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DD died last night, sharp at 24:00:00. It was a peaceful death, she was a happy soul and died with a smile on her face.

May her soul rest in peace. It sure was an eventful life.

A valedictory Note

“I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.”
~Quoting E. E. Cummings

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This is a thank you note. A note to all of you whom I have ever met (here or in the virtual world outside), for enriching my life. You guys are amazing, and leave me at a loss of words to express my gratitude.

Yet, there are certain "those ones" I am particularly grateful to.

Thanks to Achan & Amma, for giving up your lives for ours.

Thank Achan, for making a second dish whenever I didn't like the dinner.

Thanks Amma, for still buying me all those matching-matching ear rings.

Thanks brother, for telling me no one can love me more than you do and for buying me all those tiny gifts.

Thanks to Elayamma, for being my second Mom.

Thanks to AJ, for everything. For taking the brunt of my outbursts. I know I had been unfair. I know I am still.

Thanks to J, for understanding me. I admire your personality.

Thanks to Nair, for telling me that Mr.Nair won't come between us.

Thanks to Sari, for still being concerned.

Thanks to Joy, for being my Joy.

Thanks to RT, for being an elder brother all the time. I am obliged to you all my life.

Thansk to every one in Hyderabad for those wonderful days.

Thanks to Sruthi, for accommodating my messy world in your spic & span room.

Thanks to Rafeeq, and you know why.

Thanks to Praseeth, and you know why too.

Thanks to Netti, for being the epitome of innocence I have seen.

Thanks to Kuttan, Manoj & Sajith, for being a phone call away, anytime.

Thanks to all my STASian pals, for those wonderful years.

Thanks to KS & Arjun, for being real from virtual.

Thanks to Babes, for just being Babes.

Thanks to Parul, for taking me in. (And sorry for all unintentional troubles)

Thanks to my Phirang colleagues, for improving my ability to understand English movies.

Thanks to Mr.NRI, for increasing my level of patience.

Thanks to NK Sir, for being a inspirational senior.

Thanks to Boss, for being the greatest Boss of the world.

Thanks to Big Boss, for being such a great Big Boss.

Thaks to "Eletta Sister", for being my first teacher and greatest of all.

Thanks to Kannan Sir, for being the best memory of my MBA days.

Thanks to all of you in this big net of internet, for choosing to know me.

Thanks to Blogger, for making DD who lived MY life.

And if I have missed anyone, that is 'cos I find "Thank You" too much of a cliche to show you my gratitude.

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We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.
~Thornton Wilder

qUoTiNg MySeLf

“You want to think and say that you have everytning you need, but then you realize that something is missing, someone is missing... and once you think you've found it, it goes and disappears on you and you don't understand what to do or even where to start looking for that missing piece of the puzzle. You sit at home in lonely frustration and you just wait...wait...and wait. No where to look, no one to look for...”

~ I didn't write it. And I neither know nor care who did~

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It is perfectly human to loath Chocolates, Ice Creams and other Sweets. There is no scientific/mythic/religious proof that only aliens loath them. Even if it is so, it is preferable to be an alien than feel pukish after having them.

It is absolutely possible to remain thin/underweight without the help of any exercise/diet. Especially so, if the whole family is like that.

There is nothing to stare with your mouth open when somebody thinner than you hogs more than you do.

There is no law in even the most anarchic of countries that prohibits to stumble while you walk.

Not being a movie freak doesn't mean you live in 5th century.

Being a girl doesn't necessitates to say Chooo Chwweet and Choo Cute with every other sentence.

Capital punishment is not meant for a bad dressing/make-up sense.

It is possible to get bored of music in 5 minutes.

It is not impossible to live a peaceful and happy life even if the only sport known is Jumping Jacks. Better, if you know NONE.

No sports ~ says Winston Churchill

Eating with spoons doesn't necessarily mean you are sophisticated. You can be plain lazy to clean your hands.

No restaurant prohibits people who sit squat legged and dine.

The knowledge on different types coffee/tea/other beverages served in Cafe Coffee Day is not a measure of your IQ.

It is not a psychic disorder to spend money on books. It is even less so to read what you buy.

It is always possible to eat what you cook even when that seems impossible to others.

There is nothing wrong in not having a driving license.

It is pardonable if you say kuntry for country.

Rice can be eaten all five times a day.

5'2" is not a fatal disorder.

One blunder per day is absolutely normal.

There is nothing disgraceful or to be proud of in admitting/being a mallu. It is nothing more or less than being an Maharashtrian/Tamilian/Kashmiri/Bihari.

Going abroad need not be the ultimate goal of everyone’s life.

Knowing Hindi doesn't include knowing to count in Hindi.

Hyderabadi Hindi is perfect.

You are not necessarily dumb if you ask Pardon Me after every other sentence. The person who is speaking to you can be vague or wrong.

To not fight for the TV remote is not the indication of going mentally retarded.

Having an opinion on everything under the sun can be fatal. Keeping your mouth shut is an art. Even better, if you know how to smile and nod when you are irritated to the core.

It is always better to let go of the argument than waste your energy on arrogant brats who think they just can't be wrong.

Learn to fake. Learn to live.

It is not necessary to consider everyone else as of inferior quality. You can always treat them, atleast, as equals and acknowledge and respect their experince and knowledge. This stands even if you think you are the most brilliant/creative/whatever.

Boys don't cry. I am not a boy.

Girls need not cry. I am still a girl.

Cowboys/SuperMen/Pirates do exist. If they don't, you can always be the first.

Being a non-veggie doesn't mean you live on a staple diet of Chicken/Mutton/Beef/Pork. You can live on a staple diet of fish as well.

Your best friend can get married. Yup, it happens. And the whole rules change (I guess).

Fish is a vegetable.

Chilies are vegetable too.

And last but not the least, coconut adds to the taste.

Those were the days!!!!!!!!!!

~Posting my friendship day mail to our yahoo group~

I believe in angels,
The kind that heaven sends,
I am surrounded by angels,
But I call them friends.
~ Aizabel Parinas ~

One fine day we all came together under one roof, stayed there for three years and became friends for a lifetime. It is said the most enjoyable age is the college days. I bet, it is.

I don't think I can name a single textbook or the most repeated theory. But I can still recollect all my STASian pals.

Innocent Netti and Industrious Susan
Kuttan, the terror Yet so dear
Remla, the beauty and Rupa, the chirpy
Ajay, the loverboy and Anish, the funniest
AH the smoker and Sajith the brightest
Ayana, the gem and Dhanya, the sweetest
Lipsa, the bubbly and Gisha, the smartest
Sherry, the humblest and Nazia, the dancer
Saritha, the Japanese and Manoj, the techy
Vibin, beyond words and Suresh, the Chairman
Viju, the best and Ranjith, the missing
Jovary, the youngest and Dilip, the eldest
Thecki, with specs and Enos, the thinnest
Navya, the cutest and Rekha, the bookish
Jisha, the shortest and Vijesh, the tallest
Sreejith, the cyclist and Sreeja, the pious
CR, the rep and Praveen, the elusive
Bini, the smiley and Appukkuttan, the enigma
Geo, the fairest and Reeja, the forgotten
Akhila, the pretty and Sanfi, the quietest

And if you think your name is not there cos I forgot you, naaaaaaa. Its just that my vocabulary is run out of adjectives ;)))

Half a decade passed by and we still hear about each other.

May our bond of friendship last forever !!!!!!!!!

~If any of my STASian pals reading this, I just want to tell you - Those were the days !!!!!!!! ~

Not all treasure is silver and gold ~ says Capt.Jack Sparrow

"We have been friends together
In sunshine and in shade."
~Caroline Sheridan Norton

I was introduced to this thinner than me boy-cut-still-cute female on a sunny Hyderabadi summer day. She was chatting to a scaringly chipkoo guy, who later became so damn famous that we all learnt the vanishing act at the very mention of the first alphabet of his name. She gave me condescending look. Forced a customary Hi from her mouth and was back to her listening mode. (He hardly used to give others a chance. Bliss in one way, you can dream of a holiday with your fantasy lover and he would go on blabbering about that girl in blue skirt).

New to Hyderabad with my kuntry mallu ways, funny Hindi and funnier English, I was looking for a fellow mallu. I ended up meeting this enigma called Nair. Farthest from that stereotyped girl, she scared me enough that it took me nearly a year to learn to talk to her without shivering on my knees. The next day onwards I have always found her either alone or with some Rashtra Bhasha speaking company. I never dared venturing into her territory.

Everyday, whenever she made her royal entry into the class, I used to stare at her with my eyes wide open trying to decipher what material on earth was she made of. She had this funny looking spectacle, that I am sure is a product of an artist crazier than she herself, with a Mickey mouse’s picture on its frame!!! (Later she disclosed that tightly kept secret – she used to buy all her stuffs from the kids section. She had to reveal it when someone wanted to buy her a birthday gift).

As time flew, we happened to stay in the same flat and scariest of all, in the same room!!!! I was very cautious in my approach. I used to make sure that I didn’t get into her way.

Two years have passed since those days and now she knows me in and out, upside down, knows the best in me and the worst in me. She has seen me laughing my guts out and seen me crying like mad. One of those rare people who have seen me cry. Even my parents haven’t seen me crying after my toddler days.

I simply admire her. The most talented and smart girl I have come across. But don’t ask her to dance. I know she just can’t. Once she managed to make some weird (and weak) gyrations supposed to be taken for a dance. We all pardoned her for that clowny act 'cos we simply adore her.

But you want her to sing? Due to some early childhood set backs she stopped singing. But still hums sometimes. I must agree, she can.

Barring those Pulitzer/Booker/Nobel laureates she is the best when it is comes to the-way-with-words. Poetry in particular. I still have a sheet from our college magazine which I keep with my precious possessions in which one of her poems are printed. Poetry had always been greek and latin to me. She is one of those rare breeds of poets who write in English, and write it well without confusing me much by using the oxford dictionay in its entirety.

We used to go for long walks round the college almost all night, rather midnight. Then we come back and sit in front of college just staring up to the sky, till the mosquitos literrally drive us off that place. There used to be this dog whom I strongly suspect was a mad admirer of her in his last birth, who might have taken his life when she haughtily rejected his marriage proposal. Though she claims to be a "pet-lover" , this pet was a bit too much to be loved in the normal sense. She knows and I know what happened. Rest is left to your imagination.

One day she would call me and scold me for wasting money and give a long long lecture on the need to start saving at the earliest age and the next day call me and say that she spent like mad that day. She has got the most innocent and cutest smile ever; that is deceptive, ofcourse.

Anytime I make a Himalayan blunder (considering that there were quite a few), she is the only one who tells me it is just human to err. But once I am emotionally settled down she would open her bag of be-a-good-girl advices followed by this dialogue - "I know I make the same mistakes, but when I advice you I should tell you the right thing". Loads of hugs and kissess for that, sweety.

Whenever it rains, she would call me twice, without fail: once to warn me to leave office early and then to make sure that I am home.

If you're alone, I'll be your shadow.
If you want to cry, I'll be your shoulder.
If you want a hug, I'll be your pillow.
If you need to be happy, I'll be your smile.
But anytime you need a friend, I'll just be me.
~Author Unknown

Tomorrow, this lovely lady is getting older by one year. I am posting it today itself so that I am the first to wish her as I know I will have a tough competetion if I am to wait for the clock to tick 12. A couple of wishes for her year ahead:
May you get over with your dread of Mumbai local trains
May you stop doing the "same" blunder the fifth time
May you stop driving me mad with your choice of clothes
May your give your mom & dad a little less reason to worry about
May your "bhuddi" boss give you good ratings
May you become a little less of a confused soul thereby giving us all peace of mind
May your phone go dead when you feel like calling me at odd times and scaring me with all your crazy views on life
May you go onsite (oops....then whom will I call and whine about my self-created problems? I take it back)
May working in an IT giant boost up your knowledge on computers a bit more and may you not need to give the user name and password of your blog to me
May all your dreams come true !!!!!

There are times I wonder what life has in store for us. Personally & professionally, we both happen to go thru similar ups & downs one after the other. Once I painfully finish consoling her, it would be her turn to be the only solace to me. We are still going through the rigamarole of we-don't-know-what-and-whys.

Let me be frank, if God ever gives me a choice, I would never want to have a kid like her, though I will insist I want her as my dearest friend all my life. Sad that it took us two decades to meet each other. I am amused at her ability to find the most complex answers to the simplest of questions. Believe me, she is her best at it.

Our dear lady-with-a-singing-heart was a marketing wonder back in college. I get to hear that in her career also she is making small time wins. I am sure you are going to make it real big one day. One day I may find your photo in the newspaper the vegetable seller wraps my potatoes in. I am sure I am gonna yell at him: Hey, thats nair, u duffer. How dare you do that with her photo?

I wonder, will you keep the same hairstyle then? Keep that "mute" giggle intact, dear.

Whichever guy is your destiny, what a lucky soul he is !!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for taking me "as I am", with all the wierdness and foolishness
Thanks for still telling I am the best
Thanks for making those STD calls and consoling me all night
Thanks for taking me in your flat when I had no place in the big Mumbai outside
Thanks for letting me use your make-up kit when I was forced to drape a sari in college
Thanks for letting me take the credit and making me feel "great" for helping you

Love you sweetie, may our friendship last till our last days on earth.

May we have a computer, internet connections and TIME even after we are married off to two "handsome & millionaire hunks” at the two extremes of the world where we are busy cleaning, washing and bathing our crazy offsprings who come in dozens. Amen..

*still wondering what material on earth is she made of. may be something specially sent from heaven(hell?) or so*

Fighting Davy Jones

Faster than a speedin bullet!
More powerful than a locomotive!
Able to leap over tall buildings in a single bound!
Look!! Up in the Sky!!
Its a Bird!Its a Plane!
No.. Its Su-perman!!

Everytime I read/hear/see anything on SuperMan, SpiderMan, BatMan and even Krish, I wonder why there is no movie called "Wonder Woman"? (If there is some movie by that name, please pardon me for my poor knowledge of Movies).

The idea of doing wonder-acts, has always been fascinating for me. How thrilling it will be if I can jump over the tall buildings and kick off the BadMen of this world. What a pride it will be if the BadMen and their kowtowing army are to quiver at the mention of my name. I will stick to the all-black-and-shiny dress code. Black is classy and elegant. I think I would even prefer a stylish mask, 'cos as somebody said "obscurity sometimes rhymes with security".

Not being a movie freak, my association with the occult powers can not go beyond the faint recollection of the Rajnikanth Movies I have watched at an innocent age. I think those movies sowed the seeds on my vulnurable mind.

Though in real life we hardly come across people who can even be remotely associated with such gimmicks or powers (as you choose), I am sure that we all have seen traces of that talent in someone or the other, atleast during our childhood days.

In all my life I have known only one such lady. She is the only one who showed me the vanishing act back at home. She used to be seen near my house and in a split second she would get vanished along with a couple of crockery, bucket and some clothes drying outside. Since Achan is a staunch follower of Ahimsa and a global peace seeker, Amma used to get forced to give up her ideas of raiding that lady's house to claim back her things.

I have never seen her flying over the tall coconut trees. And till the time I had known her no one in Kodakara had seen a pistol. So I assume, atleast till then, she hadn't faced any bullets; which leaves me in a postion of not being able to answer questions such as "Did the bullets hit her eye and got crunched?" and "Did the bullet hit her head and bounced back?". Yet she was the first and the last soul who could give me any real life taste of such admirable acts.

It was during the long vacation after my 10th standard that brother first introduced me to my all time Hero - JetLee. I don't recollect the number/names/stories of the JetLee movies I have watched. For that matter, I have hardly understood any of those stories. Sadly, these days I don't often get to watch him. But I still remember his long pleated hair and the handsome face. Not to mention the enchanting martial arts tricks. I guess he was my first ever serious crush. All I remember is the name of just one of his movies - The Hero - though I have watched many.

Whoever has happened to stay with me has always found me watching those martial-arts/woder-acts/occult-powers movie in awe. Even now, I hardly understand the story. I am not even bothered about it. All that catches my fascination is the way they fight in the air, the quick moves and the incredibly adventurous surroundings.

Last weekend I managed to force Nair to watch The Pirates of The Carribean with me. I have watched the first part almost two years back and since then, I am so much lured towards being a pirate.

Despite all the scientific advances that has happened, what a dull and withered era are we living in. How thrilling it would have been for all those pirates to rule over the sea and hunt for secret treasures. It is not the never exhausting treasures that I long for. It is the excitement and the challenge of the treasure hunt.

Everthing said and done, I am still a woman at heart. I don't want to hurt/kill innocent people for the fun of it. I swear I will follow the foot steps of the great Robin Hood. But I would sure want to fight other evil pirates wandering on the sea. Who knows, I may find the Flying Dutchman and conquer Davy Jones to free all the captured souls from their myseries.

Sigh ... I think I am day dreaming

Notes: Thanks to Pirates of the Carribean for adding to my fascination thru Flying Dutchman and Davy Jones

aFTerMaTh

I didn't expect the aftermath to be like this. Though, on the macro level, it looks like a ridiculous move, I personally feel we should give our Govt some more time to settle down themselves.

The reason why I still empathise with the rest of my blogger friends is the ludicrous logic behind the ban. I have certain doubts.

1> What makes you think that the masterminds behinds serial bomb blasts and hijacks are lamentably dumb, if we laymen can access the blogs despite the ban?

2> If blogs can be potential threats, don't you think internet in any of its myriad forms is a threat in intself?

3> Isn't it a serious vioaltion of the most important fundamental right "freedom of speech and expression" for the non-terrorist lot?

Though I still prefer to beleive this is a short time ban and keep mum about it, there is a potential threat with that. I don't see the religious fundamentalism or terrorrism in its bigger form ending in any near future. Despite the best of precautions, there will still be sporadic outbreaks of violence. So, if the Govt is to respond each time the same way, Republic of India will be in no way different from a Taliban ruled state. Ironically, the Govt will be forcing democracy over us.

Now, if it is a long time ban, all I have to say is "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!". May be it is "the brain drain". All our good brains are in US. Phew...

My experiments with Indian Railways

~ This is a mail I have sent to a couple of my friends, few months back. I was going through my archives and found it. It is after getting tired of my such mails that some of my friends suggested me to start a blog. Who cared? So finally, Rose herself started one for me and pasted one of my never ending mails as the first post. ~

Some people have something in their face that we never forget them, even if the meeting last only for 10 minutes. I met such a guy this morning.

I was getting out of the station and walking as if I am participating in Olympics. It was already 10.15 and I badly wanted to change the tag of a late comer. With 15 minutes I would have barely managed to make it on time at 10.30.

That's when this guy came in front of me. All white attire, clean and thoroughly pressed. Can't actually tell he is handsome, short and fair, middle aged with curly hair. I was too busy to notice him. But he didn't want to let me go. He pushed his way through the crowd and stood in front of me. "Tickets, please".

I put my hands inside the bag and kept on searching for a season ticket that I didn't have for the last one week. After doing that for 5 minutes he humbly told me to sit on the bench there and search patiently. Smart chap,I guess I am not the first crooked traveler he is dealing with.

You can't actually blame me. I never had any intentions to fool the IndianRailway. Its just that by the time I get to the station the queue at the ticket counter is formidable enough that I am left with no option but to put off the ticket buying for the next day. Everyday, exactly at that time I make a resolution to get up early next day and make the pass. As thesaying goes, tomorrow never comes.

After around 10 minutes, I had exhausted all my acting skills. I didn'teven had to tell anything. He said "260 rupees". The tickets would have costed me 9 rupees and 15 minutes. That means I would have bought exactly 28.88 tickets with that. All the passers by, without the exception of one,was giving me "that look". I hope now you understand why I really didn'twant to bribe him and settle the matter with 100 bucks.

Good and efficient guy. Lallu Prasad has a good team at Indian Railways.