Flashback Years

As I roamed around the streets A grew up in, surrounded with people who have never forgotten him despite of all these years and distances, I silently envied his childhood today.


A has spent his childhood years in Mumbai, has tons of friends who found him back, thanks to the social networking sites, while as per all of them, he had conveniently forgotten them. Stories of long cycle – rides, of building brick houses for stray pups, of stealing coins from mom’s purse to bring the pups some milk, of jumping on to grab fresh berries from trees during summer vacations, of unending hours moving about aimlessly and playing pranks on people of all ages and temperaments – it all came alive as this bunch of storyteller friends circled around me and kept going on and on. The film reeled in front of me as I shifted to a flashback movie like thing.

A week ago, when the news to my Mumbai Trip was broken out to A, he was definitely less gloomy compared to what it has been like in cases of my past work-trips. Why? He instantly started planning how I was supposed to spend my Sunday there! Though I only had a few hours, he came up with a long list of places he wanted me to see… his home, the play ground they never wanted to vacate, his school, his friends- young ones, old ones, remembered ones and forgotten ones…

While I was getting ready to step out of the hotel, I started feeling empty from within. I came to realize that while all thru the evening, everyone would be talking about him, A would be at least 1400 kilometers away, if not more.

The only way to reconcile with my heart was to sooth him by saying my eyes would still see him, jumping around in the park wearing that naughty smile on his face and with a mischievous mind. He could be running away from mom or hiding at a friend’s place so dad can never find him… so he could escape a beating!

While I went around to see all the places of his choice with his friend, he followed us virtually, with those flashback years reeling thru his mind…

Sweety.

Tag Time: T20 Questions

Read this on a blog I stumbled on, liked it and here it is, for you to read and pick up!


Q. Who in your phone has a heart after their names?
A. No one, I'm very lazy at that




Q.Would you be able to date someone who doesn’t make you laugh?
A. Lets not do things you'd end up regretting later :)


Q. Are you happier now or three months ago?
A. I was happy then, I'm happy now.

Q.What was the last thing that made you laugh?

A.It was a funny video on FB - A commercial made for a Cheese Brand. Here's the link.

Q.Do you think you’ll have the same best friend a year from now?

A. We,ve been the best friends for years!

Q.What was your last thought before you went to bed last night?

A. Ahh, the tummy still aches... (It was morning by then though)

Q.Anyone you’re giving up on?

A.Staying away from home, I am the most hopeful right now, for a lot of things :)

Q.Have you ever thrown a cell phone in anger?

A. Thought of a lot of times, honestly, did too a couple of times. (Threw it on the bed though!!!)

Q.Is there someone who you can spend every minute with and be happy?

A. Need I name him?

Q.Who was the last person you hugged?

A. Hugged A, 9 days ago.

Q.Does everyone deserve a second chance?

A.Not always

Q.Is there someone who meant a lot to you at one point, and doesn’t now?

A.Yeah, a great deal of people.

Q.Have you ever lost someone who meant a great deal to you?

A.Same as above, please

Q.Have you ever received a text message that made you cry?

A. Many

Q.Are you lying to yourself about something?

A. A few, Weight loss is one!

Q.Last person you went to the mall with?

A. Rakesh

Q. What’s special about today?

A. Its my 10th day away from Home.

Q.What does your last message say?

A.It says:

Arz kiya hai, Zindagi ka maqsad hai sabko pakana,

Wah Wah, Zindagi ka maqsad hai sabko pakana,

A For Apple,

B For Banana

(Sorry if it was a sad one)

Q.Connection between you and the last person who text messaged you?

A. Too deep to explore :) 

Q.Last person you had a conversation with on the phone?

A. Spoke to A, with a dear friend and bro on conference

So that was it! Enjoyed as much as I always do at completing tags. I want you all to pick it up, lemme know once you're done. I enjoy reading tags equally. (You listening, Geets?)

If you don't blog, leave me your answers in the comments!!!

Sweety

Respite from The City of Joy

As I fly back home early Sunday morning, a lot of things that started in last 2 weeks would come to a halt. I 'd call it - Respite from The City of Joy...

It will be a respite from living alone in a room. A room that has nothing you could call your own. A room, that is only there to serve as a roof on your head, and where you could sleep. Sleep that you squeeze in between work!

It will be a respite from maddening traffic on dingy roads of the city. From poorly managed traffic and from poorly managing traffic police force. From yellow ambassadors, that make a lot of noise and from their drivers who charge you double of what the fair metre shows.

It will also be a respite from hogging at places like CCD, Azad Hind, Fingertips, Honey Da Dhaba, BB's etc. Oh! the list is endless. It will be a respite from chicken hakka noodles as the only good option left while looking at the menu (most of the times). From coffee, toasted bread with butter and black pepper, at 2 PM.

It will be a respite from an-early-to-bed-and-early-to-rise-city, where you dont get to see many people after 6 pm. Respite from a place where most of people work with a laid-back-attitude. The only thing that energizes them at work is initiation of a Dharna.

And finally, this is going to be a respite from Weekends without A

But, the best part of Kolkata: choco-fudge cookies at monginis (I gotta go buy a lot of these today), mishti doi, rosogulla, the Gurudwara where we had nice kesar milk at 4 AM, our funniest attempts at speaking Bangla (no matter how incorrect our bangla was, we all got the accent right!) and sea-food festival at bar-be-que nation on valentines night!

Well, I might have spent all fortnight at the wrong places of the city, however this is what and how it has been all this while.


Already aware of another trip next month,

Yet soaked in an overwhelming respite

Sweety.

The Anthem from the City of Joy

जागे हैं देर तक हमें कुछ देर सोने दो
थोड़ी सी रात और है, सुबह तो होने दो

आधे अधूरे ख्वाब जो पूरे ना हो सके
एक बार फिर से नींद में वोह ख्वाब बोने दो...


With higher-than-ever-hopes of flying back this weekend,

Sweety.

From The City of Joy

(The post was typed on MS Word on Feb 16 however being posted today due to lack of a lot of things, one of which is TIME!)

The Fussy Eater seems to have landed at the right place, it seems.

Last 5 days have been great, work wise. I lost track and was back on track before it was too late. But the stay has been even greater because of the kind of Food. Not that I have developed taste for Bengali Food, but I have loadsa options so I don’t miss dear Delhi. The only thing that I am missing about Food is Cooking it myself! The cook at this guesthouse told us stories how some Punjabi guests made great Rajma Chawal during their stay… pitching us to do the same too…

Had a great dinner Valentine’s night. Tried veg sushi too, though didn’t like it much. Would definitely go for other variations sometime.  Chicken Hakka Noodles is the new staple diet these days. Had a great time with boiled egg sandwiches, cheese balls and coffee the other night (Read 4 AM).

Catching up on some bangla too… words like “tada-tadi” (quickly) and “lebu” (orange fruit) have some funny stories attached to them.

Though I am carrying lots of Mills and Boon Romance, but have hardly had a chance to flip a page.

The FM stations here seem better than the ones in capital. They play all Bangla, Hindi & English! Most Bangla songs that I’ve heard seem to have same tunes as the Hindi ones, so nothing sounds Greek and I start humming the Hindi song. :D

Got this PJ SMS this morning from A:

Handle this PJ…

Who is the leader of ducks?

…

Ans.: Frog

…

How?

Because, he is MainDuck!!!

You know what that means?

To me it means, the Frog back home is waiting to be kissed ;)

Homesick but Hopeful,

Sweety.

From an airplane window

Has it ever occurred to you, that you boarded an early morning flight, high on caffeine, with sleep miles away from you, and with all intentions to catch up on sleep while on board…?

Friday morning was one such morning for me…

I so love to be on a window seat, it’s hard to explain! And then the view as you go up and high, higher, and higher… Seeing roads below on the ground, roads as thin as lines on your palm…

Checking in, I settled for the last seat of the A 320 machine, I knew its one seat you couldn’t recline on, I still took it because it was the only window seat available…

Seat next to me was still vacant when they said – boarding full - but the man on aisle seat was one scary figure. Long white beard on dark brown skin, and a paunch…

And then, off we flew… I get a sudden high the moment I realize front wheels have left the ground… is it my love for airplanes or just the excitement of the flight, I am yet to know that.

For the “nth” time, I pictured A waving at me when he saw me off at the airport. The embrace, the look in his eyes and the silence between us…

Once the ground was too far, I shifted focus to the clouds. Sky was the deepest of Blue, but the farthest point showed signs of an early sun. In a few seconds we were above a thick layer of clouds. They looked fluffy and soft. There was a point when all I wanted was to jump off the plane and land on the fluffy clouds. I think the only thing I wanted to survive this landing was Flubber… you’d know what I mean if you have seen the movie…

Spotting another airplane at a distance adds up to my excitement all the time. When I saw one this time, I imagined that someone from the other plane must have noticed us too, and would be glancing just the way I am.

As my gaze shifted from that to the distant sky, what I saw, I think, I won’t get to see again… I saw the Sun rising, coming up gradually, nothing extraordinary about a sunrise, except this was a close-up!

Few minutes later, I noticed the famous Howrah bridge below while I gorged on the Chocó-almond cookie, we were about to descend and I was moving towards the beginning of an indefinitely long stay away from home…

From the city of joy,

With tears welled up in eyes…

Already Homesick…

Sweety. 

Tag Time!!! "5 things on my mind right now"

Thanks, Geets for the excitingly exciting tag, sorry it took me ages to do this, but here goes...

1. The update on work front - "Too much on my plate". I have my boss saying this to me atleast a dozen times in 2010, yes, my plate is FULLLLL... and the way I am, I am way too Happiiiieeeee!
2. I need to start Gymming before it gets out of control. Guess, the work is to be blamed ;)
3. Winters, please go away. I've had too much of you now. Once you're gone, I go gymming ;)
4. The Sagittarian Blogger is going to have its 2nd anniversary soon and its appraisal time for my page. Too much on my plate... he hehe...
5. The new Mills n Boon is waiting on the bedside for 4 days, wait, here I come....

Oh, wait! I tag... Mettalica Bhakt, Sweet Demon, Braj and The woman of many shades! 

Sweety.

To A, with Love...

Last weekend that we spent, was the first one we were miles away from each other... and it was different, it was weird, it was insane and it was everything it has never been since we've been married!

• Woke up in the evening and stayed up all night.
• I saw a movie for the second time. It was one movie I was so skeptical to see even once.
• As soon as it was intermission time, I ran towards the exit gate in dark, fell down, got up and ran outside again, thinking to get pop corn and come back before the intermission gets over and ended up spraining my right ankle. Too bad! I should have thought its chilling winter and spraining your leg is not at all a great idea! I should have thought you aren't here :(
• Have had 2 visits to Barista, had dark tempt and creme caramel latte, thinking of you..hoping to sit next to you next weekend and do the same
• Scrubbed every tile in the bathroom to shine, and I have outdone you this time ;)
• Strangest of all, updated my status on FB for the first ever time in life...wrote on walls and commented on pics. I have never done this before.
• Chatted with a friend after ages...loadsa girl talk is what we did. :)
• Went out for strolls and not drives, unfortunately the DL is not here yet 
• Cried and longed a lot, for reasons very unreasonable to myself.
  

I did it all with a single thought all the time - I dont want another weekend like this!!!

See, what distance from you does to me???

सुन रही हूँ सुध बुध खो के कोई मैं कहानी, 

पूरी कहानी है क्या, किसे है पता

मैं तो किसी की हो के ये भी ना जानी, 

रुत है ये दो पल की या रहेगी सदा... 

जो बरसे सपने बूँद बूँद 

नैनो को मूँद मूँद

कैसे मैं चलूँ

देख ना सकूँ 

अनजाने रास्ते...

And then some more...


बीती रात बासी बासी, पड़ी है सिरहाने,
बंद दरवाज़ा देखे, लौटी है सुबह
ठंडी है अंगीठी सीली, सीली हैं दीवारें
गूंजे टकरा के इनमे, दिल की सदा...


जो नैना करूँ बंद बंद
बह जाए बूँद बूँद
तडपाये रे क्यों सुनाये रे
गीत मल्हार के...

Sweety.

Random Updates

I don't know who to apologize from, for being inactive for close to 2 months, you readers, myself or my blog! I dont want myself to even start like this and i dont want to blame work or life for this, but unfortunately, i am doing both.

Things have been very very very busy, work has almost taken over my life controls, but I am happy. Guess, happier than I have ever been, far as work is concerned. Finally feeling like immersed in it and not to forget, getting appreciated for it! Why wont Bosses love such a thing???

Anyway, the other day I was working from my Boss' place. While leaving in the evening with the boss for a meeting, we realized we hadnt turned off the internet modem. Leaving my laptop near the doorway, i stepped in office room, to turn it off. Boss said - turn on the lights, Rekha, its dark in there. I said - thats fine, i can do without it. Turning it off, I returned to the doorway, and left for the meeting, post which we both left for our respective homes.

Boss called at 2:30 in the night, laughing, to tell me I had left my laptop battery adaptor at her place!

The brain went into a quick flashback of things and I realized this:

The battery adapter was plugged in right next to the broadband modem. When I had stepped in to the office room to turn off the broadband modem, I could have easily spotted it there, IF the Modest me hadnt decided to keep the lights off! Damn Me!!!

The next day, I made A stay home and work from there, we managed work by switching laptop batteries from each others' laptops, since the adapters were not common and the batteries were. Thanks a tonne, A, for the idea.

The second day, I was working from the Boss's home office again, so got to pick up the battery adapter from there. Duh Me!

One good thing these days is that I am back to my reading thing. Finished Brida, Veronica Decides To Die, Message in a bottle (I cried for good 30 minutes), a walk to remember, Stay hungry Stay foolish in last 1.5 months. Now reading The Class by Erich Segal - finding it different from his others such as Man, Woman and Child, Love Story and Olivaer's Story. (Enough show off of my collection, I think!)

Not a great news on Movies, Last I saw was Wake Up Sid. Wanted to watch his next too, but didnt get good reviews. They are showing it on Telly this month, that'd do for me :) Saw Outsourced on Telly, its a hilarious one! You must see it, whether u belong to BPOs or not! I recommend, highly!!!

Wanna go see Paa, let see when that materialises.

Looking forward to December Christmas break from work, though its only 5 days and then 2 more days with a gap. I am longing for one now.

Before that, with my birthday approching in about a week, I am due of doing something I promised myself of doing before my birthday. I have to register myself for eye donation, and am looking for a hospital/institution/medical bank that can be contacted for this. Let me know if you know any.

Sweety.

Godspeed!!!

A: London's just like Delhi, but with better roads.
R: I think better road sense too!
A: yeah! (laughs)

I dunno how true it is, but thats the first thing A told me when he landed on London's roads.
But then, who cares about London?

I asked him a thousand questions... how was the flight? could you manage to get a nap on the plane? nausea? hope you're not feeling cold! how far is office? would you be ok commuting alone? kuch khaya? blah blah blah...

I personally hate asking and answering too many questions, but just couldnt help asking him!

Guess I know how I'm going to survive this entire week... counting days and calculating GMT time! I think I'd just adjust my mobile phone's time... so we are in the same time zone... at the least!


Sweety.

30 Days & 30 Ways

Time flies away when you really dont want it to!

The other day I realised I had completed 1 month in the new company I recently joined. That made me ponder on the events of past 1 month...many things changed, many new were commenced...here's a point by point detail of my 30 days in TPL:

1. TPL has made me diary-gal. I cant do without my daily to-do list. I go off to sleep and something I need to do the next morning crosses my mind - I'm up the very next second and scribbling notes in the diary, with dreamy eyes and shaky hands!
2. My job puts me in a place where I screen people on every stage, starting from their joining our projects till the time they survive there. I hold myself responsible for rejecting "infinity plus 1" people so far... cant say how many more will follow...
3. This job has changed my perspectives a lot. I've turned sides now, I get a two-side view of things now.
4. I used to work 9 hours and travel 4 hours before I joined TPL. Now I spend those 13 hours working!
5. My phone works over-time too. I used to charge the phone battery once in 2 days - now it gets fed everyday.
6. This ones a bad one - I was so used to falling asleep with A's pats on my head. Now since he's moved to decent morning hours, he sleeps off before I do and I dont get those pats I so miss in life :(
7. There's another thing I miss... seeing him sleeping next to me the moment I get up... but I make up for that by calling him while I am still half-sleep.
8. For the first time in 5.5 years, I'm trying to get into a day schedule - the 9-6 routine.
9. Another bad one - the weekend I used to be so crazy for - has gone half - yes, I work on Saturdays, too!
10. I still travel but way less. And I get to travel in Metro sometimes too - makes me happy, reminds me of old days, when I was a regular with Metro.
11. I am a regular with home cooked food, too. Working from Home job has some merits, at the end of the day!
12. But at the same time, eating out hasnt gone down. If I'm travelling, I'm eating out...and eating a lotttt!
13. And that shows when you look at my Tummy. Its never been like it is these days!
14. TPL India team is a 3 women brigade (that includes me, too!) I haven't had female colleagues/boss before - so this one's a change too.
15. I have a weird history of getting along with Leos. Its either too good or too bad. Incidentally, both other women in the league are Leos. Its been good so far... lets see...
16. First thing when I get up - I used to plan the meal I had to cook - now I check the mail.
17. I get to write a lot these days, but that has hit on my reading quota. I am stuck on Brida for about 1.5 months now. Buckle up!!!
18. My break time from work - I solve Sudoku puzzles that appear in the newspaper everyday...1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9.. and you're done! I even have Sudoku on my iGoogle page. I play sudoku when I am travelling - time flies ;)
19. I have promoted myself to a regular Lipgloss from zero make-up.
20. Social Networking sites would soon declare me anti-social. Well...I was never a fan but yes, a regular but its may be once a week now...just so I dont forget my passwords ;)
21. There's been a biiiiiiig cut down on my movies too... 30 days and just 1 movie. Thankfully it was a cute one.
22. I have now entered into a professional relationship with a very very dear friend. This frightened me first, but then enlightened a lot of things later on. I am glad it happened :)
23. One of the very important things I do at work is getting the customers' expectations right...and the way I work is setting my boss' expectations wrong! Leading by example, you see!
24. In my IQR days, I used to think I was a workoholic...I wonder what I am right now...
25. Again in my IQR days, I believed wherever I'd go next, it'd be better for sure - that still holds true. I wont like to compare more :)
26. I gave my first ever salary in my granma's hands, i still remember. My first salary from TPL is due now - and I'm thinking what to get for the 2 most important people in my life...
27. This job has made me take my driving seriously.
28. I have loved to have a planned day, but that's history now. I still begin a day with a plan, but its a plan that has all the deviations and d-tours of the world! Life now is an ad-hoc list of assignments :)
29. Now that i've got myself rid of travelling thru 3 cities everyday (from one end to the other end of NCR), A has got into it and spends a lot of time driving now.
30. My first post in more than a month - the one that you just finished reading!

Some cartoons now, I think I need'em:






Sweety.

100 things you didn't know about me

I'm glad Blogger let me log in and post after what seems like ages! And to make up for this hiatus, here's a gigantic post! You're invited to know, not 1, not 2, but a 100 things about me...which you never knew! (Atleast I hope so!) So, off I go!!!



1. The first movie I saw at a movie hall was a Chinese one and was dubbed in Hindi with title "kaanch ka khargosh"

2. This was during a school trip and I had to see the second half of the movie sitting on the aisle stairs, since I couldn't find my seat after the movie intermission, and was too scared to approach my teacher to help me find it.
3. I'm crazy for SRK. Some of you might know this, but nobody knows the degree of that craziness for him.
4. Despite of this craziness I can patiently hear someone criticizing him - cz I think everybody has a right to voice what they feel about something/someone.
5. And, despite of that craziness, I can easily admit how I agree with some people when they say he should've never done a certain films.
6. I think I like SRK as a normal family guy way more than I like him as an actor.
7. I like and prefer curd over milk a zillion times.
8. I don't even remember the taste of food that my mom used to cook, except that of okra.
9. And that of kidney beans too.
10. One of the things I always wanted to learn from her was cooking.
11. One reason why I am proud of myself is that most of the cooking I know, I learnt myself whenever I made a blunder.
12. I so love it when on random evenings, A appreciates the lunch I cooked and packed for him earlier in the day.
13. And I am so curious to know how the food tasted when he doesn't!
14. I talk about A so much that I don't even bother to think if the other person knows him or not.
15. I had refused to leave the bed when I was told that my few hours old sibling was a baby gal, and not a boy - just as I had prayed / demanded to god.
16. Whenever I spotted a baby, till sometime back, I'd just standstill and look at them adoringly and wouldn't get over them for long whiles.
17. But now post-marriage, all I think is about how my life will be when I'll have one of my own.
18. I also plan to start a mother-baby blog.
19. My skin is so sensitive that my palms would burn the entire day if I mashed boiled potato with salt and pepper.
20. I loooove Khichdi.
21. I have snoozed the alarm at least a dozen times before I get up every morning.
22. I don't think if I'll ever turn vegetarian.
23. One of my fav flicks is "While you were sleeping". I have seen it countless times and still wont mind watching it, anytime, any day.
24. I think Julia Robert's Erin Brockovich is an equally fav.
25. I like eating fish - preferably boneless.
26. Tuna Sub is the one I always pick at Sub-way.
27. It irks me to core when A forgets to switch the bathroom's light off after using it.
28. I once threatened to lock him up in the bathroom if he did that again. It didn't help!
29. And I am always made fun of whenever I switch it off for him.
30. I have always hated Science as a Subject. I thanked god I didn't have to study it post my 10th grade at school.
31. I was so wrong when I thought that since I ended up teaching Science to my sister until she got thru her 10th grade.
32. For the most calculations I happen to make any given day, I can count on fingers and am always right.
33. OK, almost right!
34. I haven't tasted tea yet. I don't plan to, either.
35. "Mother Dairy - Chocolate chip" is the only thing I think of when it comes to ice-creams.
36. I had very bad hand-writing till my 5th grade.
37. Tolerating ACs is a big deal for me. I start getting chill bumps instantly.
38. Entire week, I used to wait for Saturday night, since that was my bed-time story night.
39. I prefer Radio over TV.
40. I quit drinking milk from milk bottle the day I turned 5. That, was perhaps my first promise to mom.
41. The first piece of jewellery I bought was a gold pendent.
42. My first wrist-watch was a Titan, bought out of my savings from my pocket money. This was when I was barely 11.
43. The first time I voted, I realized that one of the poll duty officers tried to see who I was about to vote. And he did see that.
44. I forget what I dreamt of, if I don't try recalling it in the first five minutes of my waking up.
45. Till sometime back, I was confused if I was an atheist.
46. I have now realized that god is there, and that I am not the religious kind.
47. Until sometime back, I was scared of dark.
48. The first time I enter a public utility or a trial room during a shopping spree, I lock and unlock the door, just to make sure its working and that I'll be able to let myself out once I am done!
49. I haven't fractured myself yet!
50. I hate people who interrupt when some body's talking and those who always want to be heard.
51. I once held A's hand assuring to help him cross the road when both of us were shit drunk.
52. I was given a scholarship for being in top 0.01% scorers in Hindi, in national board examinations.
53. My sister tells me that I am very short tempered. I am yet to realise that.
54. Friday is my favourite day of week. I wait for it every weekday :)
55. The first thing I do when I sit in a car - I embrace myself - with the seat belt, that is. More so after A's road accident.
56. For consecutive 3 years, I had my social studies' half yearly exam falling on my birthday :(
57. I prefer books over movies. With books - there's a lot left for imagination. Movies kill that - I think.
58. I hate being preached about turning to Vegetarian food. I respect vegetarians and their choice of food and expect the same from them!
59. I am s**t scared of dogs.
60. I once said 50 p was more than re. 1 and mom gave me a scolding I'd never forget!
61. My first visit to Mumbai city was even before I was born - Mom was expecting me!
62. I am not a morning person and sometimes wonder how I'd manage when I'd need to be one.
63. I can't dance but love to watch people dancing. I think people who say - "you don't need to know dancing to be able to dance" - are liars.
64. I prefer sunflower over rose.
65. I can't handle south Indian food.
66. My first earning was Rs 150 that I earned by tutoring a 6 yr old for a month.
67. I like to get pampered at times. But at the same time, I can't handle too much of love/pampering. I start crying before I have opened all my birthday presents - every year.
68. I didn't like Harry Potter series. I think it has too much of magic!!!
69. One of the best birthday presents A has got me - a musical jewellery box. I cried when I opened it too.
70. Despite of my liking for choppers, I once got scared with one, because it was flying too low and I was on the terrace. I had hid myself in mom's lap.
71. I think bitter gourd and crocodile resemble a lot. God must have had high targets or must have been low on imagination / innovation when he made them!
72. I lost touch with a friend when I was only 5. Growing up, I didn't even remember I had that friend until he reminded me, 15-16 years later.
73. For a long time I was scared of wearing jewellery after somebody had once snatched my mom's gold chain.
74. I think Aamir Khan is a disgusting fellow - he over reacts and wants all the attention - all the time!
75. I have a habit of reading 3-4 books simultaneously. I switch to another one when I get bored of one.
76. I don't like to work on my birthdays. I ask others not to do so, too.
77. Most of the guys who like staring/ogling at the gals don't get what to do next when I start staring back at them. They'd either start looking somewhere else or would leave the place.
78. In school, I would shuffle between rank 1 and 2 every year. Every time I finished on rank 2, I was just 1 mark behind the topper and this was a trend for 7 odd years.
79. My class teacher who was infamous as the least emotional teacher in the school had tears in her eyes when, on the last day of a session, I returned her the class locker keys.
80. I quit playing volley ball when I was in 9th grade. I regret that till date.
81. Pink has never been my favourite colour. I am confused between black and white ;) Does that tell you something about me?
82. For a long long time, "It's my life (Jon Bon Jovi)" was my Friday favourite - for the weekend had finally arrived!
83. "I'm alive" and "Have you ever really loved a woman" are two songs that had me smitten with their lyrics.
84. My fingers will smell of onion for more than 2 days after I have chopped one, despite of "n" number of hand-washes.
85. I was once a part of stage performance at annual day during my primary years of schooling. We had a song on flowers and all kids except me were to sit in a circle wearing costumes like flower petals. My part was to sit in the middle of that circle of other kids and the idea was to dance like a bee when the flower would open. Now, the costume guy didn't get my dress and the item coordinator decided last minute that the flower wont open! I waited and waited to be seen - from the beginning till the end of the song and so did mom n dad who were present in the audience!
86. I cut green chillies with kitchen scissors, instead of knife and I cut them real thin. And then I count how many pieces I got from each chilly. So far the record is 39 from a medium sized chilly.
87. I was once accused of beating the office cab driver, while someone else had. The cops couldn't help laughing their lungs out, when they saw the cabbie was accusing a skinny gal! He had lied only because I had complained against him the day before.
88. I once declared that if I grew up to be a pilot, I'd only prefer flying helicopters. "You have to run on a run-way first to fly an aeroplane, chopper takes flight the very first moment" - was my reason!
89. I never loved my granny - since I knew she never loved me. And yet I gave my first salary in her hands... and then we both cried.
90. I was born on Wednesday.
91. One of the books I'm reading currently is "The Fountainhead." I dont think I'll ever be able to finish reading it.
92. My mom-in-law gave me a sweet nice name long before I got married and she uses that name till date.
93. I dint know a thing about computers before my first job. I took a crash training on a weekend and learnt basic operating - and I guess, I'm still learning something about computers everyday!
94. My goal before I turn 25 - get registered for eye donation. I'm looking for a reliable association. Do you know any in Delhi - NCR?
95. I still believe there's no actress in Indian cinema who could dance as gracefully as Madhuri Dixit.
96. If I get up in the middle of night and realize I was dreaming of something, I try sleeping again so I can continue dreaming - and 9 out of 10 times, I am able to continue with the same dream!
97. There are 2 things that help the most in putting me to sleep - a) someone patting slowly on my head, and b) chanting Gayatri Mantra.
98. I sometimes talk to God Sun - I thank him for being there eveyday, for I wonder as to what will happen if he bunks someday ;) and also because I think he's the prime source of energy. And whenever I talk to him, I ensure its evening time and not morning - because a) I for one believe in setting sun and b) a little acknowledgement and appreciation at the end of the day works for everybody.
99. I am a fussy eater. I cant eat rice that was cooked without salt. I wont eat onion if it stil has its raw taste which I just cant handle. I never liked to have food from my friends' tiffins thru-out my school, though I didnt mind them sharing mine. I finish my salad before I start eating my meal.
100. When I started this post, I thought I wont be able to finish it. I wrote a couple more posts simultaneously but saved them in draft - so I post this first and dont this one.

And looks like I'm done!

If you made it till here, congrats! And if you liked it more than I thought you would, pls write random things about you and ping me here!


Sweety.

Earth vs. Global Warming

March 28, 8:30PM - 9:30PM (your local time) is your time to cast your vote and choose Earth against Global Warming.

Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness. (Courtesy www.earthhour.org)

You can, too, cast your vote for Earth by switching all lights off for one hour - one billion votes is all dats needed...
Turning off lights for an hour won’t stop climate change but it would definitely show that individual action is important and does make a biiiiiiiiig difference.

Here's a few things you could do in those 60 minutes:

• Go outside and look at the stars. (Lovely!)


• Find a great viewing spot to see your town or city go dark at 8:30 p.m. and take pictures. (Dats a lil tough to do :( )


• Go for a lantern walk through a park. (Ghostly :D)
• Gather your family or friends for a candle-lit dinner. (Lets meet up, guys!)


• Meet your neighbours at a street or block party. (Hello, how are... exercise)


• Talk to your children/family about how much electricity your family uses. Brainstorm ways to reduce it. (Let's get serious)


• Tell ghost stories. (Been ages I did that!!!)


• Change all your light bulbs to energy-efficient versions. (poore ghar ke badal dalo :P )


• Take a walk in the moonlight. (With them ;) )


• Have a candlelit bath. (WOW!)


• Put a glow stick on your dog's collar or leash and go for a walk. (Not bad an idea ;))


• Have a wine or scotch tasting in the dark. (Ummm...)


• Get out the sleeping bags and camp out on the living room floor. (Yay!!!)

If nothing above interests you enough, you could make a list oft hings you'd want to change from your daily life and help Earth beyond this 1 Earth Hour! :)

So Go Ahead... use your light switch as your vote and elect Earth over Global Warming.

Sweety.

To Let it Go or Not

Wish you all a happy & colourful Holi!

I had 2 conversations today, which are worth mentioning..

First, with an old acquaintance, whose ONLY intention was to convey good wishes. But the way the wishes were conveyed, the words which were used, it reminded me of things buried deep down somewhere. The actual intentions were, thus, inevitably revealed. The exchange of words (to me, honestly, it isnt anything more than that!) made me think, why cant some people just move on in life? They wouldnt leave it and wont let you do so too!

Second, with a colleague with CLEAR intentions of conveying their wishes and reminding me of a small tiny tiff from the past. What this person tried to reconcile on, was something I had forgotten, purposely, since it wasnt something to drag and keep fuming about. I was asked to forgive and forget, and I gladly agreed.

I am not the thinker kinds, but the comparison came naturally to me. Both these people and their situtations in my life are different, let me admit.

But guess this Holi, I've got my lessons right :)

Hope you enjoy the colours and let go off things that don't really matter!

Sweety.

I think I wanna step in your shoes, Mom...

These days..I observe myself getting fascinated than ever when that colleague of mine shares how her 3 yrs old adopted baby gal says prayers for everyone in the kin, before she goes to sleep every night...

These days..I see myself calling my 4.5 yrs old niece almost every alternate day, longing to hear her sweet yet wicked talks...

The moment I get myself thinking deeper into this, some part of me revots and reminds me of my years old dreams of further studies...
It reiterates I cant yet burden my Man with the age long responsibilities of raising a family.

And the next thing I know, I have changed my mind...
but same series of thoughts...over and over and over again...

And I have no comeback for this thought of my own... Offlate I have started believing that I can only realize and perhaps get as well, what I have missed at the receiving end only when I shift myself to the giving end of those heavenly joys!

Fortunately or unfortunately, this is what my heart and mind are filled with, while I so wanna jump to completing 2 wonderfully happy years of the institution called... marriage...


Sweety.

2009

Looks like I'm a bit late but still... Happy New Year!!!

Wanted to change the way my page looks and the beginning of '09 seemed the right time.. so here's the makeover result!
Sounds funny but true..when I was saving page elements before I changed the skin, I named the folder with backup data - "Blog Makeover" ;) :P

Another reason of changing the look - my blog will turn 1 at the end of this month. So this is also a kind of yearly appraisal I have for my page. :)

Lastly, here's the best sms message I read this year:

Have a Dog's attitude towards all difficult things in 2009!
If you cant eat or screw it, then just piss on it and move on! Happy New Year.

Sweety.

Miles to go before I sleep!!!

Here’s the Tag from Geetika… “10 things before I die”

What follows can also be termed as a Wish-list and birthday is such an apt time to do it ;)
So, here we go:

1. A helicopter ride – that’s not a tough one, but my fascination for choppers from the childhood days is still very much there.
2. Be whatever M has missed in life.
3. Collect books – thousands of’em! (Goes without saying – read’em all too!)
4. Find some old school buddies, I still remember their names… and faces too, but just can’t find them…
5. Get married to A – AGAIN!!! - On 25th, 50th, 75th, 100th, 125th, 150th … Wedding anniversaries…until we lose the count of years and even after that!
6. Learn dancing… and baking as well.
7. Meet SRK and still be able to stand on my own feet ;)
8. Never let my kids know of the word “NO” – I’m going to try hard for this one.
9. Study a few more years – not sure what I want to pursue yet, though!
10. The last one...It was real difficult getting here, but this one was easy… Raising a baby gal. :)


P.S.: There’s no Order of preference for the list, the wishes were rearranged in the alphabetical order! ;)


Sweety.

10 years without you

I still remember myself watching her go, she was to be admitted in a hospital, and I kept seeing her till the end of the road, and I'd do this almost everyday. Would think about her, resting my elbows on the windowsill, without batting an eyelid, I'd keep looking at that corner of the road, imagining that's where she'd come from, smiling healthily.

But little I knew that she won't ever come back...what came was the news that she had departed.

Again and again, even after she'd left, I'd still go and look out of the window, would keep looking at the same end of the same road, thinking non stop "here she comes, here she come, she hasnt really gone away..." Those were the days when I had actually started believing that departed ones do come back, but she never did!

And then there was a time I started hating her, for she had made us so miserable without her, I am sure she knew this misery had to happen. I can never forget how helpless we were. But I also knew she's around and is watching her daughters being raised without her and feeling helpless about it. Gradually that bad feeling melted away, gradually I involved myself in daily chores she used to take care of, but I continued with my waiting-at-the-window routine, I kept waiting for her arrival.

And I still remember pa appearing from the same end of the road, accompanied by a few other men, hands down, folded, face down, eyes down, looking at the road, coming towards home. He had brought her, lifeless, for us to see her for the last time and bid her the last good bye...

That was the end of one big chapter of our lives...lives had changed, our lives had changed.

Though I wanted to preserve them, but after a lot of thinking, I got some of her dresses altered and would wear them sometimes. And then I noticed - pa would look sadder, gloomier and quieter. I realised her clothes made him think of her much much more. He almost even called me with her name when I was wearing her clothes. Seemed like I was torturing him and I made up my mind not to wear them again...

Growing up, I was inspired to take up a lot of things she had mastered in. While I was real interested in some, I took up some only out of respect I had, but soon figured it was worth including them in life... one of those things was designing dresses. Everybody around was so amazed with my work, while I thought it was probably in my genes.

Offlate, I have been occupied to such extent, that I dont even think of her everyday or as much as I should, yet some or the other thing reminds me of her. Life is being pretty good to me and I feel happier when I remind myself that wherever she is, she is with pa and not alone. I know she is constantly watching over us and still doing her best for us.

Today, its been whole ten years without you Ma, and deep down somwhere in my heart, I still hope I'd see you standing next to me and I'd get in one moment, what I've missed all these years. Thank you a zillion times, if at all that can suffice, for everything you got me in life, however I'd still ask you for something...

We all are still incomplete without you, please come back if you can.

Sweety.

Me - the Hopelessly Romantic!

This one comes from my College years, when I used to burn midnight oil to study and some electricity for FM Radio. Heard this one such night on one of the FM Stations:

Agar ye jeewan hai ik samandar vishal,
to aa ek seep me hum ek sapna jagaye.
Phir saahil pe prem ki mitti se,
ek chhota sa pyara sa hum ghar banaye.
Usey duaaon se apni hum aur karen pakka,
aur ashko ke diyon se andar-bahar sajaaye.
Ab zindagi hai to gham ke toofaan bhi aayenge,
chal is ghar ko lehron se kuch door banayen!

Still remember, by the time I could type and text it to A, my eyes had moistened and I cried when he called back after reading this :) ... such is Love!


Sweety.

Something to Ponder on!

Thing to remember is if we're all alone, then we're all together in that too.
P.S.: I Love You.


Sweety.