Their laughter ringing in the air
Casting a spell across that silent night
The lone boat cracked right down the middle
A mute witness to their chatter
With only the beam of the lighthouse casting a warm glow
While they drew circles in the sand
They had given up building castles in the air
Long ago when time dealt them a cruel blow
Now they were stronger and could swim against the tide
And yet between them was a great divide
The future lies ahead of them
As vast an expanse as the sea's horizon
They walk barefooted towards the water
Holding hands as they were always used to
They look around at all the jewels cast ashore
And promise to build a foundation for the future
At last their eyes shone in the moonlight
A meaningful purpose was finally in sight
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Travelize it!
This was so hilarious I had to share. Below is a link to a travel blog written by Dharmu’s boss. Obviously, I have met neither Dharmu nor her boss (a Westerner) in person, but only read their writings. When I clicked on the link to her boss’ blog, it was only out of curiosity to know more about her company and work. Had thought it was a link to her company website. Instead it turned out to be the travails of her boss’ travels to India. Always interesting to see how the white world views the brown one. The particular post of his that I’ve linked here is a cool description of our very own Landmark!
The travel blog web portal is also neat. Wondering if I should open one on my travels there or pen/type them here. Hmmm….any suggestions?
The View from the Other Side
The travel blog web portal is also neat. Wondering if I should open one on my travels there or pen/type them here. Hmmm….any suggestions?
The View from the Other Side
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Just Five Points, Mr. Chetan Bhagat!
At long last I managed to get my hands on the book ‘Five Point Someone’ by Chetan Bhagat. Much has been said and written about it, so I’ll keep it short. This book seems to have become the mantra for collegians and those of us still nostalgic about the ‘good ole days’. My all time fave in this kind of genre, though, continues to be ‘The Inscrutable Americans' by Anurag Mathur.
Here’s my (late) take on this college tome.
Feedback for FPS comin’ your way, Chetan… (Mallus reading this, pls make sure you get the pronounciation right).
1) GPA GPA GPA!! Oho! That might be the mantra at IIT, but for the world over, Gen Next is only interested in GAP GAP GAP!!
2) Take 3 losers, mix in some Floyd, grass, and vodka, and voila! A ‘novel’ dish targeting the youth is rustled up. Ice in the vodka? A smash hit bestseller and raking in the big bucks. Sweet! Who cares about dessert, right Chetan?
3) The heroine angle, Neha. The only ‘flavar’ among the nuts, bolts, and gears. Not much of a crowd puller though. More Betty than Betty Boop. The ‘kya maal hai’ factor is missing. Shilpa Shetty ko bulao! Item gal maangtha hai. In this Archie & Betty caper, Veronica is sorely missing.
4) The humor and simple lingo style of writing was ‘jhakkas’. But, what’s with all the typos, Mr. Engineer-and-MBA-and-NRI Investment Banker?
5) Chetan, can I have Ryan’s phone number?
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Things Are Just Not What They Seem
~ The Mahajan case, 'nuff said. The town criers have gone to town about it anyway.
~ Picture perfect marriages. How much of a sham(e) behind closed doors?
~ Writers and their writings. How much of it is the truth/imaginary?
~ Academic Grades. Reflection of a student's brilliance/intelligence?
~ Friends. Fair weather seems too mild a description for back-stabbers.
~ Relatives. (Explanation not required).
~ The movie industry and their behind-the-screen shenanigans.
~ Movies & TV Serials. The Sixth Sense & The X Files.
~ Charlie Chaplin. Real life isn't black and white after all.
~ My driver. The bugger has gone missing since 2 hrs, seems to have decamped with my bike.
~ This post. Not exhaustive by a long shot.
~ Picture perfect marriages. How much of a sham(e) behind closed doors?
~ Writers and their writings. How much of it is the truth/imaginary?
~ Academic Grades. Reflection of a student's brilliance/intelligence?
~ Friends. Fair weather seems too mild a description for back-stabbers.
~ Relatives. (Explanation not required).
~ The movie industry and their behind-the-screen shenanigans.
~ Movies & TV Serials. The Sixth Sense & The X Files.
~ Charlie Chaplin. Real life isn't black and white after all.
~ My driver. The bugger has gone missing since 2 hrs, seems to have decamped with my bike.
~ This post. Not exhaustive by a long shot.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
New Man in My Life
Found a perfect way to keep me busy while being home-bound. Playin' with this toy boy. He packs a neat punch and keeps me effortlessly occupied.
Meet my new companion, Le Phillipe. Ain't he a handsome dude...sigh...fell hook, line and sinker for his good looks. A very smooth physique and rock hard abs to boot.
And whadya know, Le Phillipe is prudent too...came to me on a bidding! Almost perfect...sigh...
Mr. Sunny Ehruksun, my original choice, will just have to wait a bit longer for my undivided attention.
Meet my new companion, Le Phillipe. Ain't he a handsome dude...sigh...fell hook, line and sinker for his good looks. A very smooth physique and rock hard abs to boot.
And whadya know, Le Phillipe is prudent too...came to me on a bidding! Almost perfect...sigh...
Mr. Sunny Ehruksun, my original choice, will just have to wait a bit longer for my undivided attention.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Citizens Can!
The "Rang De Basanti" effect is what the media is calling it. People protesting in the streets of India has become an integral part of all TV channel headlines of late. It started with the Jessica Lal case, which prodded on by the media, snowballed into actually setting the wheels of justice in motion--that too in India--a humongous achievement. Around the same time, a group (now that the political party has split) called Lok Paritran was formed and fuelled this new-age subconciousness among the Indian youth. And of course, the anti-reservation issue, which is still burning up blogworld, broadcasting media, campuses, drawing room discussions, and a lot of ink everywhere. This page got so many hits in the past coupla weeks, probably more than our very own homegrown Priyanka Chopra got hit on since she scorched up the screen.
In the midst of all this fire and brimstone, came Aamir Khan's support for the victims of the Narmada issue. Rajdeep Sardesai gushed all over the actor, who was earnest to a fault, and yet managed to charm through his dimples. Read the transcript and watch the interview here. Other news channels also had special programs inviting Aamir into their studios to bravely and gravely voice his opinion not on Bollywood, or matters of the heart, or the debacle of Fanaa, but to hear him speak on current affairs. Khushboo, however, got a raw deal and tearfully rendered a public apology for what some termed her "outspokenness" in the media. The irony was that this was the same southern state that had deified this actress by constructing a temple in her name!
Are they for real? Back in school, civics and history classes were all about freedom of speech and believing in the maxim that "democracy is for the people, by the people, and of the people". In today's times, it seems that this country is only for the politicians, by the politicians, and of the politicians, and minus the people altogether. This might sound naive and idealistic, but seriously, what the heck is wrong with the times we live in?
Public memory is short, but hopefully not for just causes. Hope has emerged just as we appeared to be turning into a callous materialistic tech-dependent generation. There is still some soul left in our hearts, even if the flame is but a flicker. Time will tell if this is just a phase.
[In other news, (since this post sounds like a broadcast feed from a newschannel) I managed to break my toe and am now hopping around the house. All laments about accrued leave have been duly taken care of!]
In the midst of all this fire and brimstone, came Aamir Khan's support for the victims of the Narmada issue. Rajdeep Sardesai gushed all over the actor, who was earnest to a fault, and yet managed to charm through his dimples. Read the transcript and watch the interview here. Other news channels also had special programs inviting Aamir into their studios to bravely and gravely voice his opinion not on Bollywood, or matters of the heart, or the debacle of Fanaa, but to hear him speak on current affairs. Khushboo, however, got a raw deal and tearfully rendered a public apology for what some termed her "outspokenness" in the media. The irony was that this was the same southern state that had deified this actress by constructing a temple in her name!
Are they for real? Back in school, civics and history classes were all about freedom of speech and believing in the maxim that "democracy is for the people, by the people, and of the people". In today's times, it seems that this country is only for the politicians, by the politicians, and of the politicians, and minus the people altogether. This might sound naive and idealistic, but seriously, what the heck is wrong with the times we live in?
Public memory is short, but hopefully not for just causes. Hope has emerged just as we appeared to be turning into a callous materialistic tech-dependent generation. There is still some soul left in our hearts, even if the flame is but a flicker. Time will tell if this is just a phase.
[In other news, (since this post sounds like a broadcast feed from a newschannel) I managed to break my toe and am now hopping around the house. All laments about accrued leave have been duly taken care of!]
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Saturday Blues
Had to go to work today. Aaaaarrrgh!! Really, what could be worse! (Ok, don't need the count your blessings speech now, thank you).
Its SatuRANTday.
Sherry and I were cursing under our breaths. Actually, it was loud enough for all to hear. And we are in two different cities. Most Saturdays we have to go to work, only to find that there is absolutely no work.
I have this nasty habit of piling up my accrued leave and Sherry is just the opposite. She exhausts even the leave that she is not entitled to. She loves taking vacations after her vacations. She insists she needs a break after the vacation itself. Me, on the other hand, has grown roots that have fastened to my desk and spread their tentacles around my non-ergonomic chair. Sherry has tried beating me over the head about my accumulated leave, but has not succeeded in penetrating my thick skull as yet. I must take a few tips from Kusum Dishoom who seems to take off on a holiday every other month! God bless her employer. (Kusum, chocs and my CV coming your way).
Coming back to Sherry, all of last year she consistently kept her signature out of the attendance register almost every Saturday, as a rule. A laudable effort indeed. All her evil vacation deeds came back to bite her this year and hence, she has taken tips from my book and is chained to her seat all week, week after week. You see, she has exhausted her quota of leave, and how! She has negative leave balance now. So, 2006 sees Sherry at work every Saturday, very busy "leave gathering" as she put it.
Chat with Sherry today went like this...
Sherry: You at work on a Saturday again?
Me: *sheepish laugh* Yeah. I have an RS to attack, only it is attacking me. (RS stands for 'rambling story' aka report).
Sherry: Ok, then its allowed.
Me: Right back at ya, btw!
Sherry: I know, I told you my problem.
Me: Ah...yes.
Sherry: Leave gathering.
Me: Leaves gathering, eh? Its summer, not autumn.
Sherry: Huh?
Me: I'm such a rake. Never mind.
Sherry: Went out for lunch though.
Me: I've given up on life on weekends let alone lunch. Where d'ya go?
Sherry: Hathworks Buelevard.
Me: Sounds fancy shmancy.
Sherry: Had YUMMMMMY dessert at lunch.
Me: Sure, rub it in some more.
Sherry: B-o-u-l-e-v-a-r-d. Ugh...whats the spelling??
Me: You got it right the 2nd time around :-)
Sherry: First time sounded demented.
Me: Haha! Anyway, it's a Saturday, and you're at work. We're allowed to be demented.
Sherry: Yes, I have the same excuse for Monday too.
Me: True. And what about Thursdays and Fridays for you?
(Midweek is when Sherry's workload really hits her between the eyes).
And Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays for me!
(Start to midweek is when I nail work and bring it to its knees).
Darn. That doesn't leave much of the week left, does it?
Sherry: *looooooooooooooooong sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhh*
Me: *looooooooooooooooong sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhh*
Its SatuRANTday.
Sherry and I were cursing under our breaths. Actually, it was loud enough for all to hear. And we are in two different cities. Most Saturdays we have to go to work, only to find that there is absolutely no work.
I have this nasty habit of piling up my accrued leave and Sherry is just the opposite. She exhausts even the leave that she is not entitled to. She loves taking vacations after her vacations. She insists she needs a break after the vacation itself. Me, on the other hand, has grown roots that have fastened to my desk and spread their tentacles around my non-ergonomic chair. Sherry has tried beating me over the head about my accumulated leave, but has not succeeded in penetrating my thick skull as yet. I must take a few tips from Kusum Dishoom who seems to take off on a holiday every other month! God bless her employer. (Kusum, chocs and my CV coming your way).
Coming back to Sherry, all of last year she consistently kept her signature out of the attendance register almost every Saturday, as a rule. A laudable effort indeed. All her evil vacation deeds came back to bite her this year and hence, she has taken tips from my book and is chained to her seat all week, week after week. You see, she has exhausted her quota of leave, and how! She has negative leave balance now. So, 2006 sees Sherry at work every Saturday, very busy "leave gathering" as she put it.
Chat with Sherry today went like this...
Sherry: You at work on a Saturday again?
Me: *sheepish laugh* Yeah. I have an RS to attack, only it is attacking me. (RS stands for 'rambling story' aka report).
Sherry: Ok, then its allowed.
Me: Right back at ya, btw!
Sherry: I know, I told you my problem.
Me: Ah...yes.
Sherry: Leave gathering.
Me: Leaves gathering, eh? Its summer, not autumn.
Sherry: Huh?
Me: I'm such a rake. Never mind.
Sherry: Went out for lunch though.
Me: I've given up on life on weekends let alone lunch. Where d'ya go?
Sherry: Hathworks Buelevard.
Me: Sounds fancy shmancy.
Sherry: Had YUMMMMMY dessert at lunch.
Me: Sure, rub it in some more.
Sherry: B-o-u-l-e-v-a-r-d. Ugh...whats the spelling??
Me: You got it right the 2nd time around :-)
Sherry: First time sounded demented.
Me: Haha! Anyway, it's a Saturday, and you're at work. We're allowed to be demented.
Sherry: Yes, I have the same excuse for Monday too.
Me: True. And what about Thursdays and Fridays for you?
(Midweek is when Sherry's workload really hits her between the eyes).
And Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays for me!
(Start to midweek is when I nail work and bring it to its knees).
Darn. That doesn't leave much of the week left, does it?
Sherry: *looooooooooooooooong sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhh*
Me: *looooooooooooooooong sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhh*
Thursday, May 18, 2006
The Dark (K)night on the Horizon
Aa raha hai!! Mera knight in shining armor...literally! Here is the pic...and its not the person who clicked the picture, just in case some dhakkans get the wrong idea :P
Sorry yaar Rohit, please don't mind, I am like this wonly :D
My knight
Shamelessly horked this from a fellow Beatle maniac. Sigh...isn't that a simply boootiful shot? (The second one, peeps.) So morantic! No wonder mera number aane mein itni der ho raha hai...itni door se jo aa raha hai! Yes! From another century itself :P
Thanks, Rohit. I feel good 'coz of the pic.
Now if only the knight can croon a la James Brown.
Sorry yaar Rohit, please don't mind, I am like this wonly :D
My knight
Shamelessly horked this from a fellow Beatle maniac. Sigh...isn't that a simply boootiful shot? (The second one, peeps.) So morantic! No wonder mera number aane mein itni der ho raha hai...itni door se jo aa raha hai! Yes! From another century itself :P
Thanks, Rohit. I feel good 'coz of the pic.
Now if only the knight can croon a la James Brown.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Guilty Pleasures
Multiplexes, coffee shops,
Lounge bars, restaurant rooftops,
Designer labels and fancy fast cars,
All contribute to unblemished souls and zero battle scars.
Spa treatments, first class air tickets, a happening night life,
A rich, dashing husband and a trophy wife,
Even charity causes,
All meant to be flaunted,
Without a care in the world for the lesser privileged,
Or the simple things in life that we all take for granted.
New age spiritualism and yoga,
All filling the coffers of the likes of Deepak Chopra.
What will it take to set free,
The mind, the heart, the spirit, and the soul,
Will humankind ever be allowed a reprieve?
Lounge bars, restaurant rooftops,
Designer labels and fancy fast cars,
All contribute to unblemished souls and zero battle scars.
Spa treatments, first class air tickets, a happening night life,
A rich, dashing husband and a trophy wife,
Even charity causes,
All meant to be flaunted,
Without a care in the world for the lesser privileged,
Or the simple things in life that we all take for granted.
New age spiritualism and yoga,
All filling the coffers of the likes of Deepak Chopra.
What will it take to set free,
The mind, the heart, the spirit, and the soul,
Will humankind ever be allowed a reprieve?
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Gettin' Hitched!
What a coincidence! Two of my best pals are (finally) getting married (something so final about marriage, no?). These gals have been a big part of my life at different stages.
Kamal and I spent some super fun five years together during our carefree childhood days. Between age 5 to 10, we played in the sun, in the shade, in the pool, on the grassy maidan, on the shuttle court, fought over the same guy that we both had a crush on for all those years (this would make a whole other post), had slumber parties and sleepovers at each other's houses...sigh...it was a magical childhood indeed.
Mona and I spent less time together in comparison, but as twenty-somethings we bonded over projects, assignments, student strikes against lousy lecturers, group study sessions, gossip about our fellow classmates, boyfriends, and food. Oh, we just loved to yak and yak. Still do!
The interesting thing is that these two gal pals o'mine are in whole other countries. Kamal has been in the wild wild west for such a long time, it's a wonder she didn't marry a cowboy and set up a ranch in the middle of nowhere. Mona has been a globe trotter for some years now, shuttling between cities, countries, even continents.
When I met Kamal 17 years after our last meeting, it was simply awesome (for want of a better word--this one fits best somehow). The venue was thousands of miles away from the roads less traveled by yours truly, but pretty close to where she was (Austin, TX). She simply drove over when I called to say "Houston, (that was as far as I could get), we have a problem!" We spent a coupla days together getting re-acquainted. That took about 5 minutes. :-)
Haven't met Mona since we last said goodbye, but sure hope it doesn't take 17 years!
And now, Kamal and Mona are getting married. No, not to each other. Hope some dhakkans reading this were not under THAT impression! Although that might have made this scorching summer juicier for some!
So, they are beginning a new chapter in their lives. (A whole new book if you ask me).
Kamal's wedding will be a wonderfully happy occassion with her family and some friends around. I sincerely hope Mona's is the same. Mona is marrying into a different religion (now this step would entail beginning a whole new library even!), so there's all the typical Bollywood style drama--a mandatory part of such (circus?) events. The only probable drama at Kamal's wedding could be the confusion over names. When the priest calls out the groom's name, I just hope her brother doesn't step up to the altar. It would turn into the Bold & the Beautiful. You see, Kamal's betrothed and her elder brother are namesakes. :-)
I'm so excited sitting here so far away from either of them. They can probably hear me yelling (for the bouquet).
Mera number kab aayega? :-)
Kamal and I spent some super fun five years together during our carefree childhood days. Between age 5 to 10, we played in the sun, in the shade, in the pool, on the grassy maidan, on the shuttle court, fought over the same guy that we both had a crush on for all those years (this would make a whole other post), had slumber parties and sleepovers at each other's houses...sigh...it was a magical childhood indeed.
Mona and I spent less time together in comparison, but as twenty-somethings we bonded over projects, assignments, student strikes against lousy lecturers, group study sessions, gossip about our fellow classmates, boyfriends, and food. Oh, we just loved to yak and yak. Still do!
The interesting thing is that these two gal pals o'mine are in whole other countries. Kamal has been in the wild wild west for such a long time, it's a wonder she didn't marry a cowboy and set up a ranch in the middle of nowhere. Mona has been a globe trotter for some years now, shuttling between cities, countries, even continents.
When I met Kamal 17 years after our last meeting, it was simply awesome (for want of a better word--this one fits best somehow). The venue was thousands of miles away from the roads less traveled by yours truly, but pretty close to where she was (Austin, TX). She simply drove over when I called to say "Houston, (that was as far as I could get), we have a problem!" We spent a coupla days together getting re-acquainted. That took about 5 minutes. :-)
Haven't met Mona since we last said goodbye, but sure hope it doesn't take 17 years!
And now, Kamal and Mona are getting married. No, not to each other. Hope some dhakkans reading this were not under THAT impression! Although that might have made this scorching summer juicier for some!
So, they are beginning a new chapter in their lives. (A whole new book if you ask me).
Kamal's wedding will be a wonderfully happy occassion with her family and some friends around. I sincerely hope Mona's is the same. Mona is marrying into a different religion (now this step would entail beginning a whole new library even!), so there's all the typical Bollywood style drama--a mandatory part of such (circus?) events. The only probable drama at Kamal's wedding could be the confusion over names. When the priest calls out the groom's name, I just hope her brother doesn't step up to the altar. It would turn into the Bold & the Beautiful. You see, Kamal's betrothed and her elder brother are namesakes. :-)
I'm so excited sitting here so far away from either of them. They can probably hear me yelling (for the bouquet).
Mera number kab aayega? :-)
Friday, May 05, 2006
Calmouflage
She paints her face to hide her face.
She talks non-stop to quieten her thoughts.
She drives her car to drive her thoughts.
She thinks it through to let it sink in through.
She writes it down to free her mind.
She sings aloud to drown out the silence.
She runs a mile to dash her dreams.
She dances all night to sit this one out.
She talks non-stop to quieten her thoughts.
She drives her car to drive her thoughts.
She thinks it through to let it sink in through.
She writes it down to free her mind.
She sings aloud to drown out the silence.
She runs a mile to dash her dreams.
She dances all night to sit this one out.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Onamae o shiete kudasaimasen ka?
Roughly translated it means "Would you not do me the favor of teaching me your name?" That is a very polite phrase in Japanese while asking someone their name.
And so, the hangover continues...!!
This one is actually an email forward, but it felt so close to my blog's present state of mind, that I had to put it up here while I sip my sake. So here goes...
What is your Japanese name? Take each letter of your name and substitute it with the Japanese sound to the right of the letter. Names might be kinda long.
A- ka * B- tu * C- mi * D- te * E- ku * F- lu * G- ji
H- ri * I- ki * J- zu * K- me * L- ta * M- rin *
N- to O-mo * P- no * Q- ke * R- shi * S- ari * T-chi U- do *
V- ru * W-mei * X- na * Y- fu * Z- zi
Mine is Aridorinkichika.
Atleast I'm some chica :-) Its even got 'dorin' in it...fairly apt in some ways me thinks (think Doreen from Finding Nemo :-)) Now if only I can get that name in Japanese script and I'll be on my way. Errr...where? To-kyo(to) bound, I say! And wearing a Tshirt with my name on it.
Sayonara!
And so, the hangover continues...!!
This one is actually an email forward, but it felt so close to my blog's present state of mind, that I had to put it up here while I sip my sake. So here goes...
What is your Japanese name? Take each letter of your name and substitute it with the Japanese sound to the right of the letter. Names might be kinda long.
A- ka * B- tu * C- mi * D- te * E- ku * F- lu * G- ji
H- ri * I- ki * J- zu * K- me * L- ta * M- rin *
N- to O-mo * P- no * Q- ke * R- shi * S- ari * T-chi U- do *
V- ru * W-mei * X- na * Y- fu * Z- zi
Mine is Aridorinkichika.
Atleast I'm some chica :-) Its even got 'dorin' in it...fairly apt in some ways me thinks (think Doreen from Finding Nemo :-)) Now if only I can get that name in Japanese script and I'll be on my way. Errr...where? To-kyo(to) bound, I say! And wearing a Tshirt with my name on it.
Sayonara!
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