Its tough, it is, to be strong and carry on with life as if all's well with the world.
You gotta keep going, they say. Even if your heart is breaking and shattering into a million pieces.
Going through pain can psyche the living daylights outta you, but watching a loved one go through stuff is much, much worse. Particularly when you feel helpless about it.
So why do good people suffer? What makes God test them over and over and over again?
Or is that only the strong are tested? To test their strength? To see how much they can take/bear? And what is the lesson to be learnt therein?
Or are people tested because they need to develop more strength?
They say the more people are tested, the stronger they become. But we are all only human after all ! Too many tests, and repetitive ones at that, can end up weakening or breaking one's resolve altogether. What is the point in living like a broken piece of fragmented china? Might as well just take it all away at one go, or at one blow.
Repeated blows leave one bruised and badly battered. There's only so much one can take.
So many questions....where are the answers?
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Friday, September 08, 2006
Chand Phir Nikla
It is almost a year since I looked up at the moon!
Went up to view the lunar eclipse and was spellbound by the beauty of it all. Although it wasn't the typical full moon that inspires poets or romantics, it was still awesome. The shadows cast on the majestic moon were undaunted by its magnificence.
Had to crane my neck to look up at the moon and it was right above my head each time I moved! For someone who has a perennial neck sprain, this is not funny. The moon was playing tricks on me! Finally found a spot where I could support my back and lean against the wall. It was a sight to behold indeed. There was a white, yellow and a red-tinged halo around the moon, albeit at a respectful distance. It was really something else!
The superstition that people would go crazy if viewing the moon directly during a lunar eclipse is not unwarranted. How could anyone remain unaffected by that radiance and godliness? I marvelled at the moon casting its light all around. It was like I was seeing the moon for the first time in my life! Strange indeed!
Sigh....utterly gorgeous an experience it was. If only there was someone special to share it with! Not putting a picture, 'coz no image could ever do it justice. It will be all over the papers and telly tomorrow anyway.
All the paeans sung to the chand in Bollywood films don't come close to what I saw tonight. It took my breath away.
Went up to view the lunar eclipse and was spellbound by the beauty of it all. Although it wasn't the typical full moon that inspires poets or romantics, it was still awesome. The shadows cast on the majestic moon were undaunted by its magnificence.
Had to crane my neck to look up at the moon and it was right above my head each time I moved! For someone who has a perennial neck sprain, this is not funny. The moon was playing tricks on me! Finally found a spot where I could support my back and lean against the wall. It was a sight to behold indeed. There was a white, yellow and a red-tinged halo around the moon, albeit at a respectful distance. It was really something else!
The superstition that people would go crazy if viewing the moon directly during a lunar eclipse is not unwarranted. How could anyone remain unaffected by that radiance and godliness? I marvelled at the moon casting its light all around. It was like I was seeing the moon for the first time in my life! Strange indeed!
Sigh....utterly gorgeous an experience it was. If only there was someone special to share it with! Not putting a picture, 'coz no image could ever do it justice. It will be all over the papers and telly tomorrow anyway.
All the paeans sung to the chand in Bollywood films don't come close to what I saw tonight. It took my breath away.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Instant Coffee!
Just shake, rattle, and roll on the road, and see the result :-)
http://ww3.mid-day.com/news/city/2006/august/142409.htm
http://ww3.mid-day.com/news/city/2006/august/142409.htm
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Mouse Update!
We caught another one! And this one was tinier. Just a li'l baby. x-(
And the trap was in the balcony.
Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrgh...
Instead of groaning and cussing about it, I am gonna take a cool attitude towards this whole shindig. See pic below.
And the trap was in the balcony.
Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrgh...
Instead of groaning and cussing about it, I am gonna take a cool attitude towards this whole shindig. See pic below.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Shopaholic Sistahs!
Shopping.....its a word that sends thrills through a gal and chills down a guy's spine. The anticipation of a shopping holiday is filled with such excitement among most gals.
And so it was that two pals decided to take off to Big Bad Bangalore over the weekend. Ze Zombie (ZZ) and La-La Lavs (LL) decided to raid Bangalore of all its textile and handicraft industries at one go!
Between the two of them, they practically emptied out Commercial Street. There are no stalls/shops left there and the road itself has worn down thanks to their marching up and down it all day. The shopkeepers are alternating between delirious shouts of joy and heartrending wails thinking about how quickly their stocks were emptied.
From strapless tops to golden shoes (yes, you read right), the gals returned with arms laden with loot aplenty. From feminine flair (flowery and dainty wear) to macho glares (roadside romeos), they experienced it all. Actually, they were rather disappointed with the apparent lack of goodlooking guys around. That too, in Bangalore! What is the world coming to?? Isn't there any justice left in this duniya?? Two gorgeous gals on holiday don't encounter handsome hunks?! Atrocious, no?
This tiny technicality, however, did not deter these determined-to-shop dudettes! They went about ransacking the best stores of Bangalore and also club hopped to their heart's content. So what if there were more scantily clad babes in the pub than interesting men? Huh! They tossed their (carefully salooned) hair and went about their business :D
LL is from LA and hence very la-di-dah, or so we like to tease her :) She is a gorgeous fun-loving babe with a limitless fun quotient and ability to laugh! ZZ makes everyone laugh with her antics and naan-sense! The two as a combo is rather deadly to beat!
They had separate seats in the train during the journey to Bangalore. LL hatched a plot to get their berths together by adding a twist to the already harebrained plot. She decided to give ZZ the role of a pregnant woman and announced to the people in the compartment that ZZ needed attention and hence she had to be with her in the adjacent berth, just in case ZZ gave birth in the train. ZZ decided to play along and promptly burst into a coughing fit. LL had to nudge her and remind her that coughing is a symptom of TB and NOT of pregnancy!!!
However, the poor men around did not seem to notice the difference and hastily gave up their berths to the one seemingly about to pop! Never mind that ZZ doesn't even have a paunch that can even be remotely mistaken for a pregnant woman's belly!
Ahh...the adventures of girlhood...a must for every young lady to let her curly or straightened hair down :D
More power to wimmin and ya-ya sisterhood! Rock on, dudettes!
And so it was that two pals decided to take off to Big Bad Bangalore over the weekend. Ze Zombie (ZZ) and La-La Lavs (LL) decided to raid Bangalore of all its textile and handicraft industries at one go!
Between the two of them, they practically emptied out Commercial Street. There are no stalls/shops left there and the road itself has worn down thanks to their marching up and down it all day. The shopkeepers are alternating between delirious shouts of joy and heartrending wails thinking about how quickly their stocks were emptied.
From strapless tops to golden shoes (yes, you read right), the gals returned with arms laden with loot aplenty. From feminine flair (flowery and dainty wear) to macho glares (roadside romeos), they experienced it all. Actually, they were rather disappointed with the apparent lack of goodlooking guys around. That too, in Bangalore! What is the world coming to?? Isn't there any justice left in this duniya?? Two gorgeous gals on holiday don't encounter handsome hunks?! Atrocious, no?
This tiny technicality, however, did not deter these determined-to-shop dudettes! They went about ransacking the best stores of Bangalore and also club hopped to their heart's content. So what if there were more scantily clad babes in the pub than interesting men? Huh! They tossed their (carefully salooned) hair and went about their business :D
LL is from LA and hence very la-di-dah, or so we like to tease her :) She is a gorgeous fun-loving babe with a limitless fun quotient and ability to laugh! ZZ makes everyone laugh with her antics and naan-sense! The two as a combo is rather deadly to beat!
They had separate seats in the train during the journey to Bangalore. LL hatched a plot to get their berths together by adding a twist to the already harebrained plot. She decided to give ZZ the role of a pregnant woman and announced to the people in the compartment that ZZ needed attention and hence she had to be with her in the adjacent berth, just in case ZZ gave birth in the train. ZZ decided to play along and promptly burst into a coughing fit. LL had to nudge her and remind her that coughing is a symptom of TB and NOT of pregnancy!!!
However, the poor men around did not seem to notice the difference and hastily gave up their berths to the one seemingly about to pop! Never mind that ZZ doesn't even have a paunch that can even be remotely mistaken for a pregnant woman's belly!
Ahh...the adventures of girlhood...a must for every young lady to let her curly or straightened hair down :D
More power to wimmin and ya-ya sisterhood! Rock on, dudettes!
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Life
So what is it all about?
Its one puzzle no one has cracked yet.
Definitions a.k.a your version/take on life welcome.
Its one puzzle no one has cracked yet.
Definitions a.k.a your version/take on life welcome.
Vande Mataram
What a beautiful song and melody!
Gives me goosebumps whenever I listen to it.
Very proud that it contains my name.
Gives me goosebumps whenever I listen to it.
Very proud that it contains my name.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Who will bell the mouse?
Last night, I opened the bedroom door and saw a li'l mouse jump from a chair and scurry away to a corner behind my comp workstation. Promptly screamed and shut the room door as fast as I could.
A mousetrap was laid for Mr. Mouse with some food in it. Dad then turned on the AC at full blast, switched off the light, and shut the door. I simply HAD to ask why Daddy-O was turning on the aircon for the MOUSE. He said it was to freeze it out of its hiding place and come looking for the food inside the trap. Brilliant idea, no?! Dads !! :-D
Now, Dad had already suspected for a few days that there was a rat in the room. He had heard some "tok-tok" sound on and off and was sure there was something living inside the PC cabinet gnawing away at the wood. Either a lizard or a rat. I'd assured him that it wasn't possible as I would have known if there was one.
However, for some time now, each time I opened this cabinet, I would find 1-inch sized black droppings ALL OVER. Around the keyboard, the CPU, the UPS, etc. I'd presumed these were lizard droppings and that some creepy gecko was residing within the vicinity of my PC and had adopted the cabinet as its apartment. Each day I would throw those disgusting pieces of shit (no pun at all) away and carry on with using the PC.
Back to li'l Mr. Mouse...an hour later we found that it had been caught. Its long tail was sticking outta the trap. The trap was kept on the balcony for the rest of the night as it was too late to do anything about it.
I returned to the PC heaving sighs of relief that the worst was over. Boy, was I wrong!
There was a godawful stink emanating from inside the cabinet. I looked around the UPS/CPU, in the bottom shelves and other top shelves, but couldn't figure out what was wrong. As had become the norm, I found some more black droppings around and threw them out. Eventually, I discovered the source of the stink...
Mr. Mouse had peed all over the cabinet! There was fresh pee right next to the keyboard and near the mouse (the electronic one i.e.). The pee around the electronic mouse was in the shape of a footprint. Apparently, Mr. Mouse had stamped on its own susu and then proceeded to scamper ALL OVER my workstation.
I was completely freaked out by then, as if seeing the poor li'l creature wasn't traumatic enough. Stories about leptospirosis came to mind. Ever since it came to prominence as a fatal disease, it is the scariest thing on earth. Worse than AIDS itself! I slammed the workstation doors shut and ran from the room.
This morning, Mr. Mouse was still in the balcony sunning himself and doing hulahoops inside the trap, with its long tail sticking out. At noon, this man who had been asked to help arrived, and I heaved a sigh of relief on seeing him when I opened the front door and let him in. Informed him that Mr. Mouse was in the balcony.
This guy walks straight towards the bedroom. I politely enquired where he was heading. He said he had been asked to clean the cabinet.
Gritting my teeth, I asked him as politely as I could to please remove the offending criminal from the premises first. Mr. Mouse had already been living in the house long enough as an uninvited and unpaying guest. And after that, could he please come back and clean the cabinet without any further delay. The man gave me a pained look and did as he was told.
He spent the next two hours disinfecting every centimeter of the PC's workstation, with me for company screaming instructions from a safe distance all through, like a background symphony orchestra.
We discovered that Mr. Mouse had chewed away at the cable wires out of sheer hunger or boredom, I dunno which. The internet connection and printer wires had been nibbled at right in the middle of the wires.
Poor Mr. Mouse! Without any semblance of actual food, it had been feeding on electrical wires and the wood panels at the back of the cabinet and then of course proceeding to leave li'l black souvenirs all over for me to encounter.
I spent a good part of last night and half of today screaming my head off.
I dont think I can recover from this trauma for a long long long long long long time.
A mousetrap was laid for Mr. Mouse with some food in it. Dad then turned on the AC at full blast, switched off the light, and shut the door. I simply HAD to ask why Daddy-O was turning on the aircon for the MOUSE. He said it was to freeze it out of its hiding place and come looking for the food inside the trap. Brilliant idea, no?! Dads !! :-D
Now, Dad had already suspected for a few days that there was a rat in the room. He had heard some "tok-tok" sound on and off and was sure there was something living inside the PC cabinet gnawing away at the wood. Either a lizard or a rat. I'd assured him that it wasn't possible as I would have known if there was one.
However, for some time now, each time I opened this cabinet, I would find 1-inch sized black droppings ALL OVER. Around the keyboard, the CPU, the UPS, etc. I'd presumed these were lizard droppings and that some creepy gecko was residing within the vicinity of my PC and had adopted the cabinet as its apartment. Each day I would throw those disgusting pieces of shit (no pun at all) away and carry on with using the PC.
Back to li'l Mr. Mouse...an hour later we found that it had been caught. Its long tail was sticking outta the trap. The trap was kept on the balcony for the rest of the night as it was too late to do anything about it.
I returned to the PC heaving sighs of relief that the worst was over. Boy, was I wrong!
There was a godawful stink emanating from inside the cabinet. I looked around the UPS/CPU, in the bottom shelves and other top shelves, but couldn't figure out what was wrong. As had become the norm, I found some more black droppings around and threw them out. Eventually, I discovered the source of the stink...
Mr. Mouse had peed all over the cabinet! There was fresh pee right next to the keyboard and near the mouse (the electronic one i.e.). The pee around the electronic mouse was in the shape of a footprint. Apparently, Mr. Mouse had stamped on its own susu and then proceeded to scamper ALL OVER my workstation.
I was completely freaked out by then, as if seeing the poor li'l creature wasn't traumatic enough. Stories about leptospirosis came to mind. Ever since it came to prominence as a fatal disease, it is the scariest thing on earth. Worse than AIDS itself! I slammed the workstation doors shut and ran from the room.
This morning, Mr. Mouse was still in the balcony sunning himself and doing hulahoops inside the trap, with its long tail sticking out. At noon, this man who had been asked to help arrived, and I heaved a sigh of relief on seeing him when I opened the front door and let him in. Informed him that Mr. Mouse was in the balcony.
This guy walks straight towards the bedroom. I politely enquired where he was heading. He said he had been asked to clean the cabinet.
Gritting my teeth, I asked him as politely as I could to please remove the offending criminal from the premises first. Mr. Mouse had already been living in the house long enough as an uninvited and unpaying guest. And after that, could he please come back and clean the cabinet without any further delay. The man gave me a pained look and did as he was told.
He spent the next two hours disinfecting every centimeter of the PC's workstation, with me for company screaming instructions from a safe distance all through, like a background symphony orchestra.
We discovered that Mr. Mouse had chewed away at the cable wires out of sheer hunger or boredom, I dunno which. The internet connection and printer wires had been nibbled at right in the middle of the wires.
Poor Mr. Mouse! Without any semblance of actual food, it had been feeding on electrical wires and the wood panels at the back of the cabinet and then of course proceeding to leave li'l black souvenirs all over for me to encounter.
I spent a good part of last night and half of today screaming my head off.
I dont think I can recover from this trauma for a long long long long long long time.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Copying the copycat !
A cool list to remember the stuff one got up to in the course of one's life and also some of the things one is yet to try. Not an exhaustive list though, there were more in the Chicken Soup series.
First saw this at TGFI's space who copied it from Greensatya, who got it from some other blog. Chain blogposts ki jai ho ! By now, its probably all over blogistan. Decided to join the herd (for once :D) and go with the flow.
An asterisk against the lines indicate stuff I'd really like to do and the lines in bold are ones I've already done, been there, done that types, but does not necessarily mean I would/wouldn't do again :-)
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins * (dying to do this!)
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive * (vroooooooooom!)
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid * (is anyone in here? :O)
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone * (ahem!)
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped * (freeee falling! what i'd really like to try, however, is to fly like a bird in the sky, soar upward, not spiral downward)
11. Visited Paris * (ooh la la, baby!)
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea * (after the Tsunami, not sure about this one) :-(
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights * (owwissitt?)
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa * (lift nahin hai, kya?)
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables (not grown them myself, though some grew in my garden, does that count? can I bold the eaten part? :D)
18. Touched an iceberg (reminds me of the Titanic, burf ko wahin rehne do)
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon * (flyyyy flyyyy like a bird in the skyyyy)
22. Watched a meteor shower * (as long as they don't fall on me poor head)
23. Gotten drunk on champagne (you don't have to get drunk to enjoy it)
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope * (3D effect)
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight (sheer waste of cake only)
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger (in this day and aids...I mean age?)
30. Had a snowball fight (not a fight, but played enough, and I think snow is overrated)
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can (I can do better though...should keep trying)
32. Held a lamb * (soft soft and woolly wooly -- sheepish smile on face)
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer (4 actually)
40. Visited all 10 provinces
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk (not interested in the least in doing this again)
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales * (NatGeo live!)
45. Stolen a sign (It would be a sign of the times)
46. Backpacked in Europe *
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing *
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving *
51. Visited Ireland *
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan * (wanna go there -- with patloon Hindustani)
55. Milked a cow (dun want anyone to ask the proverbial question -- got milk?)
56. Alphabetized your cds (what a nerdy thing to do)
57. Pretended to be a superhero (no pretending business, I want the real thing!)
58. Sung karaoke *
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving * (the sea is incredibly fascinating to me)
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China *
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class * (I wanna take me hiiiiiiya !)
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight (ok, not D&D, but many, many other pc/online games)
72. Gotten married *
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days (3 days, yes)
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice * (will sing Great Gambler songs)
80. Gotten a tattoo * (this should ideally be half an asterisk -- still in two minds)
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark (I'd rather die first)
88. Had a one-night stand (erm...)
89. Gone to Thailand *
90. Bought a house *
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship *
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country *
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote article for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray (does patting the water in which a stingray was swimming in count?)
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari *
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours * (am soooooooo sleep deprived)
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents *
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat (I'd rather kill myself)
127. Eaten sushi (I'd be buried by now)
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach (eeeeeeuuuuuuugh!)
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey *
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (Not in this life and hope never in later ones too)
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream *
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care (would never stoop so low)
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you *
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life
Monday, August 07, 2006
Change
Change -- the one thing we all resist
But (thank goodness), it doesn't ever resist us.
Changes
David Bowie
I still don't know what I was waiting for
And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets
Every time I thought I'd got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet
So I turned myself to face me
But I've never caught a glimpse
Of how the others must see the faker
I'm much too fast to take that test
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Don't want to be a richer man
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time
I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence and
So the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're going through
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Don't tell t hem to grow up and out of it
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Where's your shame
You've left us up to our necks in it
Time may change me
But you can't trace time
Strange fascination, fascinating me
Changes are taking the pace I'm going through
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Oh, look out you rock 'n rollers
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Pretty soon you're gonna get a little older
Time may change me
But I can't trace time
I said that time may change me
But I can't trace time
But (thank goodness), it doesn't ever resist us.
Changes
David Bowie
I still don't know what I was waiting for
And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets
Every time I thought I'd got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet
So I turned myself to face me
But I've never caught a glimpse
Of how the others must see the faker
I'm much too fast to take that test
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Don't want to be a richer man
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time
I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence and
So the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're going through
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Don't tell t hem to grow up and out of it
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Where's your shame
You've left us up to our necks in it
Time may change me
But you can't trace time
Strange fascination, fascinating me
Changes are taking the pace I'm going through
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Oh, look out you rock 'n rollers
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Pretty soon you're gonna get a little older
Time may change me
But I can't trace time
I said that time may change me
But I can't trace time
Friday, August 04, 2006
Happy Birthday, Awoooooo!
Today is an old pal's happy budday. Dear ol' Anoo. What a riot we were together.....always crazy about music and movies, we could jabber on nonstop all day and all night.
She still has "cassettes" of our convos. It was more of a shock than a surprise when she eventually confessed to having recorded our phone convos on tape. There was enough ammo in there to turn into a Watergate scandal (for some listening to those tapes it would have opened the floodgates and let water run freely down their faces).
College days were fun filled, no doubt. There are tons of stories on all the antics we got up to, but those will be reserved for another day, another occassion.
This story is only about Anoo's antics. She came to visit me in my city a few years after we had parted ways. She was surprisingly extremely well-behaved (maturity? naah....only b'coz my folks were around) and looked great, which was also a new one! She came bearing those tapes as gifts and it was such fun listening to old gossip about friends, foes, and other unmentionables. Typically, we stayed up nearly all night yakking away about ze good ole days.
The next morning she went in for a shower and came out looking squeaky clean. I was immediately suspicious :D
She went into raptures about my wonderful collection of soaps and shampoos in the bathroom, all looking and sounding so colorful and exotic.
Now Anoo considers herself a woman of very distinguished tastes. She has traveled the world and many seas and is quite the die-hard designer dudette. Her huge collection of branded parfums and accessories all sourced from abroad or even from Khan market is well-known within her group of gals. So when she went all curious about the soap she found in the bathroom, I had to go and check which one she was talking about. She simply HAD to know what product it was and from where I had got it so she could buy a few dozen for herself at the very least.
I took one look at the soap in question and split my sides laughing.
Poor Anoo stood there gaping and tapping her foot in impatience waiting for me to catch my breath -- and give her an explanation for my inexplicable behavior. Soon I began to howl like a wolf or like the dogs in my street do at night. Anoo didn't pay much attention becoz she knows I'm crazy like that and often.
Eventually, after my laughing fit kinda subsided, I had to inform her that she had just bathed using my cute li'l doggie's bar of soap.
Exotic? You betcha !!
So, here's to you, dear one-of-a-kind Awoooo...oops...Anoo.....have a blast of a birthday and keep shakin' it !
You're our very own Soap Doggy Dog ;)
She still has "cassettes" of our convos. It was more of a shock than a surprise when she eventually confessed to having recorded our phone convos on tape. There was enough ammo in there to turn into a Watergate scandal (for some listening to those tapes it would have opened the floodgates and let water run freely down their faces).
College days were fun filled, no doubt. There are tons of stories on all the antics we got up to, but those will be reserved for another day, another occassion.
This story is only about Anoo's antics. She came to visit me in my city a few years after we had parted ways. She was surprisingly extremely well-behaved (maturity? naah....only b'coz my folks were around) and looked great, which was also a new one! She came bearing those tapes as gifts and it was such fun listening to old gossip about friends, foes, and other unmentionables. Typically, we stayed up nearly all night yakking away about ze good ole days.
The next morning she went in for a shower and came out looking squeaky clean. I was immediately suspicious :D
She went into raptures about my wonderful collection of soaps and shampoos in the bathroom, all looking and sounding so colorful and exotic.
Now Anoo considers herself a woman of very distinguished tastes. She has traveled the world and many seas and is quite the die-hard designer dudette. Her huge collection of branded parfums and accessories all sourced from abroad or even from Khan market is well-known within her group of gals. So when she went all curious about the soap she found in the bathroom, I had to go and check which one she was talking about. She simply HAD to know what product it was and from where I had got it so she could buy a few dozen for herself at the very least.
I took one look at the soap in question and split my sides laughing.
Poor Anoo stood there gaping and tapping her foot in impatience waiting for me to catch my breath -- and give her an explanation for my inexplicable behavior. Soon I began to howl like a wolf or like the dogs in my street do at night. Anoo didn't pay much attention becoz she knows I'm crazy like that and often.
Eventually, after my laughing fit kinda subsided, I had to inform her that she had just bathed using my cute li'l doggie's bar of soap.
Exotic? You betcha !!
So, here's to you, dear one-of-a-kind Awoooo...oops...Anoo.....have a blast of a birthday and keep shakin' it !
You're our very own Soap Doggy Dog ;)
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Honor Roll!
This blog is being policed by a certain women's morcha group forcing me to update my serene space (pls see avatar of glass tealight :D) here. Can't even meditate in peace and quiet these days. Kalyug hai, baba!
Having said that, I love my blogging sisters and brothers and also the ones I don't consider siblings :D and the fact that they come in here to check on me from to time is so touching. That some come in here just to give some gaalis is besides the point. :D
Today I discovered that I have been mentioned on a fellow blogger's blog. Not just on a blogroll (which itself is a good ego booster :D), but this guy, Harsha, has written a really sweet post on all the bloggers whose blogs he frequents and I got a special mention too! Yayy!! Thanks mate :-)
Having said that, I love my blogging sisters and brothers and also the ones I don't consider siblings :D and the fact that they come in here to check on me from to time is so touching. That some come in here just to give some gaalis is besides the point. :D
Today I discovered that I have been mentioned on a fellow blogger's blog. Not just on a blogroll (which itself is a good ego booster :D), but this guy, Harsha, has written a really sweet post on all the bloggers whose blogs he frequents and I got a special mention too! Yayy!! Thanks mate :-)
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Back with a bang?
The big bang happened nearly 2 months ago. I am referring to my by now infamous foot fracture. Had worked from home the entire month of June and was on leave in July. Rejoined work today. The last entry in my work diary was 26th May, so yes, nearly 2 whole months later am back in my non-ergonomic chair at work.
Ah, nostalgia…on its own trip most of the time…
Then, a coworker (CW) buzzes me on Sametime enquiring about my well-being.
CW: Hi Jane, how are you feeling now? Sorry to hear about your airline fracture.
Jane: AIRLINE fracture? *bursts out laughing and types hahahaha in CAPS*
CW: *silence*
Jane: CW, it was neither an AIRLINE fracture nor a HAIRLINE fracture, but a proper fracture, you know. But I am doing better now, thanks for asking :-)
CW: OH! *pause* I’m so sorry, Jane… (utter silence follows and no communication for the rest of the day)
Dunno if missing the H in hairline was a typo or CW genuinely thought that something like an ‘airline’ fracture existed!!
----
Work done for the day, I need to get home and look around for transport. In my present predicament, the only one available is a rickety rick (autorickshaw). After haggling with 3 rickshawalas over the rates (they all ask for 30 to 35 bucks while the actual fare is 20), I find one at the traffic signal. By this time, I am resigned to my fate and ready for yet another fight with a stranger. What all we do for savaari! Dunno which is worse though, the haggling in itself, or the haggling in my horrible Tamil. Determined to pay only the correct fare and not be exploited, I inform the rick driver where I needed to go.
Driver: Ok, I will come. It will cost irruvadu ruba.
Determined Jane: Nothing doing!! I will pay only 20 bucks. That's what I pay every morning and that's what I will pay every evening also.
Highly amused driver: That's what I said....irruvadu ruba IS 20 bucks!!
Sheepish Jane: HA! Errr...*tries to save face*...which route will you take? I will choose the route!
Driver: Okay (grinning widely)
Sheeesh!
I finally arrive home only to realize I had forgotten to carry the keys with me in the morning. I'm locked out for the next half an hour.
What a day!!!
Ah, nostalgia…on its own trip most of the time…
So two months--quite sometime and then again, not all that long either. Depends on how one perceives it. So why was I disoriented about everything workwise? I couldn’t find my way around my work files on the comp, I forgot the database numbers and how to access the global servers or network. To top it all, there’s the intra-office chat software (Sametime), which is both a lifesaver and a major nuisance at the same time. Messages kept popping up with people enquiring, “Are you back or are you still at home?” etc. The ones who came up to my desk and asked "How did it happen?" For the nth time I have to begin sounding like a broken record about it (considering making a banner and hanging it over my work station--about the grisly details of my accident).
So these people kept going “sssssssssssss” before I could even begin the tale. I’d start saying, “My foot…”, “Well…”, “Oh, you know…” and they’d immediately go “ssssssssssssss” and make a face like they couldn’t bear the pain. Wtf?!
----
Anyway, so those familiar with my orthopedic woes and shoes will remember that they are a size 9, while my foot size is only a size 5. Yes, I have tiny feet (thank goodness I wasn’t born Chinese, else they’d be even tinier). As for the shoe/slipper, it’s black and as you can imagine, there’s nothing elegant about it. Wearing pretty heels is totally out of the question for the next coupla months atleast. As if I wasn’t moping enough about this huge sacrifice I was forced to make, I come across something worse today. Yes, things CAN get worse. It’s Murphy’s Law.
I look in the newspaper and see a photograph. What do you know? The photograph had someone wearing exactly the same kind as my new size 9s! Boy, was I mad as hell. How could I not be thrilled seeing my pair of shoes famously splattered across the newspapers on the front page, you wonder? No sirree, I am most certainly unthrilled!
For one, they were white; and two, the person wearing them was the Tamilnadu CM, Karunanidhi! *wails loudly*
----
Later in the morn, I dash off emails to my super and local bosses (there are quite a few of them) announcing with fanfare my return to the premises.Then, a coworker (CW) buzzes me on Sametime enquiring about my well-being.
CW: Hi Jane, how are you feeling now? Sorry to hear about your airline fracture.
Jane: AIRLINE fracture? *bursts out laughing and types hahahaha in CAPS*
CW: *silence*
Jane: CW, it was neither an AIRLINE fracture nor a HAIRLINE fracture, but a proper fracture, you know. But I am doing better now, thanks for asking :-)
CW: OH! *pause* I’m so sorry, Jane… (utter silence follows and no communication for the rest of the day)
Dunno if missing the H in hairline was a typo or CW genuinely thought that something like an ‘airline’ fracture existed!!
----
Work done for the day, I need to get home and look around for transport. In my present predicament, the only one available is a rickety rick (autorickshaw). After haggling with 3 rickshawalas over the rates (they all ask for 30 to 35 bucks while the actual fare is 20), I find one at the traffic signal. By this time, I am resigned to my fate and ready for yet another fight with a stranger. What all we do for savaari! Dunno which is worse though, the haggling in itself, or the haggling in my horrible Tamil. Determined to pay only the correct fare and not be exploited, I inform the rick driver where I needed to go.
Driver: Ok, I will come. It will cost irruvadu ruba.
Determined Jane: Nothing doing!! I will pay only 20 bucks. That's what I pay every morning and that's what I will pay every evening also.
Highly amused driver: That's what I said....irruvadu ruba IS 20 bucks!!
Sheepish Jane: HA! Errr...*tries to save face*...which route will you take? I will choose the route!
Driver: Okay (grinning widely)
Sheeesh!
I finally arrive home only to realize I had forgotten to carry the keys with me in the morning. I'm locked out for the next half an hour.
What a day!!!
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Makeover
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.
:-)
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.
:-)
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.
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