"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 Oh I swore not to send any “ Happy New Year “ cards , duh that is so outdated.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