"I KNOW my ears look dee-lee-shous, many have tried to eat them before AND FAILED HI-YAH KARATE CHOP "

 

Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. Let it go, for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go. ~Brooks Atkinson

Another year goes by and …………YUCK  that is so not me …….duh !!  

Lets not ask weird questions like “”What did I do last year ??” naaaaaah lets not look back but look forward into the crystal ball ( it’s cracked).

 

New year, duh, it’s just another month ..nothing changes except one number…7 , believe me we’ve been through 0-9 and it’s all the same. Oh I swore not to send any “ Happy New Year “ cards , duh that is so outdated.

 

Lets look toward another year of 18 hour workdays, long weekends, new kids being born, people unexpectedly going to the other side,you being lucky to survive an accident, someone giving you a nice “patttttttar patttttttttttar” , getting a compliment which will make you cry ( beat that uahhhahhahaaaaaaaaha) , going places where the only thing alive will be Billy the goat, chewing on thorns,looking at people differently, shouting at people, fracturing your hand ( I would like that ;) ) , buying a new house, going to boring functions, meeting long lost friends, who were never really your friends, sitting through 15 minutes of silence, singing “ We are the champions” in a meeting , whistling in a bus, singing in the rain, meeting an old lady in the bus who tells you stories of her grandchildren, talk to an ex Airforce captain and discuss the 1976 war ( uncensored version), giving a “lift” to a blind dude, finding tranquility in an old temple,with the only sound breaking the silence is the “tong tong” of the bronze bell, meeting your English teacher and babbling incoherent words like “ I learnt a lot of lovely things from you “ ;) , watching a new comedy serial,celebrating when India wins a cricket match, unexpectedly ( yeah rite), looking towards the horizon to see a star falling, writing new stories that would make people smile and swear all in the same line,looking forward to all the jokes and wise cracks and solving that MENSA puzzle with ease, reading yet another author who will take you to places that you never knew existed( I meant the street next to cubbonpet), get a new job ( yes kk, I think its time I stopped selling peanuts and moved to a different domain, POPCORN at the multiplex ( beams) ).

 

The list goes on ..;) and as always cheers, keep your head high and a loos grin plastered on your face that would make your mom proud.

 

 

......

 

  -- Oh, the comfort - the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person - having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.  ~Dinah Crack, A Life for a Life, 1859

 

 

A lurking pun is the worst pun, one the offender has been waiting to spring on you. ~Harry Mahtar

 

 I think I had one of those perfect days.

 

 I had to get some documents attested by a gazetted officer and I went to the Local Vet nary Hospital ( yep , I got vaccinated there ,,grrr) ,but unfortunately the seal was misplaced and they asked me to go to the local government school, which was right next door. I went to the office room to find 2 elderly ladies, gossiping about Miss Sheela ( cough cough) , I showed the originals and she obliged by attesting the duplicates. Since the numbers of copies were more than 10, they had ample time to interrogate me.. Where do I stay , Where do I work , Am I married , Which School did I study and so on and so forth until,this cute little boy, in shorts and a nataraj pencil came in and said “ Excuse me miss, will you take class today ? “  , ( sigh* I think it’s the only profession where ladies as old as 84, with 21 grandchildren are still  called miss) .

 

Oh I did take a snap of the school and a kid looked at my blue googles and said “ ..oye look Chiranjeev glasses “( Uhahhhhahahhahaaa).

 

I then made my way to the local BDA office and surprisingly it was clean and “empty” .After a few enquires, everyone was so polite, I found myself before “ Mr Gowda” , who explained the procedure of how to get a “kaatha” transferred ( tax thing ) . Since I didn’t have the required documents he suggested that I drop by next week and he went out of his way to promise me to get it done ASAP.( keeping my fingers crossed, its one of those line items that I have to complete before the year ends,…gulp ..)

 

In the afternoon, I tagged along with my cousin and bil, she had to write an exam and I was the only one who knew where the “centre” was and so I became , yet again, the navigator. The exam was at 2pm and we went at 2.20pm, at was already decided that she would stay for 30 minutes and walk out with the “question paper” ;) and this college building is so weird ..the room allotted was 422 and obviously it’s on the 4^th floor ,but where @#$@#$ was 22 ?? I could find 15 and next to it was 28 …aaaaaaaargh and then in a dim passage I spot 422, yep reminded me of what was that HP platform, 9 and 3 quarters ? .It seems as she entered the hall, people were getting up to leave. weird.. shakes his head…

 

Later we went to do some “Ceramic Vitrified tile” shopping ;) and that was fun ;) ( censored*)  and I even took some cool snaps of the sunset.

 

It’s amazing what you can see if you just watch the balconies, I spotted 3 girls playing “House House “ , a gentleman taking down the clothes from the clothesline and folding it in an orderly fashion.( OH COMEON IT WAS A SAREE),and this little kid playing hide and seek with his mom, a group of workers taking a break , smoking a beedi , yep just one, they were passing it around. Sigh*

 

Oh I even went to the police station ;) . My bil’s passport had expired and they had called for verification and I found myself in front of a “writer” , who asked some weird questions.I also witnessed this incident, which had me smiling , I don’t know why but it was damn funny, it was as if we were the audience…

 

Constable 1: Sir, Murthy from head office called twice about that @@#$# file.

Senior: (chewing pan and looking at his mobile) “If he calls again and even if I’m here, tell him that I am not in office”. (Looks at me)

Writer’s cell phone rings , throws the pen down and grabs the phone and looks at us …( I look at the ceiling and walk out to read the notice board)

 

The notice board has a “missing “ notice, a cute girl smiling back at me , I read on and find that she went to college on Dec 3rd and never returned..ouch*  , A beware of the “ Baba” notice and some weird murderer on the prowl thing which I ignored. ( Nope I didn’t find and was not looking for my photo on the notice board ) …. I still believe that there are just 2 places on earth, which make me shudder, the hospital and the police station.

 

The writer scribbled something on a paper and asked my bil to sign it…and then he said “ done “, we got up , thanked him. He gave us “the look” , I gave him my best smile :) and waited patiently. My Bil was looking at the writer and then at me. Sigh* I decided to put the writer out of his misery and asked my bil to pay him some money… Aaaaha you should have seen his smile aaaaaaaaha .. Sigh* we bribe people.PERIOD.

 

I was thinking of going out to catch a movie, night show , but then I saw the “house full” board and so I went home and watched “ High School Musical”  :) as Dee says , “its cute”. Psst if anyone tells you to watch D-wars also known as Dragon wars, give them 1 tight pattar ..and ask them..”Hello where is the dragon” ..grr grr…

 

Tiles tiles and lots of tiles...

A typical lunch bag

The local School...

Abstract art ;)

A house can have integrity, just like a person . . . and just as seldom.

It took me more than a week to read The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand ( ok ok more than a fortnight , I misplaced my glasses , HAPPY ? )

 

The book is divided into 4 parts, in which the author describes or goes into details of the main characters.

 

•               Part One: Peter Keating

•               Part Two: Ellsworth M. Toohey

•               Part Three: Gail Wynand

•               Part Four: Howard Roark

 

When I pick a book, I like to read the “summary” , but as this came highly recommended I had no idea if this was a murder mystery or something in the lines of a Jeffery Archer book.It did take a few chapters for me to understand what Ayn was talking about , and where the story was going but I knew it would be a happy ending.

 

I’m not going to tell you about the plot and what the book is all about but I would like to point out that Howard Roark, the hero of the book, is, according to Rand the perfect man, or shall I say, he is the man who was “as a man should be”  (but will never be ).I loved the parts when the main characters meet each other : Toohey and Dominique or be it Dominique and Howard or Toohey and Gail or Howard and Gail ( sort of anticlimax). There are lines in the book which I envied and wish I had written. :(   Ayn Rand loves playing with words.       

 

Watch out for some superb passages, where Ayn, leads you astray. I liked the way she gave us the flashbacks and the chapter which described Gail’s childhood was something that I will remember for a long time. One of the things that she preaches is that “Man—every man—is an end in himself, not the means to the ends of others. He must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. The pursuit of his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life.”    Man is selfish???????????   I found it hard to believe that it was written in 1943, wow and its still selling like hot pancakes. I liked the twists in the plot but the conversations where just awesome. Some just went over my head and I had to re-read the passages. Like the way she talks about the word “I”, that went way over my head and out of the window. I think I liked the book because it was sarcastic to the core.

 

After reading the book, I‘ve  started  looking at buildings more closely, trying to imagine the architect slogging over the drawing board. ;)  I look at people more closely and categorize them into the 4 categories ( characters) .I confess I had not idea that Toohey would turn out to be the bad guy L shows how gullible I am ……..sigh*

 

There were times when I hated the book, because it made me think :(   and there where times I jumped in joy and got weird looks from my mom. The sarcastic replies and awesome questions …….wait a min I’m off to read the book again.

 

And thank you Myths, unfortunately I didn’t fall unconscious, but I did have 4 days of weird dreams :)

Just like life : In a tangle

Sigh*

Come in with all your vulnerabilities and strengths, fears and anxieties, loves and hopes. For here you need not hide, nor pretend, nor be anything other than who you are and are called to be.

I was reading my archives and  was lost in all the loos posts, and I realized that uhahhahhahhhhhhhaa they were so funny.

 

I don’t even remember writing this line “i think I ate a champagne choki and it was so yummy...I .passed out even before the wrapper hit the floor. So can someone send me more choki’s???? pleaseeeeeeeeeeee “ ;)

 

http://vinodc.blogspot.com/2004_12_01_archive.html

 

http://vinodc.blogspot.com/2005_12_01_archive.html

 

http://vinodc.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html

 

Damn I did put some real loos pics ;)  

 

Have a blast this holiday season …….aallal allaaaaaa all I want for Christmas is …………you……..( oh it’s a song it’s a song)

 

 

 

 

and then the cat crossed the road...

I just got of the auto and was humming this song Abhi na jaayo chhodh kar ke dil abhi bhara nahi ,smiling to myself,looking at the beautiful moon.

 

;)

 

 

 

I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month. ~Harlan Miller

Colleague 1: Vc when was the last time you took a long leave ?

Colleague 2 : LONG leave ? ahem* when was the last time he took a day off ?

Me : Guys Guys…. When I do take a day off, I get zillion calls pestering me and sigh* something or the other goes wrong. That’s why to be on the safer side I…*cough *cough

It’s the last week of the year and I’ve still 49+ leaves pending which unfortunately will lapse :( . Just like you , I would love to take a couple of days off , go do the things that I always wanted to do like : fly a kite, play in a cricket tournament ( all night), play the sitar, read 3 back to back novels and fall down unconscious , go on a train journey to Mangalore and last but not the least, sleep for 12 hours, dream free. Well I can do all this but I don’t have the right company :(

( for the “loos minds” yep including the last one.. )

Suddenly I feel all alone…………….it’s like that line, water water everywhere but not a drop to drink ;) I’m surrounded by friends and relatives but…… Oh I’ve started reading “The Fountain Head” , I usually don’t read “abstract” stuff, but this was highly recommended *wink . I’m in the middle of it and will post a review soon.

Ahh talking about reviews has anyone see the film “ Jab we met “ No? well do grab a copy, for you’ll find this hilarious sequence filmed at the “Decent Hotel” 3 hours uahhahhahahhaaaa .Bangalore is experiencing some awesome weather; some might call it “rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr”

Sigh* alright alright I’ll go somewhere on Christmas eve … does the local “Padma Bar and Restaurant” count??

I just got a comment on one of my “older posts” which said “ you don’t have a sense of humor” Uhahhahahhhhhhhahhaa I sure don’t :)

Reminds me of someone's ears :)

Find me ...

 

One of "those songs" ;)

 

 

Bade achchhe lagte hain ye dharti ye nadiya ye raina aur? aur tum
Bade achchhe lagte hain ye dharti ye nadiya ye raina aur? aur tum
O maajhi re jaiyo piya ke des

Hum tum kitne paas hain kitne door hain chand sitare
sach puchho to man ko jhuthe lagte hain ye saare)
Hum tum kitne paas hain kitne door hain chand sitare
sach puchho to man ko jhuthe lagte hain ye saare)
magar sachche lagate hain, ye dharti, ye nadiya, ye raina, aur tum
Bade achchhe lagte hain ye dharti ye nadiya ye raina aur tum

Tum in sabko chhodke kaise kal subah jaaogi
mere saath inhen bhi to tum yaad bahut aaogi
Tum in sabko chhodke kaise kal subah jaaogi
mere saath inhen bhi to tum yaad bahut aaogi
Bade achchhe lagte hain ye dharti ye nadiya ye raina aur?

aur tum…….

 

 

There may be dust in my house but there isn't any on me.:)

Yipeeeeeeeeee its nice to be back writing insane and mundane stuff. So for all you aunties out there, here’s the latest gossip. I might eventually tie the knot (some cultures don’t believe in tying the knot, its more of “I do” and Kabul hain, with the nod of the head ).

Well I did go to Mangy for a couple of days, last weekend and the road trip was horrible, especially when you are seated in the not_ so_cosy ,last row ,seat 40 and your neighbor a young college kid, who sends sms’s faster than you can blink, is sleeping like a baby.

Well the first day, Saturday, just did not seem to end ..grrr.. I did visit a couple of cool temples and even went bride hunting .Turns out that the “girl” was hardly 20 (chants of “child marriage” in the background). I really wanted to go watch the Sunset at the beach, but alas, it was another temple for me.

I did manage to watch 1 full length Hindi film titled, well let’s forget the title for now and read “Indian History” written by a Chinese author, Hah!!. I even met that Doctor aunty (areh the same one who wanted me to marry her brother’s daughter, who were staying in Mumbai, yep the same one).

The next day it was another temple and loads of relatives, and nodding the head and saying…aaah how are you (when actually I meant WHO are you?). Another of those “fall at the priests feet” and he’ll bless you with a boootiful and smart wife “yeah rite !! Who is next?

I did manage to sneak out to the beach, at 12 noon, with a little cousin of mine, and we even saw whales, that was really worth the trip. My lil cousin even knew why the sea was blue in color, but was stumped when I asked him what causes waves ;) Yep I gave him a lecture on how waves move up and down and not horizontally and the wind and went on to talk about tidal waves and of course the MOON and wolves..bowwwwwwwwwwwww. He wants to become a software engineer !! Nope don’t look at me !!

Sunday evening was dedicated to a Hindu wedding in a church hall with the muhuratham set at 6pm, che if only the bride and groom were Muslims :).So many pretty ladies and I twisted my neck. The conversation with my mom was ….well it went something like this .. we are in the 15^th row …

Mom : Do you want full stylish girls ?

Me : ( 1 eyebrow touching the ceiling ) Like who ?

Mom : Like that girl , dark brown sari,…

Me : Mom, she looks like a bear ( my apologies to the bear)

Mom: umm..what about that girl , she looks pretty.

Me : Where where ?

Mom : Next to Parvathi Aunty.

Me : Naah not my type.

Mom loses interest and turns to the other side to catch up on the gossip. I am left to count my Tulsi beads and then I zoom in on one cooool WOW angel and was about to point her out to my mom, when her son came running threw the doors. Well I was just a bit late, 4 years too late.

The groom’s parents came over and thanked us for coming, (we were treated like VIP’s since we come from a far far off place called Bangalore, DUH!!! We eat the same rice and drink the same coffee) and Uncleji, says,”You pick and let me know, I’ll take care of the rest”.It took me a couple of minutes to realize that he wanted me to …….ahem ahem.

Then came the gang of girls, who sat right behind me, ( yep it was just my lucky day), and I couldn’t turn around and stare could I ? Nope not gentlemen like so I had to listen to their conversation.

She1 : Ahh the bride looks so pretty

She2: Look its Srikanth

She3 : Where ? Ummm he got married last year, his wife is pretty.

She1: Look at Kanthi’s saree, and her jewelry and is she with her Mother-in-law.

She2: I like the border of her saree…

Here I was reminded of all the Hindi soaps and had to make my way out of the hall and no I didn’t look at them ;)

Well I took a stroll and yep found myself in the church ;) No nothing happened and I was whisked back into the hall. Here I met another aunty who spoke in fluent English and it went something like this ;

Aunty: I have selected 2 girls for you.

Me: Oh really (trying to look shocked, which comes out like a smirk)

Aunty: That one over there, in the pink dress, well she has almost completed her BE and has been offered a job in TCS.

Me: Oh!! (Trying to get a glimpse of her)

Aunty: And then that girl in the blue sari, well she’s my cousin Sujatha’s, Sister in law’s, 3^rd Cousin ,Ramesh’s…………………..daughter.

Me : eh ? She’s what?

Aunty: She’s completed her degree and is pursuing some course….

Me: So how old is she ?

Aunty : I think 22

Me : 22 !!! you must be kidding

Aunty: Why you want someone younger than her? (looking stunned)

Me: (smile) ( if you have seen me give my natural smile, well that’s the one )

Aunty: Yeah why not marry my daughter she’s 15 ?

Me : LOL

Thankfully I was whisked off by one of my Uncles. I decided to eat something, yep all alone, and there I was eating veg palav when my mom and her bro come running.

Uncle : How tall are you ?

Me : eh ?

Mom : How tall are you ?

Me: I’m 5 11 almost 6 ft , If I stretch like this.

Mom and Uncle exchange glances and look towards the crowd.

Mom: But she says she’s 5 8 but she looks taller than you!!

Me: Who who ?

Uncle : See that girl in the pink dress, the one who is standing with her mom. I know here Brother in law, we studied in the same college.

Me: Wow she’s tall !! Is she wearing heels ?

Uncle: Well it seems she’s completed her B Com. So ?

Me: So ??

Mom: You want us to proceed further? Or do you think she’s too tall for you ?

Me : eh ? She’s tall and pretty.

Mom and Uncle lose interest in me and jump back into the crowd. I glance back at the girl, all this time she was actually looking at me and here I was making monkey faces.

I run around in search of “ice cream” and bump into another umm umm girl, I say “excuse me” , she smiles and runs off, and all I wanted was the spoon.

The night didn’t end here, I then caught a 9pm bus back to Bangalore (yep the last seat again) and this time 2 lil girls were yapping all night.The first one was a shy thing,and the other a moti chips eating north Indian girl.

Shy one: aaah this was the best trip yaar. Tommorow its office again

Moti : Yeah I know , I hate office.

Moti: Its my sister’s birthday, let me call and wish her.

Sandhya, kya kar raahi ho !! Happy birthday , ( silence )

Kab

Kaise

Why didn’t you tell me ?

And she starts Crying!! I was really taken aback, of course it was not my fault. Later the story unfolded that a relative, some 35year old dude, who she kept calling young, had expired. Poor thing.

An hour later, she was snoring and the shy girl and your’s truly were …well jumping in our seats and cursing the bad roads and the driver.

By the way coming soon….another bike another story ..yep new bike…vroooooooooooooooooom oops its 50 KMPH slow down slow down …

Can you bell the snake ??

A quick visit to Mangy

 

Chaand par daag ...hah !! Shot by Renith on my request..YESTERDAY !! WOWWWW

 

Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives. ~William Dement

Rule 1: I was dog tired and got home to be greeted by my sleepy mom. She had fallen asleep watching the TV soaps ,psst re-runs. After eating dinner at midnight , I started reading The Dangerous Edge, before falling asleep to Himmi’s music in the background.

At around 3am, I had this weird feeling that some one or some thing ( it’s so demeaning to call animals a ” thing”) was walking over my chest . It was a black cat with weird yellow eyes and one of its paws was on my heart and I froze. It turned and looked at me, I could neither scream nor breathe. My hands did not respond to the brain waves which were passing through the nerves. It just took a stroll over my body.

That’s when I bolted and turned off the Radio.

Rule 2: ( censored)take a break go sip some water and wink at your colleague go go.

Rule 3. I got up early, was ready in a jiffy and honked at the security guard to open the gate. He didn’t even flinch, I had to park my bike and open the gates. He really acted surprised, as if he had never seen a tenant open the gates of the apartment. Grrrr. For once the traffic was thin and I managed to reach my bus-stop on time. I parked my bike at the usual stop and ran off to get some Melody chockis..and surprise surprise the bus was on time and I had to run to catch it.Uff that was close. I was in my favourite seat and for the next few stops, people looked at me and gave a sigh. I was worried was it the tulsi beads ? I tried hiding it. I was the last to get down from the bus and I waved bye to my driver who just looked blankly in my direction. WHAT WAS HAPPENING ? I swiped my access card and GRRR it was not responding !! I had to wait for a few minutes until the Ladies swiped their cards and I mingled with them. Somehow my cubicle had changed, the Ganesha idol was missing and so were my favorite mementos and that cute card.Grrr who has been stealing stuff ? I took my water bottle and went to the cafeteria to fill it up, I was worried that my colleagues were playing a trick on me. I was busy filling up the bottle when I realized that the aunties where talking about me, in my presence ?? I turned my back to them and wanted to get out of the room, when something made me stop. Aunty 1 : It should not have happened he was so young .Aunty 2: "It seems that after the accident when they took him to the hospital, he had a smile on his face". That’s when it hit me, no wonder when I tried to comb my hair, I couldn’t see myself in the mirror .No wonder the dogs were howling.No wonder.

Darkness being conquered by fire, cotton wicks, mud and oil...

 

Tumko paya hai to jaise khoya hoon Kehna chahoon bhi to tumse kya kahon?

I had the rare opportunity of watching a film on the first day and first show ;) lallalaaaaaaala alalla Ofcourse it was NOT sawwarrrrrrrrrrrrriya but Ommi Shaanthi and Ohm.The film was supposed to start at 6pm but got delayed by 20 minutes, no-one seemed to mind.We bought tickets in black for Rs 150 and it was for the first class ;) also known as Gandhi Class.The first half is alright with sum great dialogues and 3 of the best songs in the film. The second half is all masti and some great effects and Oh !!some action in the theatre too. Some loos dude had this great idea of bursting a Cracker inside the Theatre...yappppa and they caught him and gave him nice paatttaaaaaars.The film has a song in which there are 30 so called stars of Bollywood attending a naach gaana party thrown by the hero Shahrukh Khan. People were shouting and whistling for every "star" and I thought Kajol got the highest ear splattering hoots until Salman and Munna Bhai made an appearance. People were standing and applauding..Loos Loos and pssst they even hooted for "Jeetu and his son" Yappppppppppppa.

Well i did hoot at Aish aunty..it was a trailor from the yet to be released film Jodha Akbar. 6 fingered Hrithik looks good in this film but WOWWWW you should check Aish aunty's gold mine...woowwwwww.

But i guess i was deaf for 30 seconds when Deepika made a second appearance when she says " I have come from Bangalore for the audition." The audience just went mad when they heard the magic word Bangalore.."uff"

There are a couple of loos scenes in the film for which ppl were rolling on the floor and all i did was raise my eyebrows..eh? eh ?The songs are very good and might stay on the top of the charts for sometime. I loved this song..

Chhan se jo toote koi sapna When a dream shatters in a flash Jag soona soona laage, jag soona soona laage The world seems an empty place Koi rahe na jab apna When there's no loved one left Jag soona soona laage, jag soona soona hai toh The world seems an empty place Yeh kyun hota hai Why does this happen? Jab yeh dil rota hai When the heart weeps Roye sisak sisak ke hawein, jag soona laage The winds sob along, the world feels empty Chan se jo toote koi sapna Jag soona soona laage, jag soona soona laage Koi rahe na jab apna Jag soona soona laage, jag soona soona laage re Soona laage re

Overall ...ummm....if you liked King Kong ( the new version) you'll love OMS and oh by the way the best scene of the film is when Deepika has tears in her eyes and yet manages to smile.......haiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Someone said I should pickle my brain !! HAH !!

Looks like he's speeding ....

Another view...

a picture for you

This Rangoli won the First Prize ...

Haiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Seeeeeeeeeeeeeeetsssss with a w

Moving roof tops ?? eh ?

Gotchaaa

Chintoo: Where is pinky ? I should show her my new pink floaters and and my new pink Picaaachooo shoesssssssssss.

At a local theatre ....check the sleeping Vishnu.on the wall...

where is the moon!!!

Chase the clouds....

He ceased; but still their trembling ears retained the deep vibrations of his witching song.

I'm a huge fan of Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and some of his songs are

Mann ki Lagan Jiya Dhadhak Dhadhak Jaye Main Jahaan Rahoon Naina from Omkara Jag Soona Soona Laage from Om Shanthi Om I like his voice, its got a kind of honesty intermingled with Qawwali and a haunting background music. Off to download all his song..lalaaaaaaaaaalaaaaaaaaaaaa

What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters. You can't reread a phone call. ~Liz Carpenter

Dear TP, It's been a while since I wrote a letter ( snigger) and I always wanted to thank you for something that you did unknowingly ;) Thank you. Uhahhahhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahaaaa and i still hate saying Bye :) PS: SOS in Morse is di-di-di-dah-dah-dah-di-di-di 3 dots 3 dashes and 3 dots. Hah!! Looking forward to hearing from you. Vc

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.~From the television show The Wonder Years

It was in those early 80’s when TV was unheard of, children loved to fly kites , climb guava trees and drop stones into the well. My grandpa’s house had a couple of huge coconut trees at the entrance, planted by my grandma, a wooden gate built by my grandpa, a small garden with tomatoes, ladies finger and a small rose garden but the main attraction for me was the 2 guava trees (one bore white fruits and the other red fruits) and the drinking well. My Grandpa, Narayan married Lakshmi when India was young and photos were in black and white and 75 paisa was all that was needed to feed a family of 5, for a month. He was a carpenter and was in charge of a wood mill in Badravathi , working for the Wodeyars.He used to tell us about his experiences in the forest, where he had to lead the villagers to cut sandal wood and rosewood. Once he found a week old bison which he later donated to the Mysore Zoo. Fortunately as I type, I chance upon something that my grandpa handed over to my father, the rosewood Mantap and the 60 year old Swiss Wall Clock. Somehow I know that I will inherit them both :) We used to visit our grandparents every Saturday, after school and we always looked forward to eating my grandma’s dosa and mint chutney and listen to grandpa’s stories and some Ustad singing the bheem taal ( oh!! Carnatic music at its best,) from a radio kept next to the window and the Crompton Greaves fan keeping the room cool. I still vividly remember that Saturday afternoon, after eating glucose biscuits and ladoo’s, I sat on my grandpa’s lap and pestered him to tell me a story. My elder brother ran off to his friend’s house. He was in a skit and I was not allowed to watch them rehearse .grrr. My sister was still learning to ride a bicycle and I was not allowed to run beside the cycle.grr.It seems I distracted her,especially when I called out "look look a monkey riding a cycle , monkey riding a cycle."grrr. That’s how I found myself munching bikis on my grandpa’s lap. It was a dull afternoon made more duller by my full stomach and the carnatic music.He ruffled my hair and said"Do you know why grandma made ladoo’s ,today?". What would a 7 year old kid say , but " because she knew I was coming" :) , he chuckled in a way that only grandfather’s could, and looked out of the window, saw my grandma, pulling out weeds and toiling over her garden,and said " On this day some 40 year’s ago, I married your grandmother". And after a lot of coaxing , he agreed to tell me all about it. " It was a year when the whole of India was chanting the slogan QUIT INDIA and trying to get rid of the "British" from our sacred homeland.Gandhi was arrested for the nth time and I longed to make a trip to the Andaman to have a glimpse of the great man. I still remember clearly, as if it was yesterday, the day I met Lakshmi.It was a hot and stifling day and I was carrying out an errand for my father.I was supposed to deliver a rose-wood jewel box to Mr Murthy. It was late afternoon and I was lost and I was looking for someone who could direct me to my destination. I saw this young girl drawing water from a well and approached her. She had the most gorgeous braided black hair, which moved around like an elephant’s tail.I couldn’t see her face, I stood a few paces away and said," Namaste, I’ve come from a far off village and I’m thirsty , can you please give me some water". I was playing with my rubber dog "devil", well to tell the truth , I was bitting its tail .I looked up and found my grandpa smiling to himself.I raised my eyebrows and said"but grandpa why didn’t you ask the address ?" "Because my child , i was spellbound when she looked at me .I didn’t know what I was doing standing before the well and so I said the first thing that came into my mind. She appeared to have not heard my plea and was busy pulling the mud pot out of the well. I waited patiently still staring at her pleated long hair and smiling to myself. She turned around and it was at that time that I vowed to marry her. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She poured water into my cupped palms and I drank till I was full. "Thank you oh! Lady for quenching this traveler’s thirst." I stammered on, hoping to hear her voice" I have to deliver this box to Mr Murthy, do you know where he stays?" She lifted the pot on to her waist and walked away. I think I stood rooted on to the spot for more than 10 minutes, not sure of what to do next. The sound of a rumbling cart broke my reverie and I asked the farmer if he knew Mr. Murthy. The farmer replied that he infact worked for him and asked me to jump into his cart .After a mile or two, I saw a huge bungalow with a beautiful rose garden and a big tamarind tree. I was met by Mr. Murthy and we sat on the verandah and I gave him the handcrafted box. He was delighted and explained that this was a gift for his daughter. As I was about to take my leave, he asked me to wait and said "Can someone bring a cup of tea?" We chatted about the weather and the crops when a cup of tea was thrust in front of me. I was astonished. It was the girl that I had met at the well. I drank the sweet tea and causally asked Mr. Murthy "Was the box made for this young lady? ". He was busy fingering the intricate carvings and said " Oh no, my daughter Revathi,studies in school, she’s just 10 years old." That was Lakshmi, the daughter of the maali. She takes care of the rose garden and as you can see, she does a good job of it.She has magic in her hands" I smiled and placed the cup near the door and took my leave.I kept looking at the window hoping against hope that I could have a glimpse of her. Unfortunately for me, she never came to the window. I got home late in the night, still thinking of Lakshmi. I just couldn’t wipe her image out of my mind. Days passed and I was gifted another excuse to go to Mr. Murthy’s house and this time it was to deliver a beautiful Mantap for their family God, Lord Venkateshwara. Ramu our servant and I set off on a bullock cart and when we went past the well, my heart missed a beat. When we reached our destination, I met Mrs. Murthy, a pious and god fearing lady, who asked us to place the mantap inside the "pooja" room.Mr Murthy, had to travel to the neighboring village on some urgent land deal. After this was done, she invited us to lunch and we obliged her by accepting her offer. I was yet to catch a glimpse of Lakshmi and was a tad disappointed when Mrs. Murthy served us lunch. I was hoping that it would be Lakshmi. I made casual conversation and asked her about the rose garden and thanked the almighty for making this woman talkative. I learnt that Lakshmi was the only daughter of the gardener and her mother had passed away when she was 10 years old. She had completed her seventh standard with flying colors and her father was looking for a suitable groom to marry her off. It was at this point that I said "I would like to marry her". Mrs. Murthy was taken aback; she looked at me and smiled "Why don’t you ask her father? I’m sure he will agree". My heart lept with joy, and Ramu looked like he ate a green chilly. After a tense week, of convincing both my parents and Lakshmi’s father, the day of the marriage was decided and I was to wed Lakshmi at the Krishna temple. On the designated day we got up early and made our way to the temple. This was one of the most beautiful temples in the whole district. Situated on top of a hill with a Ashoka tree and a view of the surrounding villages, this was aptly named the Kailasagiri. The temple had a black idol of Krishna and the poojari was the only one who was allowed inside the sanctum. The little pond next to the tree, looked beautiful and the bunch of reddish pink lotus flowers just made it more stunning. Lakshmi was draped in a brown silk saree, with beautiful intricate designs, which I later found belonged to her mother and it carried with it a sentimental value. She looked up at me and smiled and I thought I was marrying goddess Lakshmi. To the sound of a nightingale singing and chants of the holy Vedas we got married. It was at this point of the story that I wanted to drink water, I jumped off grandpa's lap and ran into the kitchen to see my grandma looking out of the window, smiling, with tears running down her cheek.

Sorry Guy's Writer's Block...something is stewing :)

The cloud forms something we cannot comprehend..

A typical playground ;)

Pleasure is the flower that passes; remembrance, the lasting perfume. ~Jean de Boufflers

I saw a couple of films this weekend and here's what I thought... Dhol : Just one word for this overwhelming movie starring * I don’t remember who and no not even Rajpal Yadav could do anything about the script or his colleagues. Bottom line : Yappppppppppppppppppppppppppa but none the less Sajjan is going to get a copy :) Jhonny Gaddar : The first thing that struck my mind was, Jaaaaaaaaaackassssss( Anil Kapoor style) it had this old filmy eastman color look and man this was one cool film.I loved the plot and sometimes even got lost in it, in a good way. Just watch it. Anand : A telugu flick, which I watched because that song " Nuvenna" just kept buzzing in my head and i ended up buying it.It's a rrrrrrrrrr flick and just TOOOOOOOO mushy mushy for me :) h i liked this scene in a oldage home, the herione ( gorgeous babe) is on a "mouna vratha" and the hero is asking her, well it sort of looked like he was pleading," Can i help you with anything,anything at all, no formalities" she smiles ( haiiiiiiiiiii) and points to a door and shows her pinky finger ( meaning off to the restroom) i was howling and my mom thought i was having nightmares. COMEON it was funny!! 2 things about the heroine, she had long hair and amazing eyebrows….. ;)Damn they didn’t use the dogs properly and well they did kill a full FAMILY and as always, I am right, a good flick has a couple of deaths ;) I just love this line and someday hope to write like this…( Robert Jordan) Abruptly, a chill ran through him, one cold, clean tingle as if he had jumped into the Winespring Water in midwinter. It rippled through him and seemed to take away some of his fatigue, a little of the ache in his legs and the burning of his lungs. It left behind... something. He could not say what, only he felt different. - Perrin And someone made me smile when I was in a meeting and it was so Haiiiiiiiiiii main mar java!! Thank you :)

Laaaaaaalalaa alaaaa BING

In the previous post I had mentioned that I had turned Vegan: Short for Vegetarian, I forgot to mention that it was for a limited period of 9 days ( yep lost 3 kilos and a part of my brain). Today unfortunately I had to devour like a demon so there goes my gaaaaas pussssss diet.It’s great to be back as a Vampire, wipes the blood. Now that our lil fire breathing , blogger eating Kk has turned 16, and is in some unknown part of Cincinnati, here’s wishing her lots of smiles and blushes. Now that its Dee’s 39th birthday , oh don’t worry she still looks 33 and is capable of eating 9 kilos of sweet meat in 29 minutes , here’s wishing that her house is filled with cats of all type of shapes,sizes and names ( aaargh). I wish I could send them something nice like a white unicorn or an apple iphone, but I know they just want my good wishes ( wink wink). Has anyone seen the film “ To Kill a Mocking bird “ based on the novel by Harper Lee ? Noone ? thu thu… It is by far the most amazingly directed and acted film that I have seen,forget Sholay, this is a cut above it. It has Gregory Peck, who knows when to pause and when to move his eyebrows and a host of little kids who just act like umm kids !! .The background score is just out of the world. You tend to watch it a couple of times and even then you are not satisified.It’s more like the Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer Stories but ummmmm something more. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to watch a good movie with a great story and camera work.

“I'm always making a comeback but nobody ever tells me where I've been.”

Now, I found, that the world is round and of course it rains everyday. Living tomorrow, where in the world will I be tomorrow? How far am I able to see? Or am I needed here? This is a such a loos song that I like , titled “ World “ sung by the band Bee Gees. I always like to hum this song because it has a meaning that I’m yet to comprehend. For the past couple of months or rather this whole year, I have not been myself. I have not been sarcastic, I have not made fun of people, nor have I written a good story which has huge vampire rats and black chilies grown in the Sahara, which give a lavender tang when mixed with turmeric. Maybe it’s that well educated Engineer cum part time Pundit, who looked into my eyes and acted as if he read my future and foretold “suffering and death” and went on to smear me with sandal paste. He had to stop him when he started advising me to light a diya everyday. Or maybe it’s because of this http://www.lunarplanner.com/HCpages/Synodic-Saturn.html Or the real reason is because of me becoming a vegan : According to wiki the most popular reasons for becoming a vegan is ethical commitment or moral convictions concerning animal rights, the environment, or human health, and spiritual or religious concerns. Pah!! Well my reason was to lose some weight and Voila Mission Accomplished. It’s always funny , when Anand a pure Veggie, talks about chicken legs and liver, I never talk about non-vegetarian dishes when among my brahmin friends and even if they do, I change the topic and talk about the sun,the moon and throw in a few stars. Maybe I was ashamed of being a non-veggie. Yeah rite !! On the other hand it might just be because I read this quote. People believe I am what they see Me as, rather than what they do not see. But I am the Great Unseen, not what I cause Myself to be in any particular moment. In a sense, I am what I am not. It is from the Am-notness that I come, and to it I always return.” Neale Donald Walsch

meow......

Pop goes the whistle...

It's that time of the year, when i usually get up and look at the stars....and ofcourse wipe my running nose ( sniff) . It's been a hectic couple of months and i think I have lost my mind (the last piece).My life is one dull toothache, so i have decided to pull it out.

• I will learn how to play a stringed instrument( rubberband tied to a pencil box)
• I will make 2 furry and 2 human friends( Lokesh,Keshava and Tommy,Benhur, respectively)
• I will read 2 auto biographies ( Ravishankar and another of Chuck Norris, I hope i get an auto soon)
• I will not eat chokis while workingI will not eat ice cream ( * for breakfast)
• I will update my blog once a week....

zzzzzzzzzz

He came like the wind, like the wind touched everything, and like the wind was gone. ...

I just read that Robert Jordan passed away. He is/was the author of one of my favourite epic series " The Wheel of Time". I remember buying the book “ The Eye of the World”,a couple of years ago, forked out Rs 350 and was patient ( I trusted Sp ;) and his recommendations)for the first 6 chapters ,the pace was slower than a snail’s marathon. It was a hot day and I was reading the 7th chapter , when my small world exploded , I think I must have gasped, for my fellow passengers were roused from their slumber . Yes, I was in the office bus and yep, the driver had to evict me from my seat :(. Since then I have been a staunch follower of the series and I loved every book, some were so exasperating that my head hurt and I couldn’t sleep for days. (Sleep in the day, that is..) After reading book 2 and 3, back to back , I was hooked like a cookie on a webpage.I needed an excuse to buy book 4 . It was a lazy Sunday eveing and it was Anand’s birthday and Voila !! , I had my excuse. I literally flew to the nearest Gangaram’s ( unfortunately, that is that only book stall open on Sunday’s) and grabbed the book, before that lady in pink, could pick it up.I was really on the verge of sanity( nope no spelling mistook). I wished Anand, a happy birthday, presented the book, counted till 10, smiled and grabbed it back ,promising to give it back at the earliest. Before the clock struck 9.( No I am not a vampire), I was back home . I have had ample opportunity to save all the books in pdf format, but I believe that a work of fiction should be read from a book and so now I have the complete series …maybe I’ll pass it on to someone who shares the same passion as me…” Still looking…are you the one ? “ . It has been difficult to get my hands on all the books, since not all the bookstalls sell “Fantasty fiction”. Oh I almost forgot, the last and final book, Book 12 , has not be published, but we the reader’s are looking forward to reading it. PS : If you think Rowling Aunty has/had a huge fan following, think again. May Robert Jordan rest in peace…… If you find someone with this engraved on a t-shirt , you will have found me ….;) The rose petal floats on water. The kingfisher flashes above the pond. Life and beauty swirl in the midst of death. ….but who can know the heart of a man? Not even he himself, I suspect. A man is the easiest animal to put on a leash, and the hardest to keep leashed. Even when he chooses it himself.

I'm back...

I've been in hiding...and i'm back.....;)

Every tub must stand upon its own bottom.

Lets see how good your GKvale is , these are the questions that were asked in a recently held quiz…

Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s mausoleum is in which city?

Sardar Vallabhai Patel Airport is situated in which city?

Syed Kirmani hailed from which State?

Which was the richest princely state in India before Independence?

In the Oscars ,Lagaan was nominated under which category ?

India won its first Olympic Hockey Gold in the year?

The first Indian Satellite was launched in the year?

The first president of the Indian National Assembly?

Which spiritual leader and Freedom fighter was born on August 15th ?

His original name is Ajay Singh Deol, who am I talking about ?

I scored 3 out of 10 ( hides his nose) and then I had a tie breaker and I answered it correctly and we were in the finals.The question was : This place is called the Roof ….( ahem ahem)