New year wishes!!

This is a forward sent by one of my friends. She has captured it well in a few words. Here it is:

2007.....a year to cherish.....
2007 was when........
we wrote our last B.E. paper.........
we passed out of college....
we made new amazing friends.....
some of us moved to a new city.....
some of us celebrated our 22nd birthdays.....
we waved good bye to our buddies leaving to the states for higher studies...
some of us fell in love........
some of us got married......
some of us fell out of love....
some of us got hurt...

2007 was when....
we would have made mistakes...
we made life decisions.......
these decisions turned out to be a tragedy...
some of us felt lonely ....
some of us made an amazing friends in a new city...
some of us would have learned to be stronger.....
some of us would have realized that everything happens for a reason.....
some of us let out our anger.....
some of us never opened up to our friends about how we felt....
some of us felt so glad and happy to be the way they are.....
we go out everyday and meet up with our friends...
we had serious talks with our dad about our future.....
we missed each other when we were at hometown....
we missed our mom here...
we cried for each other...
we celebrated our first Christmas with our friends...
we were jobless all the time in office...
we walked around the streets late in the night....
we put budget for the next month (but strictly not following it)

Last year has taken us through all our ups and downs we faced in our life...

2008.......one more year .....a year to....
To find our life partner (might be)... :)
to smile........
to let people know how much u care...
to learn from our mistakes.......
to cry when we are feeling down.....
to follow our dreams.......
to fight against everything for our dreams to come true.....
to be more confident.........
to be more strong at heart and mind.....
to enrich our knowledge.........
to make others happy....

Lets take each day as it comes........
Forget about the downs we came across in the past year........
And remember every lesson we learned through them........
Lets Enjoy Life to The Fullest............
Lets Be thankful for every day.....
All the Very Best For The Year to Come.....

NEW YEAR WISHES!!

Newyork Nagaram, Pittsburgh Payanam

[For english translation, check the post below]
Enna makkalae, nalla irukeengala? Ennada tamizhla elutharaalaenu paakareengala? Ennatha solrathu, ellam en neram! Nunalum than vaayaal kedum apdingara pazhamozhiku naan thaan best example. Oru friend kitta tamil pathiyum tamil blogging pathiyum pesitu irundhen. Appo, he said, sorry sorry... avan sonnan, tamil blogging kashtamnu. Namma thaan oruthar oru vishayatha sonna, totally opposite vishayathukku support(ithukellam enakku tamil vaartha theriyaathu... Article 178 padi, indha vaartha ellam tamil colloquial languagela mix aayiduchu… athanaala, nadu naduvula English vaartha vandha kandukka koodaathu.. naan enna Kamban parambarainna sonnen… sutha tamil blogging(paarunga paarunga! Ithu kooda English vaartha thaan! Aama, bloggingku aptaana tamil vaartha ennanga?? Yaaruchum therinja sollunga) panrathukku? Etho enakku therinja tamilla eluthi irukken... tamil periyavanga periya manasu panni mannikanum!!) panni pesuvomla! Adhula vandha venai... ungalukku micha story sollanumaa? Avan enna oru tamil blog elutha solli challenge panna, naanum atha othukka, adhula vandhadhu thaan indha post(indha thabaal???? Indha postum andha postum vera thaan.. aana, post na thabaal thaana?? Ippadikku Kelvinayagam :D (ellam namma maruthanaayagam effect :) ) En naakula Saturn sutharaar!! Adhula vandha venai idhu!

Ok! Topic ku povom! Aruthathu pothum alpine nu neenga katharathu en kaathula ketkuthu.. Indha vaaram, naan enga oorla irundhu, Newyork pona kathaiyum, anga irundhu pittsburg pona kathaiyum solren. Newyork pora idea rendu maasamaavae irundhadhu... Aana ticket thaan vaangala(yaaravathu kooda car ride pogalaam, illa train/bus try pannalaamnu oru idea... inga vandhu flightla poi poi aluthu pochu.. seri, seri... scene ellam podaratha niruthikaren... aana, adhukku serthu pattuten.. next time, olunga naanga ticket edupomla!)... winter break pakkathula vara vara veetla ore pressure.. epdi newyork pogarenu... naan enna newyork mayoraa? Ellathayum muthalayae plan panni security ellam tharathukku? So, kadaisi naal varaikkum enakku enna date, enna timela poga porennu theriyala. Yaar kooda poga porennum theriyala. Finally, oru friend kooda car ride panni Washington vandhu, anga S kooda oru car chase panni, train(Amtrak) pudichu, ticketa vaangi(adhuvum anga vandhu walk-in ticket thaan vaanginen! Naanga gethulla!!) vandhu trainla utkaandhaa.... Oru seat number kooda ticketla illa! Aana, trainla ellamae seat number padi thaan irundhadhu. Train kelamba innum pathu nimisham thaan irukku! Already car chasela naan oru trainna vittuten.. indha train poi seravae 12.30 am(aamanga, nadu raathri 12.30 thaan!) aagum. Adutha train, 3 am ku thaan poi serum. En uncle enna washingtonlayae kuppa kotta solliduvaar, kaduppula! Enna da ithu vambaa pochunu paatha, en oru carry on bag(adhu plastic bag!) vera piyyara nelama! Aprom, oru vazhiyaa kettu seatla utkaandha, phone mela phone! Ellam namma friends and cousins thaan! NY poitenna illayaanu paaka!! Ovvoru callum return panni konjam kadalai pottu, seri erangalaamnu paartha train half an hour late! Paavam en uncle! Andha kulirla arai mani neram wait pannar. Aprom, veetukku poi, three days, nalla saaptu thoongi games aadi kalichutten(rest edukattumnu auntyum uncleum oru velaiyum panna vidala! Naan onnum vetti murikalanu enakku thaana theriyum!! Aanaalum, nalla thoonga chance kedaichathaala naanum vittuten(oru vaarama, exams, partyingnu daily two three hours thaan thoonginen! So, caught up on sleep))

Aprom, rendu friendsoda, I went to NY city(S & S). Anga, first shopping thaan panninen! Macy’s, H & M’s, Tiffany’s, Saks.... onnum vittu vaikala! Koodavae, Times square, Madison Square, Rockfeller centre, anga summa irukkaama ice skating oru mani neram, Christmas decorations, konjam photos ellam pannen! Aprom, next day, NY pass vaangittu, we went to downtown NY, Greenwich village, SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, NY College of Arts, Statue of Liberty(Oru awe-inspiring vishayam adhu.. vera postla atha pathi solren), Ellis Island, Ground Zero(namma World Trade Centre irundhadhae, adhu thaan), Wall Street, sila pala church gal, ellam... aprom, anga oru caricature vaanginen(ennoda caricature thaan). Adhula thaan naanum NY ponenrathukku oru indelible mark nadanthadhu.. perusa onnum illa... en wallet tholanju pochu!! Enga pochu epdi pochu onnum theriyala! Aprom, avasara avasaramaa ella cardum cancel panninen(Wachovia kaaran uyira vaangitaan! Naanae card tholainja tensionla irundha, appo thaan oru vandi promotional message tharaan! Eriyara neruppula ennaiya vitta maathiri!! Avanukku irukku, naan oorukku ponathum!). Aana, en ID cards, en drivers’ licenses(indha oor, andha oor ellam thaan), en pendrive, konjam kaasu, sila pala nyaabakaarthamaana vishayangal, etc etc ellam pochu.. Oru pakkam varutham, innoru pakkam “seri, puthu varushathulla ellam puthusaa aarambikka thaan pola irukku” apdinu oru nenaippu(talk of the eternal optimist!!), innoru pakkam veetla enna solvaangalonnu oru chinna bayam(enna en kitta 10 paisa, sorry sorry, 10 cent kooda illa, oru id card kooda illa… aprom, bayapadaama, ‘vaama Jansi Rani’na solvaanga ?) Nalla vela, en kooda friends irundhaanga ! vandhu train ethi vittu konjam kaasum kuduthu, anuppi vachanga. Enga plan, anaikku, brooklyn porathu... aana, indha kalaebarathula, naan mood out aagi, veetukku pona pothumnu decide panniten! So, second day nalla kolandhaiyaa I came home at 7 pm.

Third day, aunty kita oru puthu walletum uncle kita kaasum vaangitu, again NY ponen (namma, Gajini Mohammedu fan illa! Thirumba thirumba padai yeduppomla!) That day, Madame Tussauds(namma Gandhi thaathaavoda, Lincoln maamaavoda ellam photo eduthen), Ripley’s Believe it or Not!(ellarum poga vendiya edam ithu), American Natural History Museum(sakkaiyaa irukku! Ore oru periya balla vachuttu, oru universayae kann munnadi kondu vandhutaanga! KD, nee paarka vendiya edam ithu!), Central Park, Empire State building(ithu thaan highlight of the NY trip!), ella broadway theatres, avenues, broadway, main streets, ellam paarthen. Ithula, S ku night time NYa empire state buildingla irundhu paarkanum oru aasai! Seri, athayum pannuvomaenu wait panni, paarthuttu vandhom. Weekendkarathaala, train frequency kammi. Ithula oru train vera miss panniten. Veetukku poga 11.30 pm aayiduchu. En uncleum auntyum thaan konjam tension aayitaanga(ennada iva! Oru naal, 12.30ku varaa, innoru naal seekiram vara, aana oru vandi shopping panni irukka, innoru naalum seekiram varaa, aana pursayae tholachutta, seri kadaisi naal endha prachainaiyum illama varuvaanu paartha(en kitta thaan neraya selavu panna kaaso credit cardo illayae!), ivlo lateaa varaa nu nenaichirupaanga!) Aana, romba nallavanga! Onnumae sollala! Romba cool aunty and uncle!! En cousins thaan kindal adichu gaali pannitaanga! :)

Aprom, rendu naal rest eduthuttu, we went to a Christmas party! Anga, night ellam enjoy pannittu(ada, veetla ellarum thaan), morning Pittsburg ponom! Naan vanla thoongitae ponen! Epdi thaan auntyum uncleum thoongaamayae vandhaangalo, theriyala! Naanum, D(ava, Ms.Cornell :) )yum thoongarathula pottiyae potom. Finally, we reached Pittsburg, went to the temples, downtown Pittsburg, incline trip, some sightseeing through the view points, etc. Then there were some dances, introductions, etc.(en uncleoda friends ellarum vandhurundhaanga). We slept at 1 am. Marubadiyum morningla, Phipps observatory (super glass pieces and plants!!), Cathedral of learning, CMU, University of Pittsburg, River Cruise, Heinz stadium, shopping(anga poiyum vittu vaikala!), Celebration of Lights(adha paaka kodi kann venum! Avlo cuteaa irundhadhu), some more dancing, introductions ellam panninom. Next day, one more temple visit, aprom dosa fest(aha! Dosai smell innum kannlaiyae... sorry, sorry, mokklayae irukku) ellam mudichuttu back to NY. Adhuvum thoongiyae thaandinen. Aprom veetukku vandhu, avasara avasaramaa, pack panni, next day flight pidichu, ippo Chicago airportla utkaandhu indha posta thattitu irukken! Ippo, akka veetukku poga poren! Adhu innoru periya kathaiyaa irukkum! Vera postla solren. Adhu varaikkum, ellarum nalla New yeara celebrate panni enjoy pannunga! Puthu varushathula paapom! Vartaaa?????

Newyork Nagaram, Pittsburgh Payanam( Newyork City and Pittsburgh Journey)

[Tanglish version, look up]
Hi, how is everyone? I know most of you would be surprised when you see a post in Tanglish(a mix of Tamil and English). All this is a result of a challenge that I had with a friend of mine who said that blogging in tamil is very difficult. Since I belong to the category of people who is constantly looking for debates and hence always talking for or against a topic, I said that it wasn’t difficult and that loads of people did it anyways. He immediately challenged me to write a tamil post and hence the above experiment. I used to write tamil stories and poems when in school. However, since I took French in high school, I lost touch with tamil and college was no better. So, this came as a refreshing change where I could revive my tamil writing skills. However, I had to mix some English words in my post. Goes to show how much English has permeated other languages’ use. Heck! I’ve used tamil for nearly all my life and still I can’t write a post purely in tamil. Though I could try, I would surely not be able to write one telling about contemporary life. I could try writing a pure-tamil post about some abstract topic. Yeah! Come to think of it, I can. Lets just hope that I do that(among other numerous topics) in the coming year.

Ok! Coming to the topic, this post is mostly about my sojourns in New York and travel to Pittsburg. I’ve been thinking of going to NY for Christmas for the past two months. However, I was thinking of going along with a friend in a car or try out the train/bus options. I was basically too tired of flying(as my trips in US so far have been by flight, simply because I don’t own a car and all the places that I’ve gone to make more sense and save more time if I go by flight. I’m sure I’m going to be totally tired of airports and airplanes when I get back to my home country). As December came closer, my parents were worried about my travel plans(my dad is usually meticulous about his travel plans, both abroad and otherwise. He sometimes even has a Plan B if something goes awry with Plan A. My mom also prefers knowing when things are going to happen. But I wanted to try something different(G, your suggestion!!)) and here I was, without a ticket or any idea as to when and how I’ll reach NY. Finally, I reached Washington with a friend, did a car chase along with S and caught the Amtrak train. But, to my dismay, I couldn’t figure out the seat number from the train ticket(bought through walk-in at the counter!). And I had just 10 minutes to go for the train to start! Already, I had missed a train because of the tomfoolery I did with my friend. And this train that I was about to take would reach by 12.30 am. If I let this one go and take the next one, I would surely reach only by 3 am and my uncle would be damn mad at me. To add to my distress(what a lovely, tragic word!! Distress!! Don’t you imagine a young girl, all dressed up in white with flowing curls, staring pensively at the fire with clasped hands daintily placed on her lap? Gosh!! If I keep dishing out such stuff, I can very well go on to write 18th century romance novels. I guess it’s the effect of “The Lion’s Lady”. Its pure trash but makes for enjoyable reading if you want to read trash :D), the plastic bag in which I was carrying gifts tore out and I had to do alternate arrangements. In the meantime, I got calls from almost all my friends and cousins asking if I’m making the trip to NY(shows how big a chatterbox I’ve been and how concerned everyone is about me! Should I be sad or happy? Ah! That is the question!) The train was half an hour late and my poor uncle had to stand in the cold waiting for the train(and me!). Then, I went home and ate and slept for three full days(rejuvenating myself from all the work I did, according to my aunt and uncle! Catching up with sleep, according to me! It was the effect of all the exams and end-of-semester parties :P )

After that, I explored NY with two of my friends(S & S). The first day, I did shopping. Went to Macy’s, H & M’s, Tiffany’s, Saks, Times square, Madison Square, Rockfeller centre, etc. There I went ice skating for the first time in my life. It was an awesome experience. The next day, we went to downtown NY, Greenwich village, SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, NY College of Arts, Statue of Liberty(it was an awe-inspiring experience. I’ll recount it in another post), Ellis Island, Ground Zero(World Trade Centre site), Wall Street, some churches, etc. I also got a caricature of mine done(I’ve always wanted one of mine ever since I saw one of my cousin’s). There came an indelible mark of me having been in NY.... yeah! I lost my wallet. After half an hour of frantic searching and canceling all the cards, I decided to call it a day and go home. But I lost all my ID cards, some money, my pendrive, some memorabilia collected over my college days and so on. Though I was sad on one side, I also consoled myself saying that it was for the best and that fate gave me a clean slate to begin the new year on (talk of the eternal optimist!!). I was also a bit scared of the choicest words that my mother would say when she hears this news(understandable because I was stranded in the big bad city without a cent or an ID card. The NY police could’ve arrested me had they taken that notion into their heads! Thank God they didn’t and with the help of friends, I reached home sound and safe at 7 pm)

Third day, I got a new purse from my aunt and some money from my uncle and went back to NY( I know, Guts with a big G. Still, it was an awesome experience). That day, we went to Madame Tussauds(I took a photo with all the celebrities I wanted to, my favorites being Mahatma Gandhi and Lincoln), Ripley’s Believe it or Not!(A place where the fact is stranger than fiction. A must-see for anyone going to NY), American Natural History Museum(great place. They use one sphere and use the relativity concept to explain the entire universe. KD, you’d fall in love with this place!), Central Park, Empire State building(highlight of the NY trip!), all broadway theatres, avenues, broadway, main streets, etc. S wanted to see the night time NY from Empire state building. So, we waited for that and saw that awesome sight too. It was a satisfying trip in all. However, since it was a weekend, the trains were less frequent and I missed a train( I know, its becoming a habit! :( ). So, by the time I reached home it was 11.30 pm. My uncle and aunt were very concerned about me. However, they knew that I had had loads of fun and hence were very cool about it. But my cousins teased me to the core :D

The next two days, I went into resting mode and then went to a Christmas party with my uncle’s family. It was party time all night and we went to Pittsburgh the next morning. I slept through the whole journey(I just can’t understand how my uncle and aunt didn’t nod off! Guess its because they are adults... Makes the task of being an adult very daunting! When it comes to sleep, I’m still a kid). Finally, we reached Pittsburgh, went to the temples, downtown Pittsburgh, incline trip, some sightseeing through the view points, etc. Then there were some dances, introductions, etc.(met all my uncle’s friends). We slept at 1 am. The next morning, we went to the Phipps observatory (super glass pieces and plants!!), Cathedral of learning, CMU, University of Pittsburgh, River Cruise, Heinz stadium, shopping, Celebration of Lights(one of the simplest yet most elegant sights I’ve seen) and did some more dancing and introductions. Next day, we went to the temple again followed by a dosa(this is a south Indian delicacy! I miss you, Dosa!) fest. Then, we left to NY again. Once I came back home, I started packing and took a flight the next day to my sister’s place. Now, here I am, typing(penning down??) this post sitting at the Chicago airport. My connecting flight is 3 hours late and I have nothing better to do :) I’m sure that the story would unfold more at my sister’s place because of my two lovely nieces who make every second with them enjoyable. I’ll recount them in the next post. Till then, have a safe and happy journey(if you are traveling like me) and a very happy New Year(try celebrating it in a different manner from the past ones! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it). See you in the new year! Ciao!

Update on Ennama Thozhi!!

I got a comment on the earlier post saying that it was part of a new movie called “Kaalai Pani “. I was immediately eager to check out the full song and I checked the net to listen to it. Though I like the full song too, the shorter version had more punch and soul in it compared to the longer one. This might be because of the music from other instruments accompanying the voice or because of the lyrics that weren’t as sweet as the first verse but I really don’t know. But it is not satisfying enough once you’ve heard the original shorter version. Here are the links to both.
Shorter Version
Longer Version(only the audio)
Do hear them and give me your comments.

Home and away!!

She was moving
She was traveling
A wandering soul to say the least

She was tired
She was weary
A wretched life to say the least

The voice worried
The voice counseled
A thoughtful thought to say the least

She saw the SOL
She saw the island
A place with meaning to say the least

She understood the greatness
She understood the wonder
A magnificent monument to say the least

The voice waited
The voice wondered
A curious position to say the least

She paid homage
She paid tribute
An awe inspiring experience to say the least

She was anchored
She was safe
A homecoming of sorts to say the least

The voice was assured
The voice was at peace
A happy interlude to say the least

Threes and twos

It’s strange what sleeplessness can do to a person. I was caught in a challenge when I was at my sleepiest. This post forms the crux of the challenge. I’m supposed to write about three people I like most and two people I hate most. Since I have a general rule of never giving out names of people, I take the liberty of changing the challenge into the writing about three types of people I like most and two types of people I hate most. G, this change is allowed under the Rule of Challenges, Article 9A. :)

Ok, here goes the list of people I like, sorry, types of people I like(since I’m more familiar with the world of novels, I base the types on various characters in different novels. If there is a formal way of classifying people, do let me know):
1)“Vandhiya Thevan” type: I like this type of people most. For those who have read Ponniyin selvan, the great novel by Kalki, please move on to the next point. For others, dig in. Vandhiya Thevan was a character in the novel and he was street-smart, humorous, righteous and knew where his loyalty lay. Some of my friends are like this character and with them around, time just flies :) However it is becoming rarer to find such people.
2)“John Galt” type: This is the second type of people I like. John Galt was a character in the novel “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand. He is the pinnacle of objectivism and gave me a true taste of work ethics. I’ve seen glimpses of that character in some people I’ve met. But living like John Galt is impossible and is not advisable for the Indian society. Now that I’m in the US of A, I get to see more glimpses of John Galtish behavior.
3)“Michael Scofield” type: This, my friends, is from “Prison Break”(to which I’m currently addicted, as AR put it :)). This is the main character in the series. He comes out as a person who can plan things, execute them under stress and pull out at the right time to give a classy finish. I’m sure everyone would’ve encountered such type of people at some point in life or atleast read about them in the novels. A world favorite example is James Bond. But my favorites are Lord Mountbatten(courtesy “Freedom at Midnight”) and the Greek Heroes.

Now, onto the type of people I hate:
1)Hypocrites: I hate these people to the core. The main reason is, they make me laugh by their ways. I just laugh in their face and have a really hard time explaining what I meant by that laugh. Believe me, that is a hard thing to do with anyone and with hypocrites, it is harder still( K, do you remember the restaurant stuff and how hard I tried(and failed!!) to explain why I laughed? God!! That was a nightmare!). There are a few more reasons to why I hate them. For all of that, look up ‘hypocrites’ in any dictionary. To all the hypocrites out there, get a life!!
2)Liars: Back to class two when we learnt “truth alone triumphs”. I’ve seen that most people don’t give out the truth when asked a direct question. Even worse, they dish out lies easily. Dude, the truth is the truth, no matter where you stand (for or against). So, no one can give a partial truth and a partial lie. Though you may be doing good by telling a white lie now, it would surely come back to hurt in the long run. And in the heart of hearts, people do know when others lie to them. Understandably, there are a few situations when you do not want to tell the truth but are asked about it. In such cases, it is always better to say that you don’t want to say it rather than dish out some untruth. I don’t say that I’m a saint and don’t tell lies at all. I’ve said my share of lies too. But eventually, I’ve come to realize that we are way off better telling the truth rather than covering up something with lies. Believe me, the world has more respect on people who say that they cannot give some information due to some reason rather than the people who readily dish out crap to cover their asses. So, stop lying! Or atleast reduce the frequency!!

Ok! It was easier to write the second list than the first. I guess that is because anyone can easily say what they don’t like than they can say what they like. For example, say we go to a restaurant. We can easily say what dish we DON’T want to eat compared to what dish we WANT to eat. The same goes for shopping too. Come to think of it, it goes for anything at all in life where we have a choice. But it was loads of fun compiling that list. Try it if you would like to. You’ll surprise yourselves with the list that turns up.

PS: The last paragraph was not a part of the original post... just a small observation on my part.

Disclaimer: Though I’ve quoted male characters, I’ve seen the aforementioned traits in both men and women equally, actually more so in women than men. So, it is not a way to glorify men and demean women. It just goes to show that the authors are not doing enough to tell more about the women of the world. Again, my observation strictly!

Ennama Thozhi!

This is a song I came across in my recent travails over the net. It was so good that I kept on singing this song for about two days and drove everyone mad. Some of my friends even learnt the song(courtesy, my constant singing!).

This is a folk song by Vedanth. Though I don't know anything else about the song or the artist, I can easily say that this is a really good one. The lyrics are simple without being simplistic and that's rare in the present world. They capture the innocence of bygone times and I only wish that the song was longer and didn't finish so abruptly. Here are the lyrics:

Ennama Thozhi, Bommaiya Kaanom!
Naan enna seiyya poren?

Ennama Thozhi, Bommaiya Kaanom!
Naan enna seiyya poren?

Thala vaari pinni Pookal vaithu
Pudu chattai potu vitten

Ippasi maasam Kaaveri snaanam
Bommaiya vaangi vandhen

Ennama Thozhi, Bommaiya Kaanom!
Naan enna seiyya poren?

{english translation:
My dear friend, I can't find my doll!
What am I going to do?

My dear friend, I can't find my doll!
What am I going to do?

I tied its hair, decked it with flowers,
And gave it new clothes.

In the month of Ippasi(a tamil month), a bath in Cauvery(a well known river),
I got the doll!

My dear friend, I can't find my doll!
What am I going to do?)

Why oh why

These are some of the questions I have in mind but either have no answer(either I'm too lazy to find them or there is no way I can get them or there is no answer from nature itself) or cannot be asked(cultural niceties, lack of courage, keep any reason).

Why is it that
1) it snows when I'm asleep or sitting inside a boring lecture?
2) I return home anticipating a hot meal but all I see are a sink full of dishes?
3) I get up early morning at a friend's place and rush to the bus stop to go home only to realize that the first bus is not due for another hour and I could very well have curled up for some more time?
4) the bus leaves exactly a minute before I reach the bus stop?
5) the presentation I so wanted to hear turns up to be all crap?
6) the presentation I thought was all crap was actually enjoyable(RR your presentation comes in this category)?
7) the first of leaves that turn brown/red/yellow are the ones still on the tree while all others are falling down, down and down?
8) A certain friend of mine has killing dress sense but not much dollars to spare for decking up?
9) A certain non-friend of mine has killing dress sense AND much dollars to spare for decking up? (Okay! I made this up because none of the Indians are dumb enough to spend money to deck up here :D )
10) whenever I think I'm too tired and hungry, the smell from Au Bon Pain drafts over to increase my hunger pangs?
11) there are two events happening at the same time in the university offering FREE great FOOD?
12) those events never happen when I'm at my hungriest?
13) those events occur in a hall that I can reach only by crossing half the university?
14) my lab does not have a microwave?
15) I am tempted to the soup section every time I go buy a meal?
16) I buy a bowl of soup for $5 and feel full after half a bowl?
17) I get to see cute chicks with not-so-hot guys and hot guys with not-so-cute chicks? (none of this fits Indians here)
18) none of the graduate Indians are as cool as the undergrads?
19) none of the PhD students seem to have fun?
20) so many of my friends into PhD are quitting after Masters?
21) my day becomes a series of hi's and bye's with a big bunch of people, conversations with a handful and meaningful conversations with only one or two?
22) I spend about an hour talking to my parents every day and not feel the time go by but sit in a class and look at the watch every few minutes?
23) the cold wind always targets my poor nose and ears while my cheeks are fine?
24) I've lost touch with so many people with whom I shared four full years of my life? Now I don't even know what some of them are doing :(
25) some of my closest friends are close no more?
26) some people whom I didn't care much in the past permeate every nook of my life now?
27) I'm watching more movies than when I was back in home?
28) I think life is a drudgery and suddenly someone makes it easy to bear by some action of theirs?
29) though I've bought loads of clothing for winter, I still feel I'm not prepared for it?
30) I pick up a product with a great discount only to find that discount ended the day before?
31) I get up early when I don't have classes or meetings to attend but invariably end up sleeping late when I have something important coming up?
32) one of my exams is scheduled at 7.30 AM and my first bus from home is at 7.15 AM (put in 10 minutes for traveling time and you'll get the picture).
33) whenever I think life is a bed of roses, there is a rude shock waiting just around the corner.
34) every shock that comes effectively takes me out of stupor.
35) the day I want to eat ice cream, there is none at home.
36) I get up just when a dream turns really interesting and I'm not able to get back the dream even if I try my hardest?
37) I can't get my mom or dad to scold me nowadays? (I actually miss my mom's scoldings!!)
38) some of my friends are going places from where there is no return to original state and I don't have the courage to do so?
39) I can't sit down to blog anymore and go into hiatus more often?
40) life shows the presence or absence of something only when we least expect it?

The End of Something

She was enjoying
She was having fun
She was living life to the fullest

Suddenly,
She understood something
Or the lack of something

She stood still
The reality hit her
A pain seared through her heart
A tear rolled down her cheek

The voice was content
The voice was calm
The voice was at peace with itself

Suddenly,
The voice sensed something
Or the lack of something

It was time
Time to show her the reality
A reality that would pain her
A reality that would make her cry

The voice consoled her
She was unconsoled
The voice reasoned with her
She said that this was beyond reason
The voice argued with her
She was too tired to argue

Because this something sapped her energy
Her love for life,
Her interest in life,
Her peace with the world.

The voice didn't give up
The voice persisted
The voice dinned sense into her
And let the pain dull and tear dry

She was battered
She was bruised
She didn't want anymore of it
But still she went on in life

Because Life doesn't end with something
Life dulls the pain
Life dries the tear
And life goes on.

The voice showed her strength
The voice stood rock-solid
The voice guided her by hand

She followed the voice
She followed its reason
She followed it by hand

The Voice and She
Emerged stronger in this contest
More understanding of each other
More clear of each other's goal
And more trusting on each other.

All that was left
Left of the something
A few words and actions
A dull pain in her heart
And an infinite wisdom for the voice.

A talk about earth

Check this out. Its a lyrical view of life on Earth by Frans Lanting. To know more about the author, check here



It sure did stir something within me. How about you? And, is this power that encompassed and transformed all these creations called God, the SuperPower? Do share your ideas and comments.

LOST!! Anyone got a home to spare? ;)

Shopping trips are loads of fun.... esp when you get to read something like the one below. This is what I picked up from my recent trip to Walmart. Needless to say, my friends and I, we were in splits after reading it. Couldn’t resist sharing with my fellow bloggers :)

(Warning: I’m not changing anything from the original flyer... so, if any of you wants to give a big whack on the head, please contact the original author. R, I KNOW you are getting ready to sue the author. I’m thinking of sending him/her a English development course flyer :D)

LOST, House Looking for a Home
(now, this house is looking for a home, anyone got one to spare? ;))
This house can be a home, making lot’s of memories(now have you heard of houses making memories? I thought people and events made them!!),
come make a solid(you want to make a solid? You can have a go here!),
holds lots of laughter(is it a laughter-bucket? Is there such a word, R??),
keeps secrets well(ok! Interesting! Can you give me a sample secret that it has kept well?),
you can design what you want(oh! I want an Igloo! Come on, living in an igloo has been my childhood dream. So, I have designed it :D),
some work done(work done?? By whom? Me? No thanks! I already have loads to do)

• 2 BEDROOM( Now why is this in CAPS?), 3 bedromms( If you want roms(aka Read Only Memories, for the non-techie friends), you can get in touch with this owner because he/she has a house with 3 roms :D or better yet, with romms(whatever that is!) if desired(huh? Can you desire a bedroom and just have it?? Then I'll desire for five more. And what about the original floor plans, buddy?)

• All NEW electric ran( what?? Am I missing something here?), 3 or more outlets per room ( outlets of what?? Of anger? :D)

• INSULATED, most rooms ( insulated.. now that’s got too many possibilities! I’m not listing them here. And, what about the poor souls in the rooms that don’t come under the heading ‘most rooms’?)

• ALL NEW PLUMBING (has this person ripped off all the plumbing and put them back??)

• LARGE DECK, with new glass door( Nothing to say! Try to get the meaning ;))

• FRONT PORCH across front of house( oh! Didn’t know that... I thought all front porches would be across the back of house. Come on, yaar!!)

• LOT OF LIGHT, new widows on 2nd floor( this is NOT a spelling mistake... so, if anyone wants light, new widows(of all people), you can go and pick one from the second floor... now what’s there in the second floor? A widow factory? :D)

• NEW LINES TO SPRING HOUSE (now, where is this spring house? And whose is it? Is it a part of the sale?)

• NEW WATER HEATER, never used ( Hey! That’s why its called new, isn’t it? OR have they changed the terminology? :) )

• 11/2 acres, little spring in front of house ( so much area? And only a teeny, weeny spring? So sad of that poor spring! And in front of house? I thought there was the road and other normal stuff)

• STORAGE BLDG( Now, what’s this? Isn’t storage part of any house?)


You WILL NEVER find a deal like this again(really? Thank God for that! Actually, I don’t mind seeing flyers like this more often :)),
very warm in winter(isn’t that what a house is supposed to do? Keep warm in winter, keep cool in summer and protect all the time? I learnt it in second standard),
LOTS OF POSSIBILITIES (Now, this is very interesting! What are the lots of possibilities? Too much to tell ;)),
with the right imaganation( what is this??? R, I think you are ready to sue this person for wrong usage of English.. chill! :)),
some supplies go with house( supplies? With house? GO???? Go where? )

[Date and time of selling and contact address]

End of the flyer :)
I saw this one hanging up on one of the boards of Walmart. We had more than an hour to kill, waiting for a cab to come. So, what better way than this? :) And, the phrases ‘new widows’ and ‘LOTS OF POSSIBILITIES’ were the best! Really, where is America going to?

The scene

She was standing...
She was having fun...
She was relaxed...

It was a perfect scene...
It was life all over...
It was good...

She tensed...
She was expectant...
She was waiting...

It was the same place...
It was the same car...
But the scene was different...

The voice calmed her...
The voice soothed her...
The voice explained...

It was a dream...
It was unreal...
It was good...

The voice clarified to her...
The voice encouraged her...
The voice understood her...

It was the same place...
It was the same car...
It was a different scene...

A book... and how my life changed!! - III

[continued]

Being a teenager myself(ok, in the last of teens :)), I could easily relate to what the protagonist is going through and could empathize with her. Also, this story helped me get a really deep and clear view of the Indian family system and the gossamer-like interconnections that exist between every relation in the system. Things that were so far unclear or comical to me, gained more importance in my eyes and I could appreciate the value of the Indian Family. I could only be awed by the structure of Indian society that has withstood so many assaults(or is modifications the right word??) from other cultures and still maintained its charm and unique flavor. Any system that leads its participants and products to success and finally victory is a good system(my definition :)). In that manner, the family system that exists in India is a really good one. Though there are some casualities in it, by and large, it’s a successful one.

This book does not have a separate humor line or character. Instead, humor is subtle and very much a part of the entire story. There is Loganathan, a comical character who acts funny and has an inexplicable behavior. But there is a sad story within him and he is grappling with demons from his past. Though Mythreyi does not understand it at first, she slowly comes to know of the truth and makes amends through his son thereby giving Loganathan peace. The main charm of the book is that it talks of ordinary people, people whom we can see in day to day life and whose life is assumed to be very normal, very regular, very boring. In this age of wanting to have fun “all the time” and trying to fill in every waking moment with pleasure of all kinds, this book was a refreshing change. It allows the readers to contemplate on all what’s happening in their lives in a slow manner. It basically shows that everyone needs a minute to rest, to ponder, to plan and to relax in this rat-race to success because success is not defined by the goals that you achieve. It also places importance on the ways of achieving it and the experiences that you gain along the way. Till I read this book, I wanted to keep doing something all the time. I could never sit still as I wanted to do more and more in less time. More of fun, more of work, more of studying, more of enjoying life, more of everything!! In the process, I lost some good times with friends(I didn’t have time to keep up with them), lost control of life(I was just jumping from one deadline to another, one meeting to another and one work to another and didn’t know where life was leading me) and came close to losing my health(thanks to my mom, I’m still very healthy :) She took care of all my needs when I was busy enjoying with the world. Thank you amma! ).But this book helped me slow down a bit and enjoy the quiet flowers of solitude. Even now, being some thousands of miles away from home, I still have this book with me to show that I have to slow down whenever I feel I’m going too fast. Because I have learned the hard way that it is as important to enjoy the journey as it is to reach the goal.

I feel this is one of the few books that have to be read to be fully understood. No matter how long I write about this book or explain it in different ways, it will not make a big impact unless it is read and experienced first-hand. I haven’t captured the essence of the novel fully. I have just stated the storyline and given a brief overview of what is explained in the book. Or is it that I’m not that good a writer to capture all my feelings about this book in these posts? Hmmm... Scary! But I guess I’ll have to find ways to improve myself in that case. Readers, what do you think?

(Phew!! I'm done. I've kept up the challenge and put in three posts, each more than 500 words about the same topic, something which someone else has not tried out. Finding some such topic(this particular book came as a God-send) was difficult. And writing about it was more so. V, it was an interesting experiment. Though you have to say if the results were as you expected them to be :) However, though I started on these set of posts as part of a challenge, it finally became interesting to explore my feelings for this particular book. Though I knew earlier that I liked this book a lot, I could never put a finger on exactly why I liked it. Even now, the exact reason remains vague. But I have a better understanding. Though I'm not sure how you readers took it all. Sorry if you got bored of it. But, if you can get your hands on it, I would suggest you to read it as it is a wonderful book, especially if you are looking for something different.)

A book... and how my life changed!! - II

[continued]


Mythreyi gets married to her cousin(I know this is a rarity nowadays, but fifty years ago, it was a common thing, especially in India) without knowing if she really loved him and always felt insecure despite all the love that was showered on her because she felt that she was an orphan, all said and done. So she has lots of expectations on her husband and expects to have a home of her own where she can find her roots and feel more secure. But her husband is a very shy person and though he loves her very much, doesn’t tell her about his love for her. This is the state of their wedlock. Everyone else in the family assume that the couple love each other very much and have fun. In between all this, there are various incidents like one of her maternal uncles losing his sanity, her brother’s marital problems, the tiffs between Mythreyi and her sister-in-law, her friends and their teasings, etc. which she has to deal with care and maturity expected beyond her age. She takes everything as an experiment and learns different lessons from each of those incidents. She wins over everyone in the family and outside with her patience, quick thinking and hard work. But, finally, she loses heart(Niantha ullam, in tamil) and one of her closest aides finds it out. He sets things right between the couple and things end well. Her heart is full of happiness now(Niraindha ullam, in tamil :))

Though this sounds like a fairy tale from the outset, it is basically a bit more. It tells about the Indian family system and the expectations, responsibilities and other complexities that are ever-present between the family members. For example, though Mythreyi’s aunt is her mother-in-law and knows that Mythreyi is going to wed her son, she does not encourage too much socialization between Mythreyi and Seshadhri(her son). This does not mean that she doesn’t want them to have fun as all others but that she places more importance in each of the family members maintaining their present relationships(i.e. cousins, in this case). She is also concerned about the society’s opinion and wants everyone in her family to follow the societal norms. Though our Indian family has developed a lot from that portrayed in the story, every family still sticks to some of the core values shown in it. More on it in the next post.

Till this book came, I’ve read loads of English and Tamil books and novels that have dealt with a variety of themes ranging from murders and mysteries to humor and hazards. I’ve also read a lot of family-based novels, even some of Anuthama’s. But none of them touched me as this one because this novel is very simple(without being simplistic), clear in its approach(some of the authors try to connect different incidents to make up the final story), lucid in writing(all of Anuthama’s novels are, this one is more so...) and doesn’t make love as the be all and end all of life.


[to be continued]

A book... and how my life changed!!

This post is basically the result of a challenge that I had with one of my friends. He said that I am supposed to write three consecutive posts on one thing(nothing alive... only articles allowed). And that the thing has to be something general(no personal objects allowed). So, being the brave girl I am, I accepted his challenge and here I go.

The topic I've chosen is, what else, books. Books have been my best of friends from my young age. I've seen happiness in them when I was sad, solace when I was hurt, good advice when I was confused, fun when I was bored, companionship when I was lonely(not alone, but lonely) and comfort whenever I needed it. I know everyone reads loads of books. Our generation reads more than our parents did and certainly much more than our grandparents' generation. I read around five books per month making it roughly one per week. But there are a few books that I go back to and find comfort in them all the time. Everyone connects to a few books in their lifetime. Among my five most favorite books, four of them are popular and contain loads of links in the net world.(You can see their names in the "My favorite books" list). The fifth one is a recent favorite of mine and I couldn't find much about it on Internet(amazing! I never thought I would find something which google can't give much info about... at the time of writing this post, I found only one link :() And, that book taught me so many things about life in a very subtle way.

The book is "Naintha Ullam" by Anuthama, a renowned tamil author who dealt with life and family, in particular. Though I've read some other books of hers(like Ketta varam, manal veedu, ondrupattaal, alangaana kathaigal, arpudhamaana kathaigal, etc.), I was not as impressed with them as I was with this one.

The story revolves around Mythreyi, the protagonist who is a young girl at the impressionable age of 14 and comes to Chennai(yes, our Singara Chennai ) from Sri Lanka(none other!!), leaving behind her foster parents and foster brother and family. She comes to her uncle’s house where her brother is. She is, at first, very scared of all the happenings around her because of the variations in the lifestyles between her house in Sri Lanka and her house in Madras( Doesn’t Madras have a more nostalgic feel to it, compared to Chennai?). She was brought up as the “apple of the eye” by her foster parents and her uncle and aunt do the same too. Her brother worships the ground she walks on and everyone is partial towards her. But, she has to learn the various nuances in the relationships and gets to learn so much about people and their relationships with one another and the complications that arise due to even seemingly simple happenings. She also understands the complexities that are present in each relationship due to the very nature of such relations. She experiences the changes that come with her transition from childhood to teenage to young adult and finally, an adult. She also enters into marriage without knowing what she wants out of it and learns to take things in the stride.


[to be continued]

One Black Coffee!!

This is one of the most interesting forwards that I have received in recent times. One of my friends sent it. When I opened it first, the subject didn't intrigue me at all because I was fully expecting a forward that spoke about the virtues of black coffee(I'm sure all of you would have received forwards extolling the virtues of this and that). But after reading the entire thing over, I reread it :). Do tell me your comments on it.... And, now, here goes:

One Black Coffee

"One black coffee. No sugar please" He told the Café CoffeeDay employee.

Every day at 1:30 in the afternoon he ordered exactly the same configuration as dessert after lunch – sometimes after skipping lunch.

The girl standing next to him eyed him curiously. "Americanized!" she remarked with a smile on her face.

He was jolted. It was a clear intrusion into his privacy. She had no business accosting him like that. He wanted to tell her how annoying her remark had been.

But he didn't – mainly because the girl in question was Monalisa Kumari. Twice she had been unanimously elected the Crown Princess of SoftSol, the company both of them worked for.

Monalisa was part Indian part Deutsch. She was fluent in Hindi, Spanish and French apart from Deutsch. She was so beautiful that it was difficult to describe her beauty in words.

He would accept any word spoken by this girl. Guys considered it a privilege to talk to her.

She was still looking at him. He realized he had to respond.

"Not exactly. I love black coffee."

She nodded, "So you are saying, you loved black coffee ever since you were a kid!"

He thought about it, "No, only in the last five years"

"That is – after you visited the West"

He was surprised, "How do you know I'd been to the West?"

"Oh, that's pretty easy!" she replied casually, "One: you said Black Coffee. No Sugar and not Black Coffee without Sugar. Two: You said Please! Three: You look quite old. Everyone in this firm of your age had visited the West at least twice."

He laughed, "One and Two are quite good. But I think it is Three which gave me away!"

"Right Dr. Watson. So you started your tryst with black coffee after an expedition to the West! Am I correct?"

"Yes" he responded.

"Quad Erat Demonstrandum" she smiled.

"That doesn't prove that I am Americanized" He retorted, "It only proves that I was introduced to black coffee's virtues in America"

"Same difference, ain't it?" Monalisa gestured him towards a table nearby.

They walked to the table and occupied it.

He sipped his piping hot black coffee and started talking, "You know! It is not the same. Americanization means – a paradigm shift in the way we think and operate. Just liking your coffee black does not mean you are Americanized. It just means that you are familiar with certain Western practices. I don't see anything wrong with that."

She stared into his eyes.

"Whatever it is. I still believe people drink Black Coffee just because it is the in thing you know… and not because they love the taste of it. Who would love that bitter liquid anyways."

He was offended. She might be the most beautiful girl of the campus. She might be a swift driver of a Swift. She might be a 99 percentiler. But she still had to respect the tastes of her colleagues.

She knew at once there was something wrong. "Oh I am sorry Srini. I didn't mean to hurt you. You know I really don't know why people like this black coffee."

He composed himself and came up with the most daring proposition of his life so far.

"Why not give it a try?"

She was surprised, "Black coffee? Eeeks! Thank you very much. I am pretty much Ok with my Latte – full of Sugar – Soulful!"

He asked her, "Have you ever tried it?"

"No!" came the emphatic answer.

"Alright. Let us play a little game. Tomorrow onwards, every afternoon at 1: 30, we will meet here and have a cup of black coffee – for five days. I suggest you don't drink any other type of coffee in this period. If at the end of the fifth day you still don't understand why people drink black coffee, I will stop drinking it."

There was silence. Pin drop. She eyed him suspiciously. It was evident that he wanted to spend more time with her. She knew it.

"Tomorrow at 13:30. Same place." She said.

Day 1:

Monalisa examined carefully the contents of the cup.

"Do I really have to drink this?" she asked no one in particular. He didn't respond. He knew she cared a damn for his answer.

And then she took the first sip. Her facial expressions changed at the speed of light. He waited. She eventually came back to this world.

He didn't say a thing.

She silently walked over to the trash can and threw the coffee cup into it.

"Let us get out of here. I want to show you something." She gestured him to follow her.

Half an hour later – they were seated in a dilapidated dhabha off NH45 twenty kilometers from the office.

He sipped the three rupee coffee sans sugar. It was delightful.

"What do you infer from this?" she asked him.

"That coffee in a NH45 dhabha twenty kilometers from the office tastes really good?"

She laughed, "You do have a sense of humor"

He smiled, "Maybe yes. What is the point?"

She sighed. "One way of looking at it – pay 3 rupees and have a lovely coffee. Or pay ten rupees and drink the rubbish you've been drinking till now."

He was stupefied, "you want me to drive twenty kilometers to this dhabha just because it offers me coffee at 3 rupees?"

"Think about that" she took her purse out.

Day 2:

Srini was curious. Monalisa sipped her black coffee and told him, "You know! We don't have to do this. I am most certainly not going to like this liquid."

"We decided. We follow." Srini was adamant.

Monalisa winked, "All this just for black coffee?"

Srini thought for a moment, "I am enjoying these meetings"

"Friends?" she extended her hand.

"No" He was firm.

There was a stunned silence. She was swept off her feet. "What did… why?"

"I don't think we can ever be friends. You are too beautiful to be a friend."

She stared at him, "When Harry Met Sally?"

"Partly yes" he responded.

"More than twice?" she asked.

"More than twenty times. I own the DVD."

"Aren't you taking it a little too seriously? It is possible for a girl and a boy to be just friends. Give me a break. We see so many such friends in the food court everyday."

He shook his head, "I don't want to talk about others. Myself – I am attracted to you. Wait! I am not saying anything wrong here. All I am suggesting is that we can never be friends."

She finished the black coffee in three quick gulps, "Goodbye Harry!"

Day 3

She was dressed in a black chudidaar. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

"You are staring." She said gently.

He was caught off guard. "Not my mistake"

She smiled and sipped the black coffee. "You know what! This is turning out to be a very interesting incident."

"Drinking black coffee?" He asked her.

"Drinking black coffee with you." She looked into his eyes. He lowered them.

"Why are you so nervous when I am talking to you?"

He looked up. "I told you yesterday."

"Srini, you do realize this is not a movie."

He nodded. "Yes"

"Real life is not reel life."

He cringed, "Thanks for the cliché Monalisa!"

Her face turned red. She kept the black coffee cup on the table and stood up. "What do you think you are Mister? Just because I am drinking coffee with you – doesn't give you the right to say whatever that comes to your mind."

He was surprised, "All for that pathetic cliché?"

For a while neither of them talked. "Coffee's on you." She said.

He agreed.

Day 4

"As such life is a great mystery." Srini told her.

They were driving down the highway NH45 to the dhabha. It was a pleasant afternoon. Traffic was scarce.

Monalisa laughed, "What a cliché"

Srini shook his head, "It is the truth."

"So you speak truth and nothing but the truth. When I say something I speak cliché and only clichés"

He smiled. "You have a way with words."

She didn't reply.

"What are you thinking Monalisa?" He prompted her again.

"Mona. Call me Mona." She deftly swerved right throwing Srini off the seat.

"What the hell was that?" He was dismayed.

"I was avoiding a speeding buffalo you idiot." She yelled, "God! I hate driving in India."

Srini was silent. They reached the dhabha.

She ordered two cups of coffee. He observed silently. She knew there was something wrong.

"OK. What is it?"

"What?"

"Why are you so silent?"

"Nothing. I am OK."

"Idiot?"

"Yes"

"Can't I call you idiot, dear?"

"How can you? I want to be treated with dignity...." He abruptly stopped and stared at her. "What did you just say?"

"Can't I call you idiot, Dear?" She ruffled his hair, "Can't I?"

"Wait. Whatever happened to being platonic friends?" He asked her.

She didn't reply.

"So Harry met Sally?"

She nodded. "I saw the ending again yesterday."

Srini couldn't suppress his quirky smile. "A lovely little fool I know told me sometime back that real life was not reel life."

"Yes. Don't push it though." She sounded cold.

Day 5

"I still don't like this black coffee. Will it really make a difference? It is the final day – right?" She pleaded with him.

"The agreement is binding Ms Monalisa Kumari" He was ruthless.

"No way out?" She wouldn't give up.

"There is" he smiled.

"Great! What is it?"

"Number one: Since you don't want to finish the fifth day black coffee, I need not stop drinking black coffee"

"With no sugar?"

"Or without sugar."

"OK. What is number two?"

"You tell me what made you talk to me on the first day."

She didn't expect that. "What?"

He was serious. "Tell me Mona. Why did you initiate the conversation on the very first day?"

"I thought you were cute"

"Bulls. There were many more cute guys around. More handsome and dying to talk to you."

She looked around. "I can't see any?"

"Don't change the topic. Tell me what made you talk to me? A bet with your friend?"

She stared at him. "You knew!"

"Yes. Unfortunately your friend is my friend's girlfriend. He told me last night when I was raving about you."

She stood up; held his hands and said, "It all started because of that bet I agree Srini. However our black coffee encounters introduced the real Srini to me. The bet did not govern my actions after the first day. Please believe me."

He shook his head. "And all the time I thought you were really interested in me."

She was horrified to see tears in his eyes. "Srini please. I like you. I really really like you. I am extremely sorry. I shouldn't have done that. But tell me Srini... How would I ever have known the real Srini if it were not for the bet with my friend? You are an introvert. You don't talk to girls. How could I have found you otherwise?"

He kept his black coffee on the table and walked away. "Srini. I said Sorry." She shouted completely ignoring the other people in the cafeteria.

He stopped, turned back and told her – "Convince me."

She went to Café Coffee Day and said – ""One black coffee. No sugar please"

Back with a Bang!!

Hi friends,

Ok! Ok! I know I've been too long away from my dear blog of mine... so much so that I missed one of the most important days:my blog's first birthday. Well, I'll write a belated bday post later. Now, back to important stuff! I know I should have stopped by and written something for the past two months. But a bad case of serious work, a worser case of travel and settling down and the worst case of writer's block and commenter's block(both attacking at the same time is the worst possible thing) have put me off for this long. There was one thing I wanted to add to the Voice series. That was the only time when I could break out of these blocks and write something. Now that I have done the 'breaking out' part, I hope I get to do it more often... so often that these blocks don't attack anymore.

A small update: In these two months, I've traveled over oceans and mountains,met loads of people(some fun, some not so fun but all of them interesting in one way or the other!) and had some amazing experiences throughout the way! I've changed my place of living, style of living and the people I live with. But the core values and the love and friendship that remained earlier remain the same. For all who know me personally back home, I miss you people! For all those who know me only through this blog, I've missed you as well. So, I only hope to God that no more sabbaticals come along the way.

Coming back to my own lair(if you can call this blog that :)) is always a satisfying experience. It is one place where I know I make a small difference in the world, a difference of a thought, a smile, a tear, an emotion. It is the place where I discover the world, surprising myself in the process. When I started this blog, it was just for fun. Now, its a part of me, a part that speaks to the world without any limitations and inhibitions.

I'm sure you will find more posts coming along this month. And, do give me some time. I'll catch up with all your blogs too. Till then,

Ciao!!
-Alpine Path

The rest of darkness

“He was here”, a voice said.
“He was there”, a second voice piped in.
“And she lay there”, a third voice screamed.

She was shocked.
Shocked to hear voices.
Voices that didn’t have any relation to her.

The Voice was quiet
The Voice was thinking.
Thinking how to convey things clearly to her.

“Don’t worry”, the Voice said.
“This is the aftermath”, the Voice consoled.
“The rest of what was there”, the Voice reasoned.

She looked around.
She understood.
And moved on with a prayer in her heart.

The Voice sighed.
The Voice prayed too.
For eternal rest for the souls of the dead.

[This was written after going to the infamous Norris Hall where lives were taken just for madness, futures were lost just for insecurity and love withered and time stood still just for a weakness. My sincere prayers for those who left this abode and my deepest condolences and constant support for those who are left behind to witness the agony.]

Gone with the wind!!

Hi readers,
Right now, I'm gone with the wind. Will be back soon. Till then, take care.
Love,
Alpine Path

My Daddy the best!

Dear Dad,
When I sit to write something about you or even think of you, only one advertisement comes into my mind – “My daddy strongest”. Yes, whenever I think of you, be it at the tender age of five or at the age of twenty, I remember you as kindnesss personified with just the right sense of strictness, oodles of love and a sense of humor that can make me laugh even on my darkest days. Nay! I can never have dark days as long as you are with me.

It is from you that I learnt the importance of hard work, compassion, never-say-die attitude and most of all, to follow the dreams that I dream for myself. Your passion for work never ceases to amaze me and your commitment to duty is one of the many qualities that I wish to imbibe in myself. You taught me the importance and worth of “quality time” where, though you have a very busy schedule, you found time to be with me at all the times I’ve needed you. You taught me to appreciate books for that is where the great masters of life talk to us about the myriad subjects of the heart and universe. You also taught me to love nature, accept the lessons of the physical world and admire the innate beauty of even seemingly inconspicuous things. You helped me develop a clear perception of what is right and what is wrong and how I should stand up for what I believe in irrespective of what the world says. You’ve given wings to my dreams and helped me soar in the vast sky. Your love for me has moved me to tears many days. You’ve stood by me and removed my anxieties, assured me in times of self-doubt, brought me to level when I was flying in the clouds, buoyed me up when I was down in the dumps and always been there for me as a pillar of support, as a rock beneath the clear waters, as a shoulder to cry and lean on, as a soul to understand me, as a guiding light in this world and beyond.



When I was five, I wanted to enact your ways of eating and putting on socks and shoes. When I was ten, I wanted to work like you. When I was thirteen, I wanted to drive a car like you(fast and safe, I don’t think you’ve ever had an accident! Touch wood!!). When I was sixteen, I wanted to follow your footsteps in my career too. And now, I still want to do all this and lots more. I’m sure that you will be my hero forever in life. I only hope that I can be a good enough parent for my kid and that my son/daughter also grow up to be someone like you.

I cherish all the times that we have had together and look forward to lots more. Though I would have to leave you and our family and go to B_____ for future’s sake, my heart yearns for some more time together. I know that among the very few things that I can count upon in this world no matter what, your love comes first. I also know that it cannot be stopped or lessened because of distance or time but that it grows like the “aadi maatha kaaveri”. How is it, appa, that you become better and better every passing day? Every day I think that there cannot be a better dad than you and you prove me wrong the next day by being better than the best. For all this and more, you get the title “The best dad in the universe” :)

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

Independence Day

There are some books that make your heart race while their onscreen versions fail to catch the magic(eg. The Da Vinci Code) while there are still others which are tedious for the normal reader in the written format but make for lively viewing as a movie(eg. Jurassic Park). But, there are a rare few that keep people at the edge of their seats both as a book and as a film. One such is the Independence Day. (Ok V___, I’ve nothing to say about the fourth group of films which are pathetic both as a book and as a movie.... why waste time?)

My earliest experience with this story was when I was a kid and was taken to the movie by my uncle(who is a movie buff) with the entire family. I remember sleeping through half the film(or, rather, three-quarters of the film) and then waking up groggily at the end when everyone is happy and then being dragged by my mom to the car from the theatre. I, for one, hate movies that make me sleep. Come on! If a movie cannot sustain my interest the first time round, then what was the guarantee that it will in the following times? (believe me, I’ve gone through lots of stupid tamil, telugu and malayalam movies and sat through them patiently without a blink of shut-eye! So, if a movie can make me sleep, then imagine how pathetic it should have been!).

After the first bad experience with ID(Independence Day :)), I avoided it as much as I could. I’ve escaped from seeing it in star movies, HBO, our local cable channel, etc dozens of times. Even when my brother was seized with an irrepressible urge to see all the English movies he could lay hands on, he couldn’t convince me to watch that movie with him. But, all of this changed when I saw the book! N___ brought along that book when we had gone on a family trip and I couldn’t help glancing through it. Even then, I wasn’t so interested (very atypical of me, if you remember the penchant I have for books of any kind) remembering the bad experience I had with it earlier. She started telling me about it assuming I had already seen the movie and slowly interested me into reading it.

I had already been accustomed to reading about extraterrestrials and the search for them(courtesy, Carl Sagan’s Contact) and thought that I can give ID a try(or rather a retry). Worst case, I would have one more bad experience with it :). But, once I started, I couldn’t stop. It kept me on the edge till the end and made me get a DVD of the film and watch it. Wow!! I still can’t believe how I slept through the movie the first time. Guess it was a combined case of exams(quarterly exams, if I remember right), playing all afternoon and evening and a sumptuous dinner just before the movie that induced me to sleep.

My favorite character in the movie was Steve Hiller. I like his cool-come-what-may attitude and his belief in cigars for victory dance. Especially, his plane drives and the final journey with David was great! And, Tom Whitmore is the type of a leader that each country should have during times of crisis, if not all the time. We need leaders like that in each country who put their country’s well being before theirs and their family’s. Both Jasmine and Connie symbolize the bravery of women during times of hardship. And, David’s character has been etched well. That reminds me! Julius(David’s dad) has a minor role to play in the movie but he seems to have brought the entire thing together. Kudos to him. Every character(right from the silent man whom Jas picks up on her way to El Toro to Russel) has been etched well and has been chosen with care in the movie.

Some of the scenes in the movie were spectacular. Especially, the scenes showing the aliens and their vehicles(the attackers, the city destroyers) were cool. And, the scene where Jasmine comes out of the tunnel with her son Dylan after surviving the wipeout only to see a devastated LA touched me like no other. Imagine coming out of dark tunnels towards light only to find that life is no longer the same and you wish you were better dead than living! The terror and later, hope in the eyes of normal citizens says it all throughout the film. The film is the basic good-wins-over-evil story but the portrayal is fantastic! It brings out the true spirit of mankind and shows us what can be achieved if we put away our differences and join hands together to save Mother Earth and ourselves. Let our children lead a life of peace and harmony. Let them have a world devoid of bloodshed, pollution, nuclear wars and most of all, fear. Let them be fearless! This is our responsibility towards the future generation(rather than having better technology, more money and more countries and governments).

In short, ID, by Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich and Stephen Molstad, is sure to enter the “Top100 English films to be seen” list. Long time since I knew a story in which both the book and movie were equally good. Though it is years late, it is still not too late to enjoy the movie or the book. Folks! If you’ve not seen it, I would surely recommend this movie for the weekend. If you’ve seen it, one more time is time well spent :)

P.S: And the book is better(the reader in me says :) )

A bend in the road

She was calm
She was serene
She was cruising along
Along a tunnel that seemed endless
And straight!!

She was shaken
She was jolted
She was almost thrown over
Along a tunnel with a bend
And curves!!

The bend was mysterious
The bend was fun
The bend was promising
Along a tunnel that had treats
And traps!!

The Voice said "Go for it"
The Voice said "The bend stays"
The Voice said "Irreversible"
Along a tunnel that held dark promises
And the light of fear

She tightened her seat belt

The Voice showed the "thumbs up" sign

What do they see?
What do they decipher?
Where do they go?
Time will tell

End of a beginning

This is the last day of my internship at C_____, B_______. Though I can cross back the threshold of C____, it would be only as an employee. The thought saddens me. I know that this is only the end of a beginning, the beginning of my career. So, my mind and reason stress that I should move on and let the next change in life take over. But, my heart tugs on saying that I should atleast give a good goodbye to the internship period before I move on to become an employee. For most people, this might sound like a ridiculous idea because the internship and employment in the same team would be similar. But, no, it is not!

As an intern, I am only responsible for my part of the project and I am allowed to make mistakes, even silly ones. Also, I can put in only certain hours of work and plan my work to finish it within the stipulated time. I have not been in the office after 8 pm during internship period(save for one day when we did for the pure heck of it!). Also, I reach the office by 9.30 and leave at 6-7. I've been without a care in the world and have immensely enjoyed myself these past few months surrounded by friends. I've done things when I wished, learnt to survive in a new city with none to aid, learnt a new language(I can pass muster in K____), learnt to travel in buses and to move in a crowd, gone shopping for 11 hours non-stop(yeah rups, me, a shopaphobic, have become a decent shopper with some good shopping experiences to my credit(Guys! It IS very important to know to shop well in the female world... don't underestimate its importance)), met with friends from different parts of the country and generally learnt to manage at any place on my own. This has given me more confidance on myself and has helped me know myself in a different light.

As an employee, I'm sure the scenario will be different and that I would learn a lot more in the corporate world. But before a new beginning, a good round of farewells to the past always reminds me of various events and helps me write the past as sweet memories. The entire team(GSBU) has been cool and its been great working with them. Though there were times when I was at my wits end, they were few and far between. A special thanks goes to each one of them(esp. MD,M,N and SK) for making my internship period a memorable one. During our time as interns, we had a few new additions like SKrish and MK into our team. I also got to meet with Bill, Eric, Joanna and Kevin from our team in US and had an interview with them which was good(I also brushed through the basics of ECE and CN in order to attend the interview.... only then did I know how much I had forgotten in six months time. From what I've heard, this seems to be the case. Once we are into the industry, we seem to remember only the information necessary for the job at hand and comfortably forget the rest... with my memory, I tend to forget even faster :)) I also met up with the W___ people in our team(A,SD,AKG) during the lunches that we went when Kevin and his team had come. I've already told a lot about my team. So, lets move on.

About the house where I was a paying guest for so long, it was a fun place. All of us there have had some great time together(I can't forget the sundays when we'd lived, shopped, dined and slept without a care. This was the first time I never hurried through my life. I took my own sweet time to do something. Life at C__ was a perpetual whirlwind compared to this. I had something pressing to do all the time.) And the food and care given there was amazing. Had I gone into any other place, I doubt if I would have so easily adapted to a life outside home after living a cloistered life so far. Thanks to Janani for suggesting that place! Also, I've learnt so many good things from Geetha chechi, Anjus(both of them), Doss, Bhar and of course, Vidya. All along, S has also been quietly advising me on so many issues that I have so far never thought of or have taken for granted. Thank you, folks!

Now, back to my office. I would like to remember and thank every person, right from Asha(my concierge) to Amita(my HR) to RR. And, special thanks to all other interns from Tech who made life more interesting :) Let us all move from being interns to being employees together, either at C____ or at other lucky companies that have hired you. Further come my gtalk friends, who, whenever I was running tests and didn't have much to do, came to my rescue and pinged me :) There were a few others who patiently listened to my incoherent ramblings whenever I was bored. Thanks guys! :)

Finally, coming to SG and a few other friends who made life at B____ seem bliss. Whenever I've needed something, I've made them a call and they'd pitched in. I've never felt lonely with this gang around me. All those calls, all those treats and all those talks! Wow! I feel that these few months have brought me closer to them than any other period of my life. I would not be thanking you because I feel that the fun that we shared is too good to be true and I don't want to spoil it by bringing sorrys and thank yous into the picture :) But you all know my heart and I'd surely yearn for the lovely times that we spent together in this beautiful city. Looking forward to lots more of fun wherever we meet on Mother Earth. :)

Ok! Now, I'm done with the round of goodbyes and am looking forward to joining as a C_____ite. I'm going on a vacation for a month's time to spend some time with family and friends back home. I'll keep you posted on things that I come across during my vacation(there are some interesting things planned ;) Shhhhhhhhhhh) Hope all of you have a great time in your lives too. Take care, Ciao!!

Five things the world doesn't know about me!!

I’ve been tagged by a friend of mine(actually she tagged me almost a month back and I’m in the process of catching up!!). The tag is “Five things the world doesn’t know about me”. Well, what does the tag mean by “the world”? Is it people whom I have no idea of their existence and they of mine? Nah, it can’t be. If they don’t know of my existence, then there’ll be a million things that they don’t know about me(not just five!). So, lets take another try. Is it people I have met once(either online or offline because nowadays all of us lead two lives.... well, the cat has nine, its high time humans had atleast two. What say, folks?) and then moved on in life’s course of time? No, that cannot be true too because these are people whom I might never get to meet again. So, why should they cram their minds with five things about me? Doesn’t make sense. Or, does she mean that I have to fill this tag for people who are my world? The chances are meager because the people who are my world know me very well(sometimes too well... but that cannot be helped :) A small price for such love and trust ) Ok, my guess is that (since I have exhausted all other options) this tag is for people who have met me more than once and have liked me enough to come to this blog and keep reading(if not, dear reader, I would suggest that you stop! Because the following information will not help you in any way! Nor me, if you read it).


Ok! Now to the tag!
1) I can gaze at the sky anytime, anywhere for hours together. When I was a kid, cloud gazing was one of my favorite hobbies. Even now, I try to use any little opportunity I get to look at the sky. I love the sky’s vast expanse and would love to soar like the eagle in the blue, blue sky. I love the sky during sunrise, sunset and anytime in between(day or night). My favorites are the moon, the pole star and the Venus. In fact, I find that poetry or prose or painting depicting the sky is a tad better than the rest.

2) I can read any book( right from kids story books(Doss, remember the afternoon where I read the entire comic collections in the bookstore while you were looking at other books?) to serious ones drenched in philosophy). Novels, especially those that have a historical or magical touch to them, are the best. Humor is a must, though.(Check my latest books section and the favorite books section for more details!!)

3) I love to eat anything red in color. I feel that if something is a deep red, it would have an extra taste to it. Need I say that beetroot is my favorite vegetable and red chillies figure frequently in my shopping list?? (But I’ve not tasted red wine, so I can’t comment on it ;))

4) I love doing things on the computer. There are two reasons behind this. One, I get a personal thrill when I know how something works and when I create something similar(the basic logic-and-program connection). Two, I can easily multitask with a computer doing more than one thing at a time(I feel that my throughput would be higher that way(of course depending on the combination of jobs queued up) and the efficiency would be more. However there are times when this basic law has been deflected in strange cases(like when I have to turn off all other jobs in order to study something I hate) and then my efficiency would really suffer. In such a case, I would have to reduce my throughput to increase my efficiency. Strange, right?)

5) I love a good discussion on any topic. Even listening to a good one is bliss! Nothing to stimulate you more than a good discussion with good buddies who enjoy it all. If the swords and daggers cross, then all the better ;)

Now to the most interesting part of tags. I tag
Princess Banter(Princess, do tell about your daily life too!) and
Confessions of a Psychic mind(Here's a chance to go deeper into your confessions :))

The results

She was tired
She was tensed
She was waiting

The results came
A mixed bag of fortune
A bittersweet concoction

The voice saw
The voice sighed
The voice waited

Her reactions came
A mixed thought
A languid response

The voice wondered

She clarified

Hers is the power
The power to show emotions
The emotions in response to situations

The voice had the power
The power to know her innermost thoughts
The thoughts that can fill the entire universe

She had the desire
The desire to win
And this was only a battle
A battle where she has had a setback

The voice had the responsibility
The responsibility to guide her
And this was the universe
A universe swathed in darkness

A name like Nakki!!

What's in a name? There are lots of issues involved! Even wars have been fought over names. Basically they are used for identifying a person in a group. It increases or decreases the chances of identification of the correct owner based on how unique the name is. The more unique it is, the lesser two people in a room can have it and so, more easy to identify the owner easily. In India, names like Rahul, Sonali and Payal are common in the North while Priya and Arun and Karthik dominate the south. Names like John, Bill, Ann, etc. are famous the world over(like John Chambers or Bill Clinton or Bill Gates and so on). They are like handles for a person. Having a name like Nila or Surya ensures more success than names like abhithagujalaambal or tudelin morchovosky because of the simplicity and ease of pronunciation of the former group of names to the latter. (Ok! I'm stopping here because this post is not in praise of names... but I hope you got the importance of names).

I have the habit of trying to read people's names whenever they wear a tag or ID card. Now that I'm into the corporate culture, I read people's tag first and only then look up at their faces. This is especially true when I am bored and am in a meeting with a large number of people or when I get onto a lift. This is one of the most entertaining things and you can get to know a lot of information about a person in a very short time. Some of my friends share a similar taste and we usually try to find out unusual names. We also quiz ourselves about the origins of that name, why it is unusual and so on. It makes for lot of enjoyable time pass and we've had some great times with this hobby.

One of my friends in the same office said that there was a person with the name "**** Nakki". We were, as usual, interested to know what this name means, its origin,etc. So, where do we go but Google? The mother of all search engines and one of the best. We found the following results:
1) There is a Lake Nakki near Mount Abu, said to be very clear and surrounded by breath taking scenery. A must visit for trekkers and nature lovers.
2) The Hotel Nakki Palace in Shirdi with its 36 rooms.
3) The Nakki Khan(in history) who is a friend of Mangal Pandey, the rebel(by British history) and the revolutionist(by Indian history).
4) A nakki (hopefully a word for an object) in marathi
5) Nakki means to have licked(in tamil)
6) It can be twisted from nakkal (teasing in tamil)
(The last two were my additions... of course, did you think Google would have thought of twisting a word to get another... come on! it is still a search engine and not human. Though that day is not far off)

Also, the next question was what sort of a person can have the name "nakki". This was far more difficult to comprehend because I have very less experience in this and am really poor at predicting what a person can do(except of course very few people... and I should know them well enough(which in itself is a rarity)). We made up some interesting assumptions and were quite freely talking about it when the proud owner entered the cafe. We were flabbergasted! Imagine if you were talking about a person and he/she materializes out of thin air! Then, we tried to change our topic(because we weren't sure of how sharp his ears were) and still tried to see if our predictions were true. Sadly, not one of our predictions were right :( Now, here is a challenge! Predict something about a person who is named Nakki. Lets see if they match.(I can assure you that it makes for some good time pass) :)

Mother's Day!

This is among the oh-so-many forwards on Mother's day. But almost all of them bring a warm feeling in our hearts because the people, mothers, are so special in every person's heart. Two of them which I really liked are:

Reflections
Today, I looked in the mirror;
Curious as to what I would see.
I expected to see my reflection
Staring back at me.

But as I looked, I saw something more
In the face that was there.
I saw the reflection of my mother;
A woman filled with care.

Each year is another year closer
To looking like my Mother.
I see her in my reflection,
In one way or another.

May I not only look like her
But, reflect her heart as well.
For, it's full of love and kindness;
God's goodness in a nutshell.

Another year closer to looking like mom,
That only makes me glad.
For, I love my beautiful Mother.
She's the best reflection I've had.

Mothers
Mother's are special,
With their own brand of love;
Filled with warmth and compassion,
From our Father above.

They can tell when you're happy.
They can sense when you're sad.
But, they're always there for us;
Through the good times and bad.

Their lips fill with praise
Because you've made them so proud
When your report says all A's
And you stand out from the crowd.

Mother's are nurses,
And teachers, and such.
They'll do anything for you,
because they love you so much.

And you'll never find
A more loyal friend
Than your mother or mine,
Because they're a God send.

We know Mother's are special.
So, we'd all like to say,
"This love wish brings blessings,
On your Special Day."

Happy Mother's Day!
To all mother's everywhere!

Unnalae! Unnalae!

Unnalae! Unnalae!
Vin aala sendraenae!
Un munnae un munnae
Thee kaatraai nindraenae!

Oru sottu amutham nee, oru sottu vishamum nee,
oru sottu heavennum nee, nesithen!
Oru sottu inbam nee, oru sottu thunbam nee,
oru sottu hellum nee, yosithen!

[English translation is:
Because of you,
I went on to rule the skies.
In front of you,
I stand as a mixture of fire and air.

You are one drop of nectar, one drop of poison, one drop of heaven.
I like you!
You are one drop of happiness, one drop of sorrow, one drop of hell.
I think of you!]

Easy and Difficult!!

This is one of the forwards that get passed on through mail. But a very interesting read! Hope you like it.

Easy is to get a place is someone's address book.
Difficult is to get a place in someone's heart.

Easy is to judge the mistakes of others
Difficult is to recognize our own mistakes

Easy is to talk without thinking
Difficult is to refrain the tongue

Easy is to hurt someone who loves us.
Difficult is to heal the wound...

Easy is to forgive others
Difficult is to ask for forgiveness

Easy is to set rules.
Difficult is to follow them...

Easy is to dream every night.
Difficult is to fight for a dream...

Easy is to show victory.
Difficult is to assume defeat with dignity...

Easy is to admire a full moon.
Difficult to see the other side...

Easy is to stumble with a stone.
Difficult is to get up...

Easy is to enjoy life every day.
Difficult to give its real value...

Easy is to promise something to someone.
Difficult is to fulfill that promise...

Easy is to say we love.
Difficult is to show it every day...

Easy is to criticize others.
Difficult is to improve oneself...

Easy is to make mistakes.
Difficult is to learn from them...

Easy is to weep for a lost love.
Difficult is to take care of it so not to lose it.

Easy is to think about improving.
Difficult is to stop thinking it and put it into action...

Easy is to think bad of others
Difficult is to give them the benefit of the doubt...

Easy is to receive
Difficult is to give

Easy to read this
Difficult to follow

Easy is keep the friendship with words
Difficult is to keep it with meanings.

What do we blog about?

Ok! The title might sound to be an advisory post but then its not. It is just one of the confusions on an average blogger’s mind(assuming that I am one of them! And going by the experiences of some of my fellow bloggers).What can be blogged and what cannot? This is not to say about the problems that might come when you blog on some sensitive issues(though they make some interesting discussions of their own in the blogger community! :) Such problems have even driven most of them towards anonymity in the blogspace. Imagine a scenario where the blog that you so frequently read and appreciate is your best friend’s. Or, better still, your worst enemy’s. Or, it could be your boss, your wife/girlfriend/significant other, your father or anyone. Why! It could even be that of the person sitting next to you in the cafeteria munching his lettuce sandwich day in and day out. Scary, huh?? We think we are the only ones smart and tech savvy enough in our group to maintain blogs and secret online personalities. But, my pal, the entire world thinks so! That is the boon and bane of Internet. But, I digress... )

Back to the confusion. We have so many new experiences every day. Especially if you are working/studying, single and love to travel and meet people. What do we blog about and what do we leave? Some seemingly trivial experience, at that moment, can have life-turning impact in the days to come. Some important experience(atleast we attach that importance) becomes immaterial in the coming days. So, what do we blog about?

For example, in the last few days, I attended a farewell party, had some great time with friends(lots of juicy titbits thrown in), had a contemplative train journey, met, quite unexpectedly, some seniors whom I had wanted to meet for long but had lost touch due to daily work pressure, finished a review, made progress on the project, met some people after a long time, had some cosy chats with loved ones, planned a trip, cribbed about dogs and caterpillars and the EB(for the frequent power cuts... What else?), saw a movie and did a thousand and one other things. Even if I wanted to note down everything that was happening(remember the blog is a sort-of online journal, according to researchers?) at this point in my life, I don’t think I would ever find time to pen down(or should it be key down? ;)) all this every day. I would be missing out on some more of the interesting things that are now occupying these busy, fun-filled days. So, what do I blog and what do I leave in this? Finally, what do I blog about?

There is another scenario preceding the same question. I’ve seen so many of my friends and fellow bloggers who have asked their readers to suggest some topic to blog on. This does not mean that there is a dearth of creativity. Its just that sometimes they have come a full circle and have exhausted some of the trivial topics to blog on. Everyone blogs about different topics from time to time ranging from serious to hilarious. People finally run out of topics to blog about. So, what do we blog about?

Anyone answering this million dollar question?