My first sari!

Sari, for those who don’t know, is the traditional dress of an Indian woman. I bought my first sari (yippee!!) a week back. I already have worn saris on some occasions like some traditional festivals, my tenth and twelfth farewell and so on. Also, I (along with my classmates) have been wearing sari for our batch day (the day when we joined college!) right from our second year. But all those years, I was either wearing one of my mom’s saris or somebody bought me a sari for the occasion (my twelfth farewell sari( my actual first sari!) was a loving gift from my paati. I’ll cherish that sari forever. She is no more and I can’t get any more saris from her. What a fine woman she was! Not a better lady has walked this earth! She is a very special person in my life.)

But, this time around, for my batch day, I decided I should have a sari of my own where I go through all the steps of selecting it, getting all the necessary accessories and finally wearing it. But, then, for those who know my family, the one thing that is hardest to get is time for fun. Harder still is the time for shopping. Everyone at home (me, included!) would prefer to curl up with a book than to go out for shopping or to any other place. So, I free vittufied the idea. Then came V, my friend. We were just thinking the idea through and since her place is in RamNagar, we went for window shopping. And entered PSR Silks. For the Coimbatorians (esp. the fairer sex), this shop needs no advertisement. For others, this is a cloth store with really good material with a cost that would make a dent in your wallet. However, the service is good and they have loads of varieties.

We went in and Vaishu took me to the fancy sari section where she showed me some really good saris (if I remember right, she showed me a green one with stone work that both of us iked very much!) But then there was something missing! I couldn’t quite place a finger on it. So, I kept looking at different saris all over the place. I could see Vaishu was getting exasperated. (I should tell something here! I either decided something in seconds or take hours to do it! The something in between called minutes doesn’t exist in my vocabulary! And Vaishu is so patient (I play a major part in inculcating this trait in her! Come shopping with me and u’ll become patient!)) Then I saw my sari.

It was a black Banaras Silk sari all done in glittering stone and zari work. It looked as if the sari was waiting to catch my eye and beckoned me to come and see it and touch it and drape it and…. I couldn’t resist it. I went and checked that sari out. But Vaishu was a bit skeptical because usually Indian women don’t buy a black sari, especially their first one. She didn’t know if my mother would approve and so on and so forth. But, then we decided to give it a try and I asked the shop attendant to show me the sari in all its glory. When I was preening myself with the sari, other customers too liked it a lot and wanted such a sari for themselves. But sadly there was only one and that was with me! I had decided as soon as I saw the sari that I wanted it (remember deciding in seconds?). Now, I was serious about getting it.

Then came the arduous task of convincing my parents. My dad said that if my mom liked the sari, then I could go ahead with the purchase. My mother didn’t want me to get a black sari at first. But then, I convinced her to come and see the sari first and then give her verdict. She was fine with the arrangements and Vaishu asked the shop attendant to hold the sari for us.(I should thank her. If not for her, I would’ve given up the sari and would be just dreaming about it.) We were even ready to make an advance payment for it. Only then did we know that a young couple wanted that sari very much. That heightened my resolve (who said resolves should be for things high and lofty? J) to get the sari. We then came out and went to have an icecream.

It was at the ice cream parlor that I had my first doubts. I said Vaishu that it would be really difficult to convince my mom and that atleast the young couple would be happy with the sari (What a generous thought! Says my inner voice sarcastically.) But then she calmed me down and said that I could always say no tomorrow if my mom didn’t like it. She also said that it wasn’t a big deal and that I shouldn’t worry about it too much. Then we went to her place and were doing things. But this issue was at the back of my mind on and on.

The whole night and the next morning, I was telling everyone at home about the sari. I even had dreams of me wearing it and doing a catwalk. The next day my mom and aunts went to the shop with me and my sister in tow. They saw the sari and were satisfied (thank God!) Finally it was approved and I was the proud owner of the sari! I can never forget the sari or the way in which I got it! Guess that increases its speciality. Then I showed the sari to Vaishu and others. VEveryone liked it.

It is something more than the sari that matters in this! Doing something the first time is always special and this was one of them. But then, sadly, there are some lasts that have to happen for the firsts to follow them. Both give different experiences and are special in their own way. Ippadiyaaga, enathu muthal sari veedu vanthu sernthathu!

PS: I stitched the blouse for it and wore it at home once. But I couldn’t wear it for the batch day as planned for I decided I can’t sit in class with it (I would be too distracted! And the stone work might be damaged! So I wore some other sari (that is mine too!)for the batch day!). I am waiting for a good day or occasion for wearing it (“releasing” it as my maid says ;))

The aftermath

Microsoft took two students from Computer science department after an arduous interview process that lasted about 5 hours. Congrats to those students.
About my department, none of us got shortlisted because the company expected optimised code and we had given in algorithms and pseudocode. It was rumored that some of the best brains in our class had turned in a blank sheet because of various reasons.

Microsoft, the test begins!

Today we had the Microsoft written test for recruitment in our college. The undersigned also took the test. An account of how it went:
We were told that Microsoft was coming for our college about two weeks ago. So that, all the interested people( read, geeks) could prepare themselves for the battle. Yours truly was not that interested in it because:

1) She didn't know as much as she had to to ace the interview and interview was touted to be of umpteen rounds and she didn't know if she could survive all of it in one piece with the little knowledge that she had.
2)Her dream was a hardware company where she could work with her beloved processors for years to come.
3)She knew that, being the bookthrift( a new word for someone who is a spendthrift only on books. Do you know the actual word, Rama? ) that she was, she would spend the entire salary on books and books only and would even forget going to work( the main reason why the salary is given) and would keep reading on and on. Further, her friends wouldn't be too pleased for her buying so many books coz they feel that she already spends less time with them.( Her parents wouldn't mind, though and would present cupboards to keep all the books. They would also ask her to get more( if thru a loan, atleast! ;) No wonder where I got the bad habit. Right, Amma?)
4)She was also trying for MS and if she gets both, then she'll be in a dilemma as to what to choose. Being the libran that she is, she would confuse herself(and all others too) about this. And, there would be a nagging doubt in the back of her mind for ever and ever that she could've chosen the other choice( which ever one she chooses!)
5)And, the last, she wouldn't want to work in Hyderabad where given a chance, she would be trying out the cuisine and not the work. And, that would leave her in a much worser condition.

Guess, thats enough of reasons for a person not to attend! But, attend I did, due to pressure from well meaning friends and a curiosity to know WHAT was it that MICROSOFT gave to its candidates? And, knowing me, friends, I can never do my worst at any point (I tried it for L & T and didn't have peace of mind for days together. I don't want to undergo THAT again.) and so went ahead with a brave heart( quaking inside, of course!) to the test. We had a ppt( for those who dont know, it is the "pre placement talk" where companies tell about themselves, where they woo the candidates( though I've seen the interested candidates knowing more about the company from their weeks of research about it!)) for about half an hour.

Then came the tests where we had about three questions. The first one was bad( I thought I knew the logic and tried a stupid one where the examiner came, read my algorithm and said that it wouldn't work for certain cases(so embarassing! Here I am trying hard not to disappoint him and he comes and tells its wrong!). So I changed it and then, my friend said that there was something basic missing in it. I'm searching for it!), the second one was worse( I didn't know head or tail of it! But cooked up something because I dont want the examiner to be disappointed. Let him atleast have a hearty laugh! What a generous heart( says my inner voice in a sarcastic tone!) One of my friends got too technical and said "Configuration file missing from my system" meaning "I dont know this, dumbo!". ) and the third was worst( because all of us could do it and that is why it is worst! Coz there will be a catch somewhere. Come on! Microsoft never gives easy questions! Since none of us could identify the catch, we can't even think of a solution for it! And, we are at square one in that.)

Now, we are eagerly waiting to know who the geeks of PSG Tech are (ie)who is shortlisted. So, friends, there will another post telling you the results of this sweet short story. One major outcome is that we got a day off( almost a FULL day) from all classes and that is a GREAT thing in our college, especially our department. Hope this happens for all the companies. But then, again, the novelty would be worn off.

Drink and drive poem!

I received a mail from one of my friends containing this poem. This is a must read for all of us, especially for those who think that they are insulated against any kind of accident when they drink and drive and that bad things happen only to others. Do read it and make sure that all the people you know (esp. your loved ones) dont commit the same mistake. Because, human life is too valuable to be wasted like this! Read on....

WENT TO A PARTY, MOM

I went to a party,
And remembered what you said.
You told me not to drink, Mom
So I had a sprite instead.

I felt proud of myself,
The way you said I would,
That I didn't drink and drive,
Though some friends said I should.

I made a healthy choice,
And your advice to me was right,
The party finally ended,
And the kids drove out of sight.

I got into my car,
Sure to get home in one piece,
I never knew what was coming, Mom
Something I expected least.

Now I'm lying on the pavement,
And I hear the policeman say,
The kid that caused this wreck was drunk,
Mom, his voice seems far away.

My own blood's all around me,
As I try hard not to cry.
I can hear the paramedic say,
This girl is going to die.

I'm sure the guy had no idea,
While he was flying high,!
Because he chose to drink and drive,
Now I would have to die.

So why do people do it, Mom
Knowing that it ruins lives?
And now the pain is cutting me,
Like a hundred stabbing knives.

Tell sister not to be afraid, Mom
Tell daddy to be brave,
And when I go to heaven,
Put "Daddy's Girl" on my grave.

Someone should have taught him,
That it's wrong to drink and drive.
Maybe if his parents had,
I'd still be alive.

My breath is getting shorter, Mom
I'm getting really scared.
These are my final moments,
And I'm so unprepared.

I wish that you could hold me Mom,
As I lie here and die.
I wish that I could say,
"I love you, Mom!"

So I love you and good-bye.

What a poignant poem! It looks as if it had come straight from the heart of a dying victim! Hope the people who do this come to their senses and see the havoc their pleasure has created. Hey! If somebody wants to have a drink, that is their wish because it is their life and they take the choices. But please don't drink and drive because nobody has the right to put another life in danger, much less his own.

My favourite quotes II

Here is the second post on my favourite sayings!

It's simply a matter of doing what you do best and not worrying about what the other fellow is going to do.

Success usuallly comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.

The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is: that one often comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't.

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all.

Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped.

I don't know the the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everbody.

If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.

An error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.

There are two kinds of failures: The man who will do nothing he is told, and the man who will do nothing else.

If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate.

Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.

I attribute my success to this - I never gave or took any excuse.

If you can DREAM it, you can DO it.

Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow.

Throw your heart over the fence and the rest will follow.

Enthusiasm is a volcano on whose top never grows the grass of hesitation.

Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.

Knowledge is power, but enthusiasm pulls the switch.

There are two ways of meeting difficulties: you alter the difficulties, or you alter yourself to meet them.

When I hear somebody sigh that Life is hard, I am always tempted to ask, Compared to what?

The Difficult is that which can be done immediately; the Impossible that which takes a little longer.

Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.

It is a good rule to face difficulties at the time they arise and not allow them to increase unacknowledged.

To be successful you must accept all challenges that come your way. You can't just accept the ones you like.

Opportunity dances with those who are ready on the dance floor.

Accept yourself as you are. Otherwise you will never see opportunity. You will not feel free to move toward it; you will feel you do not deserve it.

Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.

The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.

As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.

Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think.

Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.

Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see bird that had the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses.

Goals are dreams with deadlines.

If you're bored with life -- you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things -- you don't have enough goals.

Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land amongst the stars.

All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is a direct result of his own thoughts

My Favorite quotes I

Here are some of my favorite sayings.

The first and the best : "There is no free lunch"

To be living and doing nothing, you should be living very high up.

The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed.

Don't let go of your dreams. If you have determination and belief in your dreams, you will succeed in spite of your desire to let go.

We will either find a way, or make one!

What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.

Drive thy business, or it will drive.

Do or do not. There is no try.

Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die.

An achievement is a bondage. It obliges one to a higher achievement.

Time heals what reason cannot.

It takes time to build a castle

A minute now is better than a minute later.

Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday.

One thing you can't recycle is wasted time.

One man gets only a week's value out of a year while another man gets a full year's value out of a week.

It is a fine thing to have ability, but the ability to discover ability in others is the true test.

Now here is a challenge to my dear friends. Who said this?
Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision

Blast in Bombay!

This post is dedicated to the victims of the horrible blasts that took place yesterday in Mumbai and SriNagar. Such violent acts force us to pause and think for a moment if the humankind is truly civilized and if so, where is the evidence for it? Otherwise, why would man want to devise instruments and methods to kill himself and his fellow beings? Is he rational? Does he have the famed sixth sense? If he had had, he wouldn't have given way to destructional ideas and objects which would wipe out mankind sooner than later.

I can never accept the law "An eye for an eye, a limb for a limb". That, my friends, is the law of the jungle and not of the civilized world in which we proclaim ourselves to be living in. It is more important that man should talk over the differences between different sections and learn to co exist with his fellow creatures. Whatever be the motive, arms are not the answer for it. There is no motive that is greater or dearer than the one for love of life of mankind. Everyone has equal opportunity for living and no one has the right to take it off.

Here is a small report on the incident which describes the situation in detail. It was so yucky! And the pictures and the video footage are gory! How can someone commit such violence in the name of religion or motive? And how can such a religion or motive be for the ultimate good of the people? How can anything be acheived by violence and violence only? I have never understood it (even after seeing so many Hindi(the latest being Fanaa) and Tamil(who can forget the umpteen Vijayakant and Arjun movies where they keep saving the country from countless terrorists singlehandedly? :))

What was surprising was the amount of planning that had gone into such actions. Surely, they could not have been done by people who are irrational. Rather, such actions carry the stamp of extremely rational, well organised people. Where has education gone wrong? What influenced these people to give up their aims and aspirations and work for some motive or religion? Don't they apply their mind and see that their actions cause nothing but pain? Well, hope time tells! And hope mankind survives its own baseless madness to receive the lessons of violence and take remedial measures!

Let us pray for the victims of the blast and console their loved ones. True, such a loss cannot be redeemed, not by any religion and certainly not by any motive which demands the sacrifice of so many human lives and property! But let us hope that our prayers give them the strength to pick up the pieces of life that are still left and go on!

A moonlit Night!

This is one of the things that turns me on anytime and any place! There is something so romantic about the moon and its gentle light! (what is the scientific term, KD?) It is so cool and breezy out there! Whenever I see the moon, especially on full moon days, I am transported to another world where only I and the moon and other members of Nature Club are there. Not even my loved ones and friends are allowed into that magical world. It is a world defined entirely for me and myself only. Though it may sound selfish, in reality, it is not! You have to experience it to understand the true effect of it. I have loved the moon since I can remember. It soothes me a lot and my head clears up faster than ever. Also, it is where I get ideas for the stories I write and where I never bother about anything in the world.

Everything we see in daylight looks so different under the moon. All the sharply defined edges blur out, new shapes emerge and the world tells us a different story. It is the time when the entire world is taking rest, charging itself for the next day and its turmoil, cleaning up the wounds it received in that day’s war, consoling the dead and generally stock taking its contents. It is the time when everything is so calm and peaceful and romance flows freely. Whenever I see the moon, I remember the poem

Slowly, silently, now the moon
Walks the night in her silver shoon.
One by one the casements catch
Her beams beneath the silvery thatch.

I forgot the other verses (if anyone of you know, please send me a copy!). That poem epitomizes the world at moonlight. Other poems of moon and its effects also have a special appeal for me. (I'm not Nisha for nothing! ;) )

I have always wondered how the films portray the moon as the sole property of lovers (esp. tamil movies). Now I know the answer! It is because the entire atmosphere is charged with romance that the lovers can’t escape it. And, their position is apt to receive all the romance in the world. I once read a saying that “the entire world loves the lovers”. So there is nothing surprising in that the moonlit nights also goes along! And, there is something so romantic about the couple enjoying their dinner in a castle/ cottage on a terrace overlooking the beach (the beach and sea heighten the effect!) with a four course candle light dinner and the moon smiling benignly upon them! (Now don’t get any ideas, I still haven’t tried anything of that sort! The closest I have come is to have a moonlight dinner with my entire family at home and there is nothing romantic about it! It is just a feel-good thing.) And, a picture of a young couple on board a ship bidding good bye to their homeland with the moon shining has always tugged my heart as the perfect, sad good bye any body can give! Though the couple might have better times before them, they would be leaving all they know and in the moonlight too! This scene has made my heart turn heavy whenever I picturise it! (And, no, I haven’t seen it so far anywhere else other than my imagination!)

One of my favorite pastimes during my childhood was to identify different beings from the dark shapes of the trees in front of my house. My sister and me, we used to compete with one another to find out the highest number of different things from the dark shapes. Also, the moonlight dinners with my family and friends have been etched well into my memory. Wherever we go, the moon shines like an old friend sharing our joys and comforting us in our sorrows. It eventually stands testimony to all that we love and share!

Loss of a friend!

A friend is one who shares everything with you, laughs with you even at the smallest thing, giggles with you (very important for girls! I know the guys hiding a smile at this nonstop activity of girls! But more on that in another future post!) about everything, knows even the best kept secret about you, who wouldn’t give up on you and your goodness and shortcomings and sticks with you in every situation, ideal or otherwise! The degree of all such things depends on the closeness you feel with that person and the amount of trust and love (yeah! You heard me right!) in your relationship concerned. I lost such a good friend. Though I have not lost in flesh and blood, I have lost her in soul and spirit. This post is a “Mouna Anjali” to her and our relationship.
I first saw her in the first year of my college, on the second day (the first day, we had to just come, fill up a few forms, do the other necessary formalities and stuff like that! Frankly, I don’t have too many memories of that day. I tend to remember the good byes more than the hellos. I am a person who thinks that a good round of goodbyes are more important and that they prepare us for the next round of hellos! What do you say, folks?). Then, I never thought I would become very close to her because she herself was a bit unsure of herself and the surroundings and here I was, thinking that I knew everything I had to know in the college (coz of my family who had studied there! Boy, was I ever wrong! But that is a different story!) and was confidence personified. And, I tended to move more with the dayscholars than the hostelites (lack of experience in dealing with such a situation!) So, I kept to myself and she to herself! I knew that such a person existed but didn’t care to know more!

Thus we smoothly glided onto the second year! There, I had a good time with her, especially in the fourth semester! It was pure fun. We complemented each other very well. She was vivacious while I was a bit more serious, she was prone to talking “galeejully” while I stuck to proper English whenever I could help it (and that was loads of times! Ask my class guys!), she was too adjusting to others’ wishes while I wouldn’t adjust to anyone else beyond a certain limit(not many have tested it, thankfully) and lots more! But, we managed to do some good stuff and had loads of fun in the progress!

Then came the third year where we came closer in the face of ununderstandable wrath! Also, we shared our closest secrets (what else other than our crushes and stuff like that?), did so much activities together and had such a great time that all was gung ho for a while. Though we had different responsibilities to take care and never had too much time for each other, we respected the little time we had together and used it preciously!

Now, in the fourth year, we are going away from one another. True, she is still with me at any time I ask of her and I do the same. But the josh of the old relationship is lost. That maybe because of our varying interests and opinions and ideas about everything! The same differences that brought us together are tearing our friendship apart. Guess any relationship has to stand the test of time. And this one is doing fairly ok but not very well.

I have a theory about any relationship. It first starts, reaches the first crest and trough and goes through everything before a comfortable level could be reached. Once the comfy zone is reached, it is very difficult to break the relationship. And, it does not end unless the concerned parties make a conscious effort to do so (and this is rarely the case!) With some people, such transitions happen very effortlessly and by the time you stop to ponder, you have reached the comfy zone. And, with some others, we have to make a very strenuous effort to bring it to the comfy zone (both the parties have to work hard!). And, with some others, we are conscious of the change of the relationship from one stage to another. Though we wouldn’t have to work on the relationship, we would be continuously aware of it.

My relation with the friend in question is of the third type. I still think of all the fun we have had and that we have done and failed to do. It is lovely thing to reminisce about it but I feel that it is no more possible to bring it back to the original level. It would require too much effort from both of us and both are not interested in doing it. I am not angry at the turn of events. I am only saddened by it. But I have the maturity to understand that some things have to be let go of for life to continue and so I leave it and leave it with a heavy heart. So friends, I am bidding adieu to her in spirit and to our friendship! (though its skeleton would certainly exist till both of us go to the other shore!) (and if you are reading this post, my friend, I’m sure you would know what I’ve said here to be true and you would agree wholeheartedly with me!) (for others, please don’t ask me who this is!)