What does it take ?

It takes the experience of loss to understand the value of gain... It takes the pain of grief to value the existence of joy... It takes the power of understanding to being wise.. It takes the drowning in lust to survive in love.. It takes the fast flow of resources to contain your existence.. It takes overcoming your weakness to gain strength... It takes the pall of boredom to appreciate labor.. It takes the toothless smile of an newborn infant to believe in motherhood... It takes a silent moment with yourself to gain self confidence.. It takes a failure to strategise better... It takes a deception to sharpen your perception.. It takes an enemy to build better friendships.. It takes lies to affirm the policy of honesty... It takes power-cuts to appreciate candelit moments... It takes me .... a while .. to ponder through this... but... it takes nothing to be yourself... warts, thorns , callouses and all...

Seven things Tag

Suma, here is my list... for you Seven things you plan to do before you die!!

1. Backpack around the unexplored parts of the world with hubby
2. Have three beautiful homes, two Jeeps and two bikes..
3. Have two kids
4. Become an artist
5. Have two cats, two dogs and some birds..
6. Write some books..
7. Always almost keep myself and my family happy..

Seven things you can do!!

1. Sing...
2. Make nifty things with odds and ends
3. Magic , Tarot , Healing
4. Learn my lessons well
5. Keep my sense of humor almost at all times..
6. Hold on to my dreams
7. Make my dreams into reality�

Seven things you can't do!!

1. Dance
2. Play the Guitar
3. Gardening
4. Let myself down
5. Be what I am not
6. Sit without doing anything
7. Handle fools, nags and copy cats

Seven things that attract you to the opposite sex!!

1. Humor
2. Deep Voice
3. Thick wavy hair
4. Warmth
5. Expressive Eyes
6. conversation skills
7. Cool Attitude

Seven things you say most!!

1. For what joy ?
2. What the F*&*@# ? ( when I am really pissed)
3. Yeah Right
4. Gimme a break
5. Cool
6. Whats up ?
7. EEESHHH

Seven celebrity crushes!!!

1. Tom Cruise
2. Kumar Gaurav ( yep he was my teen crush� )
3. Manoj Kumar (this was when I was 8 years old)
4. Gregory Peck
5. Cary Grant
6. Clark Gable
7. Sean Connery

Seven people you would want to take this quiz!!! You can all take this tag�:) in my comment box... in your posts.. whatever works.. :)

E- Volution

Then: Waking up to a gurgling stream. Now: Waking up to people.. Then: Time ... a slow motion Now: Time .. a fast forward Then : Giggling over a fallen pencil.. Now: Laughing at TV sitcoms Then: Chasing Catterpillars Now: Chasing Balance Sheets Then: Telephone Now: Yahoo Messenger Then: Boy next door... showing off Karate to impress me Now: Watching my man do a karate chop on me... Then: Playing home .. Now: Making home.. Then: Trust easily given Now: Trust.. a very rare gift Then: Taken for a ride Now: Going for a ride Then: Hating Dal.. Now: Cannot do without Dal.. Then: Lonely without friends Now: Lonely .. the best company Then: Dreaming big... Now: Dreaming bigger... Then: Mills and Boons Now: Paulo Coelho Then: Long long hair Now: Almost no hair.. buhahaha Then: PenFriends Now: Emails Then: Diaries Now: Blogs Then: Eagerly flying the coop Now: Dying to fly back Then: climbing hills, hot dog , clandestine dates, library, He- Man.. Now: Work, home, rides, food, investment, couples, libraries, Desperate Housewives... Then: NP Green and Yellow packed Chewing gum Now: Anti Bacterial, Teeth Whitener, Low calorie blah blah blah Chewing gum Then: Badminton and Basketball... Now: Swimming and walking.. Then: QSQT Now: KHNH Then: What is love ? Now: What is life ? Then: Fresh Cherries and sweet and sour Tamarind ... Now: Strawberries and Cranberries... Then: Pastels and shawls Now: Bright colors and fabrics Then: Physics, Chemistry and Maths Now: English, French, German Then: Lines and Circles... Now: Words and more words Then: Long Holidays Now: Weekends Then: Dogs and Cats.. Now: Sparrows and Parrots Then : Playing Cupid Now: Playing Cupid Then: Diary Milk Fruit and Nut Now: Hershleys Then : yearning to be an adult Now: yearning to be a kid Then: Listening to stories Now: Telling stories... Then: Unsure but excited... Now: Very sure but still excited... Then: Who am I ? Now: I am what I am

Whammies

Decisions are in... Procrastination is out... Pickles are in... Fat is out.. Fish is in ... Meat is out.. Planning is in... Splurging is out.. Relatives are in.. Distance is out.. Connection is in.. Seperation is out... Elevation is in.. Levelling is out.. Money is in.. Money is out... Space is in... Staring at it is out... Cupid is in... Analysis is out.. Strategies are in.. Impulses are out... Tea ohne Milch und Zucker is in.. Kafee mit Milch und Zucker is out.. Sliding doors are in.. Huge showcases are out.. the present is in.. the past is out... And its time to rock and roll...

Decisions

Its time to make one and its hard to make one specially if it is with regard to your dreams... how much can you compromise with your dreams so that only a shadow of what you thought your dream was remains and the dream remains just that... a dream... Anyway... this is with the hope that I do not have to compromise much on my dream and I am working hard at making it a reality... The esteemed chief minister made a visit to the affected areas in Bangalore after the rains... and well his promises does not seem so convincing.. and the people are left just venting their frustations at the sad state of affairs... Pai Layout on Old Madras road is nothing short of a mini Katrina ... according to friends... and the same can be said of many other areas which we dont even know of.. Bangalore was not like this some years back... though drainage was always weak.. there used to be a respite from the water logging within a very short time.. I still remember that we used to have one flash flood sort of thing once a year... this year seems to take the cake with the washing away scene keeping on repeating itself again and again... Are this gloomy visions of the future where with one burst of rain clouds... we have a disaster looming upon us.. monsoon is the time to enjoy the rains and not suffer for it.. On the flip side: I was visiting relatives where I found them laughing and making fun of the water.. since for them water like this is everyday occurence in Assam.. Rocks says the same of his student days where most part of his days during the rains was spent is wading through knee deep water and that place still remains so.. people just wait for the water to recede and at the worst the people remain at home.. life continues without a blink of an eye... Bangalore seems to be crying disaster more often than not but before crying they should have thought about drainage when building their houses... wherever they could find the space... it not only shows the poor foresight of thhe

Harmony ... go figure..

Searching for a perfect harmony ... longing for the sights and sounds of peace and the serene breeze of a lazy afternoon.. and not of rushing traffic...and deadlines.. guess I am not over my hangover.. happens I guess when one takes a long break.. but then again I need the Bread and the Marmalade that goes with it too... for a life... Meanwhile.. I have started a hunt... now it remains to be seen whether the hunt is successful.. The area around our apartment was once upon a time a very green place.. now the construction workers.. have started building houses like mushrooms... and we have tractors from other places coming and covering the green part with demolition dumps.. and until late I thought it was going to be used for construction... silly me.. they were just looking for a place to dump and dump they have... and to my relief.. the house owners who have recently built their houses have taken to protesting.. and its funny sometimes to see the fight happening almost everytime where one house owner in particular parks his Kinetic Honda in front of the huge tractor and makes him turn back all the way..... way to go... and I can still see a patch of green if I squint and crick my neck sideways... the time of freely admiring the sun rising while sipping your tea .. through the landscape has gone... and we adapt as usual... Thinking of joining the Jeep gang to go to Cauvery Fishing Camp this Sunday... or should we just laze around... hmmmm... Finished reading Paulo Coelho's The Zahir... it was not so uplifting as his other books but ok anyways. Google Talk is the happening thing now.. . Am in the process of trying it... Due to this Blog Day event... I have discovered many new blogs... so much to read.. so little time.. Saw this beautiful movie Aastha.. by Basu Bhattacharya... Mature and Strong storyline... makes you think.. how easy or difficult it is being a woman and a human ... a strong movie in many ways.. and brillant performances by Ompuri and Rekha.. (Discretion required when watching with kids) And I am tripping on this at this moment... Love the guitar piece... here..

Nirvana / David Bowie / Jordis Unga ( she sang this beautifully) The Man Who Sold The World We passed upon the stair We spoke of was and when Although I wasn't there He said I was his friend Which came as some surprise I spoke into his eyes I thought you died alone A long long time ago Oh no, not me I never lost control You're face to face With the man who sold the world I laughed and shook his hand And made my way back home I searched for form and land For years and years I roamed I gazed a gazely stare We crossed a million hills We must have died alone A long long time ago Who knows? Not me We never lost control You're face to face With the man who sold the world

Listening to Nirvana, Something in the Way.. I was surfing channels when I saw this... DOC A to DOC B: I have a Hernia Patient to see. DOC B: Oh yeah .. what is his name DOC A: Oh his name..?? Hernia Patient but I lovingly call him Hernia.. Have a nice weekend Folks...

Blog day... and something to rock

A very happy Blog Day2005 to you ... Bloggers that I recently found worth a read Deepak Chopra Nandita Das Parth Thoughts on a Lonely Afternoon Life or something like it ****************************************** These days I am surrounded with Rock music it seems and well I must say it reminds me of my college days when I used to blast music... without caring a damn about the neighbors... Now it seems that this has come back to haunt me... but in a good way.. Have got a dedicated rock fan... blasting good old rock to his or her heart's content and that makes me swing myself now and again... yeah now I am feeling like doing the same... Shall we compare notes through music.. would be a good idea... buhahahah !! at least its not the same music again and again... like another neighbor... PHEW... ********************************************************** 15 days of vacation and I have 5 newborns to visit... there are baby boys all around.. And I am going mad shopping for blue... I am also surrounded by baby talk.. here and there.. how the labour went and what color poo the baby has.. ( i know that the poo changes color every some days) !! In a way its nice to see the parents so excited... Knowledge stashed for further use I think... Rash.. you are scaring me with your notes... LOLOL.. Somehow I noticed that just some months back it was all girls and now its all boys.. does the universe plan in such a way that one phase only boy babies are born and one phase only girl babies are born ... I wonder ... *scratching my head* This would take care of the female foeticide in some wierd way.. if they knew how to control this.. Oh heck... *********************************************************** Am hooked on to ROCKSTAR INXS. They have some serious talent there and its amazing to see how much it takes to make a Rockstar... I think after Amazing Race.. this is one of the best reality shows that has come across television... if you can ignore the hysterics... and focus on the way they play the music... YOu can watch the next show today... Suzie is trying to sing Bohemian Raphsody. And WHOA mama that is one tough vocal.. to bleat... I am waiting to see how she performs... I like her and I also like Mig...and Jordis though she totally spoilt Aerosmith's song last show.. but it is interesting to watch them try... It airs on Sunday ( 10 :00 PM) , Tuesdays ( 10:00 PM) and Wednesdays ( 9:00 PM)... in Star World. ************************************************************ And methinks that TOI does not like bloggers much... going by this article which had something of a wierd feel to it... Is blogging really a shadowy world in the Internet...just because someone deletes his post and decides to go off blogging or to another anonymous name... well thats one of the concept of blogging isnt it or just because someone wants to remain anonymous... ?? I thought it was the opposite... TOI must be on a demolish the blogger fraternity mode... go figure.. According to this article.. .bloggers are better writers than speakers.. huh.. not to me.. All the bloggers that I have met ... have a good quotient of intelligence and great personalities and this is a cool hobby I say... now what does is TOI aiming at ??? ******************************************************** Also found this cool blog site... Intent Blog... I am liking reading what Rahul Khanna has to say.. Also Nandita Das' Experience can be pretty interesting to read... thank god its not colored with the glam sham and they can be perceived as the people they are.. Also you might want to check out Shekar Kapoor's Intellectual discourses.. ( which sometimes fly by me head) and yep Deepak Chopra also has a popular entries here... ************************************************************ Tripping on : Dave Matthews Band - Before these Crowded Streets... Technorati tags: Blog Day, Rock

Train Notes.... where are you from ???

And here we go again... On boarding the train in Cooch Behar.. I have a somewhat old passenger(OP).. coming down and sitting opposite our berth... One by one the passengers come by and start filling in the train.. I watch as a smart man (DOC) comes and seats himself... bang opposite me.. He sizes us up and then smoothly takes out his mobile and starts talking... Another gentleman quickly makes himself confortable and starts talking on his mobile.. ME( wondering) : Technology has taken over even a place as small as this.. Suddenly I was bombarded with mobile ringing here and there.. ... and it seemed to me that everyone was talking at the same time... OHHH.. after what seemed like an hour I looked at myself and well just for timepass took my NOKIA 3230.. BUhahahah!!! the smart man opposite eyed my cell very covetedly... while I talked to my aunt... now that shut them up alright ( EVIRL SMILE) OLD MAN to the man on the side berth: So where are you coming from ? Man on the side berth: Cooch Behar ( with a polite smile ) OLD MAN: oh so what do you do.. ? Man on the side berth: I work ( looking sheepishly around at so many other people who seem to be listening to the conversation.) OLD Man: I understand work but what work ? Man on the side berth: ( a little irriatated but out of politeness) I am in Finance . OLD MAN: Oh there is a treasurer there... ?? Man.... : ( finally getting fed up) Yes I am working there, posted in Cooch Behar, going to visit my family.. and then coming back.. I like working here.. blah blah... ( then goes back to his magazine OLD MAN ( looking at us furtively) Rocks: Not aware... possibly dreaming of Jeeps and Bikes.. Me : Putting my nose up to avoid any questions... bury my face in a magazine.. OLD MAN to the person next to him ( lets call him A) : What will happen to this country A: ( somewhat politely ) yes ? OLD MAN: You know this Rajniti doing Brashtachar.. ME: ( all ears set to listen to an interesting discussion) It is to be noted that in Bengal it is the THING to discuss politics to break the ice.. all the souls seem to unite in cursing the government here... OLD MAN ( after his political discourse..) to A : So where are you from ? A: I am from Cooch Behar OLD MAN: What do you do ? A: I am a Doctor.. OLD MAN ( very proudly ) : Oh yes.... you see I was in the Health too.. I retired.. A: Oh yes .. how nice.. OLD MAN: Do you work or do you have a practice.. A: I do both.. in Kolkatta. OLD MAN: Oh ... OLD MAN ( looking at us furtively) Rocks: Jeeps , Bikes, Sleep, Bangalore in his thoughts,... now he is drooling over a Hummer in the Magazine.. . ME : Bury my face deeper in the magazine.. GOSH Amir Khan had an an illegitimate baby... BIG News... Kareena coming closer to Shahid after the kissing episode... well whats new... ( UGH if only i could take my face beyond the magazine) Rocks ( all excited) : Tells me the specs of HUmmer.. I jump with relief and we engage in an animated conversation about F1, Jeeps, SUVs, Italjet. A: All curious but maintaining his silence.. OLD MAN: Peering at us through his glasses... more curiouser... Me slowly realising that we were acting like specimens in the BHODRO dabba... so I go back to the filmi ruminations.. Where was I ? Ah Corsets are in fashion... now .. A: getting bored... singing nice songs by himself... Partly it was to avoid conversation with the old man... ME: Closing my eyes and listening to the music.... pretending to read... thinking to myself.. A has got a nice voice..And the train goes CHUG CHUG to his HUMM HUMM.. Old man makes a big deal of him wanting the lower berth .. no matter what... Night falls and after a lot of whining to the TT, he gets his lower berth.. Tall man C comes with friend B to sleep... they make a huge noise.. seem to be good pals.. nice to see them bantering.. methinks.. OLD MAN looks them over curiously... and tells them a long story about him wanting to exchange his middle berth for lower berth and blah blah... B says fine.. before he could finish .. and promptly arranges for the night... C suddenly comes over and curses * SHAALA* and jerks WHATCHAMACALLIT towards me thinking that I was asleep ME ( affronted ) Eije DADA... Ki Korchen ( What are you doing ) B ( cooly as if jerking pests at fellow passengers was no big deal) : Ki holo ( what happened) ME: Jaake aapni Shaala bole jhakda dilen... ota to amar gaye porlo. Ektu dekhe... please... ( What you called Shaala and threw it fell on me... Watch it please) B: O ota kicho na... ( that was nothing) ME: Rolling my eyes... but decide to bury my nose into a book... OLD MAN: watching this very intently with peering eyes... All the co passengers go to sleep... my brain also stops observing... In the middle of the night... I see Rocks getting up for his nature call.. Next I see some Hijdas crossing the bogey... Rocks comes out and spies them now knowing that he has the invariable habit to get caught in sticky situations... decides to go back to the toilet and wait for the mandli to go by... After some moments he comes back relieved and tells me this story later in the morning... to my great amusement... Next morning: We were conversing in Assamese and English and in West Bengal Assamese is what Tamil is to Karnataka.. Rocks is spending his time snoozing while I gulp down tea from the hawkers that pass by.. I also see people buying lot of stuff from the hawkers.. and then go back to reading my book.. OLD MAN desperately wanting to talk.. catches on to B ( c's friend ) who is awake and chirpy: So where are you coming from.. ? B: From Dhubri OLD MAN: I was also in Dhubri...See when you want tea you will never get tea.. . B : Oh I had mine... OLD MAN: You know the sheets that we sleep are never washed... how can you all sleep like that ( after he has had a good night's sleep) B ( who was traveling for the first time was quite stunned) : Yeah ( with a worried look) OLD MAN: Yeah where will they have the time to wash all that... they just fold and give it back to us... B : Quietly listening and suddenly gets up to wake his snoozing friend... desperate for diversion.. he decides to go for a walk... then.. ME: rolling my eyes... SIGH Rocks and me keep talking about this and that... Now it is to be noted that Rocks though familiar with the Bangla language cannot speak properly. Observe how he carries on a 5 minute conversation with only single words... I found that pretty amazing Suddenly OLD MAN seizes chance and catches on to Rocks. OLD MAN: So where are you coming from ? Rocks: Cooch Behar OLD MAN: Oh you have relatives ? Rocks : Mesho ( Uncle) OLD MAN: You from Assam ? ROcks : Bangalore OLD MAN: What do you do ROcks: Service OLD MAN: So what does your mesho do ? Rocks: Retired OLD MAN ( not yet giving up ) : Hmmm Oh I might know him .. tell me his name Rocks: N Chakravarty OLD MAN: Where does he stay in Cooch behar ? Rocks ( now at the end of his vocab) : Rani ...( MUMBLE) ... Mumble ME: ( having had enough... smiling to myself at the Old Man's Persistence) : Ranibagan and my uncle is from Shillong. You might not know him... OLD MAN: (Getting a small start at hearing me speak... ) OH ... we are reaching Sealdah ME: yes we are... Suddenly the old man sees A hurriedly .. getting up on one socked leg and pulling his bags and rushing out.. OLD MAN to all of us: You see you see ,... how "bhodro" ( decent) society fellas behave.. he is a medical.. profession.. has a practice and yet does not have any social hygiene..how dare he put his put up like that... there is no decency... this is what is bringing down the society... yada yada yada ... blah blah blah... ( and this is the person he had the longest conversation with during the journey ... who bothered enough to talk to him about his profession and politics... go figure the human mind.) Suffice it to say that ME and ROCKS and all the co passengers.. were never too relieved to see the Sealdah Station I guess.. PS: this post is not to offend any Bongs.. this is to please be taken in the spirit of humor...

Photos... just in case it was missed..

Standing strong... in the rains, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

Monsoon is the season when all the possible flowers bloom.. this time I saw more than my share of beautiful flowers which I missed for a long time... Gardening is a part of life up there in the North East.. and each house proudly shows off its collection.. Our house in Shillong was also known for its flowers... here in Golaghat.. this grows in my yard and backyard.

Duck House, Assam, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

A duck house, my husband tells me... This house is a typical one used to keep ducks.. they swim and roam around during the day and stay here during the night... ponds such as this are also very common in Assam.. where they have small variety of fishes and ducks... SIGH.. that makes me nostalgic about my ancestral home in Sibsagar, Assam.

What is this, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

Kuku, who is looking as curious as can be... I am totally enamoured by Kuku as you can see.. his body has all the colors possible.. and I never thought that a bird would willingly stay at home.. I think it was born domesticated.. and somehow managed to break free... It just came to my aunts hand and sat there... it is fond of nuts and loves to had tea with us... I love this little pecker... when lonely he walks all around the house and he loves playing with a wind blown calender... go figure.. .!!!

05, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

The famous toy train in Darj.. One train was hired by some Japanese guys for some shooting... this train collided with a running train.. due to bad weather the same day.. it was sad.. the guys in the front sitting outside the train were injured.. luckily no one died.. the roads.. up the hill are broken due to the train line crossing it... This is at the foothills of the mountains...

Cooch Behar, Palace of Gayatri Devi, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

This is where the Rajmata Gayatari Devi was born. The palace looks wonderful.. I did not have the time to go inside the palace ... will do so next time... This palace ground has a lotus pond, parks, etc... This small place has been maintained well by the royalty.. The city is small but well equipped and is a good break on your way to Sikkim, Darj, etc...

Moments, Miracles, Mist......

Yes I am back ... and I am having a bittersweet feeling in me... I would have loved to be enconsced in the arms and loving warmth of my family and just do nothing... but all good things have to come to an end and well so here I am and I must tell you that I did not miss being online at all.. made me feel as if I was back to the good old days where even telephone conversation was a luxury only few could afford and we had all the time in the world with people to talk to... and so many things to do... Some momentary shots as I whizz by my memory cells. For a moment...... while driving from Assam we thought that the 50 odd kilometers of clean and quiet green highway was absolute heaven with not a soul around even to farm.... when we very rudely realised (after being stopped by the cops) that it was because there was some stupid Bandh declared somewhere in the middle of the highway... which made us go back all the way home... Sheesh... I thought that there could be nothing better than a kiss from my parrot Kuku back home... and he is a handsome one at that... he knows what LURVE is and he laps it up.. it is a different thing that his sole pastime when he is bored is to open all buttons earrings and rings... but I got a way to get him not to do that with me... I touch his tail... which is the weakest spot and he is affronted... to say the least.... and he understands that he needs to keep away from my rings and buttons... buhahahah ... what communication can do ... and parrots are intellident souls... I must say... heres more on kuku.. There was nothing better than spending my time catching up on my reading.... near the window as the rain pelted down giving some relief to the humidity and the heat... and Kuku quietly going to sleep standing on my chest as he watches the rain.. ah bliss... I could not envision any other life other than being with my family dining, talking, laughing, doing trivial things with them.... or just having a cup of tea and sharing gossip... until I was jolted... back to reality..... I thought that a dearly beloved uncle who till that time was a walking talking fit man would just pass on right in front of my eyes and in my hands without us being able to do anything about it... thank god that it did not happen but will never forget fear in my heart... my heart almost stopped beating seeing uncle almost giving up.... I experienced the intense combination of heat, humidity, rain, clouds, cold... all at one go and I ended up flat in bed with illnesses having some LONG NAMES. I have yet to recover my voice... My colleague humorously says to me now that he wished that I spoke so softly always... HUH ... so soft that I cannot even hear my own voice... go figure... LOL My wonder of being in a cloud and actually driving through dense cloud on a mountain on our way to Darjeeling ... changed into horror and put me on the edge after going through the same BLOODY cloud for two hours... one can take in the clouds only for some time.. I found back my clogged brains ( read ears and nose) after two hot dishes of momos... I thought that our driver was crazy when at Mirik Lake, ( which was incidentally covered with thick cloud ( not fog) he asked us to go further ... and see the lake... I was almost screaming at him... WHAT LAKE??? ... ALL I CAN SEE IS WHITE ALL AROUND... and If I move 2 inches away from you... you TOO are INVISIBLE... He refused to believe me and told me to go further... well I just gave up... ( at the risk of walking myself in the lake) We touched both Bangladesh border and Nepal ... (as we passed Fatak on our way back from Darj.. to Mirik. ) Believe me my fellow travellers... this road to Darj and back is much safer and sceanic than the usual one... It was like going back in history while walking down the streets of Cooch Behar. Here one can actually experience the glory of the royal family and how the Rajah served his subjects... a small quaint town with its own language and style... and so charming... I felt that Darjeeling is not a place to go as a tourist... it stinks when it comes to tourism... but I think it will be a great place to be with friends or on your own ... mingling with the people... I for one am going back with a totally different plan this time... I was almost pleasantly blinded by the amount of greenery in Assam and West Bengal... Kerela guys you must see that green.... I do not say your green is bad but our green is also awesome... It is the right time for the paddy fields and it is as if you are floating through wide stretches of green velvet... ooohhhh I thought that Kolkatta is going the Bangalore way when I saw so many flowers and trees planted across the roads... until my friends told me that it was only in the bypass.. well at least its there... the bypass drive is awesome... in Kolkatta... TO BE CONTINUED........

notes from darjeeling

here i am waiting for a hot cuppa tea and sandwich and its almost time to go.. my holiday is coming to an end and it has been an eventful one... i spy this internet parlor in The Mall and cannot wait to note down a few words as I wait for my coffee... we have arrived at a not so opportune time .. its cloudy most of the time... and its raining but its wonderful all the same... this time it was a short trip... i promise myself to come here again... here and there saw the much renowned toy train and also unfortunately we heard in the news that the same train collided with an oncoming train... thus injuring some workers... Sukna, Rong Tong, Chunbhatti, Mahanadi, Ghoom, Sonada, Kurseong, etc we passed them all along with the clouds which made the drive fraught with danger... yet the people here seem to think its a daily routine... ahhh had some wonderful momos .... did lunch, dinner with momos... And today being Rakhi purnima, Darjeeling is looking very colourful... The ladies here were surprised to see that we ate everything... vegetarian tourists seem to be the flavour of the town and its rare to find a non veg tourist... haha !! haggled with a beautiful shawl seller in nepali, she was surprised to give me a good rate.... my learning Nepali language in Shillong came into use after all... it was good to hear the sweet tones of this language after a long time... bought some absolutely rare CDs from a small shop here... now I have a full collection of Janis Joplin, some more Al di Meola, etc.... the view when the clouds clear is spectacular.. though I think we have to contend with driving through the clouds again... RAMRO JAGA CHO this darjeeling .... If you are visiting this place... Rainy season has its own charm if you like the season... Make your bookings carefully... do not be intimidated with crowd of people who want to give you a cheaper deal.. be firm.. Food is great in small places... It is possible to walk around and see the places in Darj... You might be conned into taking some tours which cost a bomb... be alert... Make sure you stay in Mall road... I spied the Shangrila Hotel which seems to be a very old place and a nice place to stay... Again it seems... so...and there is also a quaint pub cum coffee shop where you can chill out... N0tes from Assam, Cooch Behar, coming soon..... also the snaps will be up as soon as I reach home... till then... have a nice day.....

Somewhere Someone...

So friends all set to fly tomorrow.... so will be reading you all after 15 days... and yeah meanwhile.. though cyber life is great.. it will be refreshing getting back to a land of no onlune connections.. and pure earthy life .... yeah it will be... shall I miss it ? Yes I will.. but its good to just shut off everything that we so take for granted for sometime in our life and focus on what we do not take for granted.... See you when I am back and you all have fun... and I am sure I will have a lot to read up ... once I am back... hopefully I shall bring in lots of stories and photographs... from my trip... Adios .. amigos.... Sionara.. and if I do not see you for sometime.. good morning, good afternoon and good night buhahahaha

Listening to Dido as I pack... she is one soothing soul.... Trilok Gurtu is setting me on fire meanwhile... as I rush about.. and good old Lynn Anderson is singing.. I never promised you a rose garden as I drive... ticking my checklist off... how profound for life....

I leave you with this song right now....Life on Rent By Dido I haven't really ever found a place that I call home I never stick around quite long enough to make it I apologize that once again I'm not in love But it's not as if I mind that your heart ain't exactly breaking It's just a thought, only a thought But if my life is for rent and I don't lean to buy Well I deserve nothing more than I get Cos nothing I have is truly mine I've always thought that I would love to live by the sea To travel the world alone and live my life more simply I have no idea what's happened to that dream Cos there's really nothing left here to stop me It's just a thought, only a thought But if my life is for rent and I don't learn to buy Well I deserve nothing more than I get Cos nothing I have is truly mine While my heart is a shield and I won't let it down While I am so afraid to fail so I won't even try Well how can I say I'm alive If my life is for rent...

Vodka Martini... shaken but not stirred...

Won this at an F1 Showing event in Legends of the Rock... buhahahah.. it is waiting to be opened on a special occasion. It's a 5 litre Beer Can.... SLLUUURRRPPP... What is it that makes you sometimes go so fast into past hurt that it bedazzles your senses... one little remark.. one reference and you are back like a wheel as shown in Austin powers... it is not a nice feeling... is it worth it I wonder?? Thinking happy thoughts of home, hearth, folks, family... a heartwarming anticipation that is building in the depths of my heart... Not really liking the fact that I will be airborne this Sunday.. somehow I have begun to dread flying.. except for the time factor... Train journeys.. are the best... Shopped shopped shopped and have some more shopping to do.. love shopping for family... Have to yet pack my stuff... I remember when I was a single un, I used to pack from a month back... shows how desperate I was... then I guess .. :) Rocks has me addicted to JAMES BOND.... He has got the whole BOND series and we have been watching the movies... never get tired of them... EGAD the things Rocks makes me do .. I am being colored in his shades... and well I love it... hahahah !! First it was bikes then F1 and now its Bond.... bring it on honey... Loved Moonraker... and The Spy Who Loved Me. Though if I compare them to the present day... the Bond girls seemed to be pretty dumb... he he ... but then what the heck... Roger Moore is DROOOLLLLL... Also if you are passing by The Grand Taj near Shivajinagar, do not forget to try the Kadai Gosht and the Ghee Rice... Absolutely yumm... usually you will get the meat dish in the afternoons..

Monday Musings

peace and light, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

Ride to Bellum Caves... a wonderful experience... however, fraught with little issues.. some narrow escapes and some pure luck.. and some pure good riding. Photos here and here.. Passed through a nice Kumbakarna Gardens on the way.. in the middle of nowhere.. Rocky fixed Anil's punctured tank with the help of soap and glue... Amazing huh !! LOL and it lasted till Banagalore.. A place called Timbuktu actually exists. HUH !! Exhaustion crawling at the bones.. not from the riding but from the continous onslaught of crosswinds on the highway which was like swimming against the current. Great food at that place.. nothing better than a home cooked meal at that place run by a small family The areas near Bellum were an amazing place for katpada stones resembling grey granite.. the soil was comprised of sheets of these layered stones which one had to just extract and use it to build houses.. amazing.. Orrissa had something similar where on digging you got brick like stone formations... The caves itself was an amazing adventure... beautifully maintained.. and well organized... A visit to the caves is a must.. but not with a crowd of 300 men and women... Waiting for some 100 men to pass my a narrow walkway... all of us sweating like pigs and men stripping to their Banyans... is not a good feeling Screaming chicks gave a new definition when we saw some 150 women... cackling in and rushing into the cave... like a rush of unstoppable river.. My friend Dosai ( Manoj) had the experience of being ogled at by more than 20 women..( to be police women) as we passed them by and it was unnerving.. I think he experienced what we could call the Adam tease.... buhahahah... I had the feeling of being felt over by these same women who thought I was some specimen from Mars... when I got lost among them.. Rocks forgot to shorten his long legged steps you see... and poor me had to wade through some 30 women who kept touching me and hugging my shoulders.. just to see maybe if I was real.. and why was I so different.. it was like a competition of .. who dared to touch me more... BRRRRR.... I almost wanted to scream... when I saw Rocks calling for me... Ahhhh my knight in shining armor... I was never more relieved to see him... than at that time... Rocks got almost molested for a photograph by the guys .... they thought he was a firang... buhahaha.. Sometimes being short has advantages.. When they told him excitedly that they were Indian policemen... he told them calmly that he was also an Indian... but it did not convince them... to the mirth of Anil and myself who were watching the fun ... ( me of course after having escaped to a safer place) Being short also helped me go through the low crevices in the caves... All in all it was an amazing trip.... one which we would like to repeat sometime again... It was great meeting blogger Morphie now a member of Mad Bulls, who has recently taken to riding... see you more on the highway buddy.. Ah ha ... and how can I forget mentioning one of my dearest blogger friends that I met on Friday. In spite of both our hectic schedule... we made sure we met up for coffee... And it was a pleasure to meet another blogger Deepak. Neels, we must meet again.. it was great having coffee with you.. Maybe this time when we ride to Hyd, we shall peep in.. :) we are planning to do that soon ....

It's all news... and some more

Just when you think that things are limping back to normal after the Gujarat floods.. mother nature decides to show her fury and along with it brings in more tragedy... My prayers are with the victims of the ONGC tragedy in Mumbai.. Thank God the city of Mumbai is coming back to normal.. Heard friends were cooped in the office and the rations were also getting over.. since food was also not available. Flood prone areas in the North East seem to have an ominous.. forecast... Hopefully all is well ... when we do go home.. Reminds me of the time when we had the choice to stay in the office with diminishing water and food supplies or walk some 25 kms back home amidst a burning city... when Rajkumar the Kannada actor was kidnapped.... we decided to walk.. I still remember how we braved the walk... some 7 of us... and through the burning bikes and tyres... trembling at the look of hatred in the face of a suddenly appearing crowd from nowhere who were hell bent in wreaking havoc and destruction and all for what.. for somebody's personal mistake... Violence never pays and it is scary to think how the villagers nearby are used to spread the same just because its convenient.. BRR .. anyway dont want to talk about it.. never liked this area of thought.. these eyes have seen enough to hanker for the peace of the mountains.. where life is always so simple... sometimes I think... it would have been so good to be in a place free of technology... it would have been so nice to have the old world charm where telephone was a rarity and the social life was all the more active... and one had a good enough idea of the people who lived near you.. there was more human interaction which is getting close to NIL now. It is all online.. some of it is good but where is the human touch... Today it was encouraging to see a write up on hybrid cars in the Times.... given the rising gasoline prices.. it makes sense for the Indian market to start selling this genre of cars.. And here is a blog on the same subject if you are interested ... Here is a history of how Hybrid Cars came into being... And yes if you are in the mood to have some pakoda shakoda.. just because its raining.. and you are home watching the rain... you can check this recipe out.. I for one can only think about it right now... but given the weather.... oooooooo I would love some hot tea and pakodas...

Besan Ka Cheela INGREDIENTS 1 cup besan 1 cup water 2 tsp salt 1 tsp chilli powder 1 tsp ajwain green chillies- finely chopped to taste � cup methi leaves- finely chopped 4 tsp oil for frying the chelas METHOD

• Mix all the ingredients, except oil, to a thick pouring consistency, adding the water a little at a time. Leave to rest for 15-20 minutes.
• Heat a tbsp or so of oil in a frying pan, then pour it off into a container.
• Keeping the heat high pour some batter in the center of the pan, spreading it out a little.
• Lower the heat and let cook till the edges brown a little and can be lifted easily.
• Dribble a little oil around it, turning the pan so the oil goes under the cheela.
• Flip it over to cook slightly on the other side and before serving it with a green chutney.

And we have finally decided to go to Bellum caves this weekend.. so yehawwww... is going to be a big group... ( which I am usually wary of) but I am sure its going to be fun.. will be back with lots of photographs hopefully.. till then toodleee doooo.. Had a great time meeting Jessica for Lunch.. had taken her to St Marks Hotel for the buffet spread.. still licking my fingers... glutton that I am... Bhapa Maach, Sea food Biryani, Chicken in red wine, Soya Paneer, Tonnes of Salad and desserts... I am a content soul... SIGH Am totally into ... Rufus Wainwright and Maria Mckee... yipeee... A blogger friend Jo from Thrissur has put up his song through his audio blog. The song is in malayalam... and he has got an absolutely wonderful voice... you must check this out ... click on the audio blog widget and play... Awesome Jo.. you must put your songs some more... Hmmmm what else... yep... updated Shotz

ZZZZ at my desk

The clouds are bringing in the rains.. I manage just to avoid the rain but cannot avoid getting drenched alighting from the auto and then rushing back to office... DRAT.. makes me want to go home.. The AC inside the office just freezing my hand to numbness.. Have a jacket on to cover me but how do type with steadily cooling fingers... The sandman playing tricks with me and I feel like .... zzzzzzzzz... START...zzzzzzzzzz To fight the sandman ... I vehemently decide to blog... and read some blogs.. Listening to Lifehouse, Eve 6, The Calling , Switchfoot, Linking Park, Sarah McLachlan, Kelly Clarkson, Dido and Train.... to shoo away sleep dowsed time of the day... Adult Alternative channel in Yahoo Launch rocks ... buhahahah THANKS A LOT JustZen..I have downloaded the songs.. They rock... cannot say how nice it is to listen to something new... Ahhhh there comes the guy with the coffee... blissssssss... A small tip thrown and a ride that was supposed to be for a couple of guys has turned to a huge .. trip now.. well now we are riding to Chikmanagalur / Muliangiri ghats... will do Bellum Caves at a later time... Try this and this if you want to check some interesting aspect to Photography... And here rambles on my Tooosday...

Beering the race

F1 race brought about an interesting watch.. Wanted so badly for Raikkonen to win but his typical bad luck ran him down with a rear locked wheels just when he was leading the race.... Legends Of the Rock pub in Koramangala, is pretty cool... nothing fancy but cool.. We watched the race there .. and also ended up getting T shirts and Caps and a 5 Litre beer... buhahahah !! If you are interested in Live music or playing the guitar.. visitLegends of the Rock on Tuesdays.. Also there are information of Acoustic guitar lessons.. so if anyone is interested ... please check that pub out ... Lance Armstrong had his seventh win... it was awesome watching him go.. Ullrich did his best but I guess he has to wait till the next race.. I think he is a great achiever.. going by his life..

If scripted by Hollywood, the story would be dismissed as trite melodrama: A deadly disease strikes a promising athlete. Despite desperately thin odds, he manages not only to beat the affliction but also to return to the sport and win its top prize. Unbelievable, except it�s true. But the story doesn�t end on the finish line at the Tour de France. His experience made him a part of a cancer community, and motivated him to unleash the same passion and drive he does in bike races to the fight against cancer. Since he made history in 1999, he has won the tour 4 more times, and has become one of the most recognizable and admired people of this era. Read more.

All that wash and jazzing up the Jeep and the bike.... Pooooh no use... it rained immediately afterward... all that exhaustion for nuts... boo hoo... Great meeting Jessica who is in town... the blog world is getting smaller and smaller.. Upgraded my phone... yehawwww... I have a new toy.. i have a new toy... yipeeee.... Except I have this screensaver of Sharukh and Sachin playing in the screen.. which I cannot seem to turn off.. YUCK..... Watched DUS... my take... I AM LOST... I have to watch it again preferably in the theatre.. if it is still running.. What made them make this movie... Editing of the movie was great... though and I liked the cinematography... rest was a HAZE.... An exhibition for camera quipment is going on in Whitefield.. you can check it out if you want. Two more weeks before my trip to the mountains... yehawwwww.... Looking forward to meeting my folks and friends.. and yeah its good to connect to my roots.. Rocks has a new hobby: Collecting all the junk from his bike from the service station after his bike is serviced and spreading the love around in the house... EGAAAAHHHH !! Till now we have a broken brake shoe.. some @%^@# which he uses as a paper weight... yesterday he proudly carried his old silencer home.. which looked like Arnold S.. with the shoulder gun... Its like he is honoring his bike by keeping all the old used and damaged parts... somebody tell me why ??? He gave me a very good reason... of reusing it again... now.... if this thing is damaged why will we reuse it... AHEM.... I was like GAWK... but left him to his collection.. we will very soon need another room only for his discarded bike parts.... EGADDDD.... anybody... anybody give me good reason... NO ROCKS you are not supposed to comment here.... :) And a new week has dawn... Ta daaa

I loved this ...

My calender says : If you find the door to success closed ... dont give up... try the window... How quirky can this be ? and yet if you think about it... it makes a lot of sense... :) Listening to Strings... are the guys hot or what... they have a nice jukebox on their website playing their songs.. awesome... Also been listening to Talvin Singh... I think I am floored ... :) Till later... am caught up now... typically.. will get back as soon as I uncatch myself out of this mesh... that is work... toodle doo .. . I loved this recipe of Roasted Marmalade Ham.. what a combo..... I think I lurveee marmalade... heheh I am blogging from in between docs... tee hee !!! Conversation: A: There are no this one on your this one ? ( go Figure ) B: Silence ( till "this one" has been categorised) Pet Peeve: Imitation is DEFINITELY not the best form of flattery... its like looking at a bad hair day reflection of myself... YUCCCKKKK !!! Where has originality gone ? Traffic cops who just when you reached your turning... force you to go straight ... which is just the road you want to avoid.... GRRRRR

Curtain call...

And as I made this resolution.. of watching movies.. I was joined in the conspiracy by Rocks ... who agreed to take me out on a movie date... and my sweets also got the tickets buhahaha ! !! we usually go in for current booking and rarely for advanced booking... so it was a treat.. Saturday... it was raining cats and dogs and it was a right time to sit for a movie... That was time for Fantastic Four... Let me tell you in the beginning that I am a super heroes fan.. I love Superman, Batman stories and had a huge collection of Marvel comics back home.. So Fantastic Four was like another comic turning to visual reality when i was watching it.. The movie is a great one with all the chitty bangs that goes into making a comic flick... and more.. I loved the characters and the script was also well written.. I thought... The point is that its a light film and the graphics were well displayed... and all in all its like your comic come alive in screen... if you like comics.. you will enjoy this movie.. nothing much to think here... good overcomes evil.. and well there a dollop of romance thrown in too... so heck go for it if you liked X- Men, Batman, etc type of movies... Well now this is a movie I was looking forward too.... Given the fact that I enjoyed most of Ram Gopal Varma's movies.. here we were expecting something good. I personally had my own reservations.. because I was kind of disappointed after watching D- the Company.. The only saving grace of that movie was the excellent performance of Randeep Hooda... So with my fingers crossed... we went for Sarkar. And I .... LOVED it... Its a beautifully made movie... After Company this is the best movie he has made... and this movie is an excellent example of how inspiration can excel your creative juices given the chance.. It was good to see the first writing in the movie where he gives the credit to Godfather. It definitely takes courage to do that... and yet to be frank he made a different movie.. All I could see from Godfather was the lighting and the sequences.. of expressions.. .thats it.. the rest was taken over by the story and the plot. I loved the camera angles and the way the characters were portrayed. There are many South Indian actors who have been introduced here.. which looks good.. :) The whole film concentrated on being Subtle. That is the key word of the movie.. The gory shots were well handled... Amitabh excelled again... ( this proves again and again that actors like Sharukh and Salman have to go a looong way... ) Abhishek was a pale shoadow of his father in the beginning of the movie.. but then his character takes predominance in the movie... showing to the audience how well he can handle himself and yes there is something about genes.. too... ( I may be biased but I am a Great fan of the Bacchan males LOL) ... Its all about expressions.. and this has been played upon well.. some scenes were intense just because of the expressions.. and it said more than words could say... And yes the women in the movie though silent most of the time.. also created an impact.. in their own way... If you have watched D, you will see the same old faces here in the movie again in different roles... but they all had their part to play to make the movie good... No songs... no timepass.. just reels and reels of plot. And thats what I like in a movie.. It definitely will put you in the edge of your seat.. and the key element of surprise has been played upon very well by the director... a good way to spread the plot I must say... So what are you waiting for.. if you have not watched it yet go for it... and yep... do not go in a song and dance mood... please... you will find the movie boring.. go in a sombre mood and you will get exactly what your brain wanted.... :) *********************************************************************** On a lighter side... Karen Anand's pasta sauce is the best way to whip up a great pasta in minutes.. Our new neighbor has a black labrador with whom I am trying to make friends... but neighbor uncleis jealous of his dog making friends with anybody... BLURRRBBBB * poking my tongue out to him* PVR cinemas is a definitely NO NO on weekends for people like me who do not book tickets in advance.... Boo hoo....Seems like the whole Bangalore is out to watch movies there... SIGH... Aqua.. thanks for the lovely dinner... it was great to see you again.. the momos were heavenly.. :) Gearing up for a ride trip ... yehawwwwwww !!!! Heights of accessorizing : Came to work wearing two watches in the same hand... GAWK.. how did I manage to do that... and typically have this habit of waving my hands while talking... so you can imagine how it looked like.. Thankfully ( thanks Amit for correcting me) I had full sleeves on.. EEEPSS.. Okay I am also known to go through the whole day with one earring in my ear... SIGH.. so this is I guess a natural addition to my list of eccentricities..

Weekend

have a nice weekend !! I am in the middle of a looooong post... Nostalgia knocking at my door again... so I am going to upload it once I am done... Planning to watch Dus, Sarkar and War of the Worlds... along with Fantastic Four.. How am Igoing to manage this ?? Well I have to wait and watch... ;) And I have opened a new blog on my thoughts on Spirituality and Life.. I would like to emphasise that these are purely my thoughts and have no intention of influencing or supporting or disregarding any religion..or concepts ... This blog is based on my personal experiences and takes on an analystic view.. of life in general... Actually was a little shy to share this part of myself but what the heck... I thought might as well.. :) You are welcome to drop your words of wisdom.. :) and yeah enjoy life... as it comes...

What is it ....

That makes someone make such a beautiful movie on a broadway show called Phantom of the Opera.. Just watched it and I really wish I was there to see the live show.. It cost around $ 95 million. Is that money or is that money.... the only flamboyant Indian movie that could come near was Roop Ki Raani Choro ki Raja.. with all that dramatics and was the most expensive film that was made during that time... suffice it to say that it was as big a flop as the budget.. That makes Lance Armstrong go more than 600 metres cycle up the mountain... and win the yellow jersey for the Tour de France.... It was amazing watching the cyclists give their best shots and push through the difficult climb... if you see the the route it seems impossible but there you are.... It is his last race and may the best man win... That finally makes National Award winners finally worth a glance ... Page 3 has won the best film and rightly so.. it was a very interesting film though I thought that Black would be a good contender for the award... but I guess the jury is willing to get bitten by reality.... That made them choose Saif as the best Actor... well surprise surprise... he is a good actor though many a times pushed behind the focus... That puts up Aishwarya Rai as the Best Actress... when Kannada movie actress Thara also was announced as Best Actress.. somebody come CLEAN... Heloooo !!

The art of proposing

I have been hammered with memories of my teenhood.. hence these posts... its a result of talking to my old pals... and all came back like a fresh spring breeze.. . This part of Jil Chronicles will muse about the art of proposing... Well to be very honest .. being a brash and hot tempered tomboy who was nicknamed 90 degrees Farenheit in the neighborhood.. ... I was pretty sure I put off the guys who were anyways up for just a good time.. and I was happy with stolen glances but that was not for the world to know...tee hee Shillong was a small town and every teen seemed to be under a microscope... we all know who was proposing to whom and like any other teen group we all had our giggly secrets and gossip.. St Edmunds had the smartest guys without doubt and well as for the girls there was always a fight between St Mary's Convent ( where yours truly studied) and Loretto Convent and Pine Mount.. We all vied with each other for the attention of the ever smart Edmundians... LOL.. It was okay if an Edmundian left a St Mary's gal for another St Mary's gal but it was not okay if he went to the enemy ground that was Loretto's. So anyway amidst this war of the schools.. and adoloscent flittergibbies... Jil was discovering a lot of things about herself... when the gang was changing boyfriends which was like totally *Sufi*.. Jil though was a thoroughbred romantic.. and believed in tall dark handsome men.. who would carry her off to a forever land.. where love would be the solution to everything... ( which she chewed on it herself though) She realised that she was attracting all the wrong sort of guys with her I-care-a-damn attitude.. and here goes a list of the wierd adventures of proposing acts to Jil... to such an extent that her mom and aunt was worried that something was wrong with her... LOL Part I The Baker... There was this bakery like the Ayengar bakery where the baker sold some bread and cakes for the localites.. The baker came to the newspapershop in opposite his shop and often used to spend time there.. I was a regular at the newspaper shop since on my way from school I had to pick up stuff for home.. I noticed that they used to whisper when I stepped in for my regular Telegraph paper and magazine.. I had a good rapport with the newspaper wallah a nice gentleman who used to lend me some good books and magazines and I would do anything for that .. :) acting nice was nothing.... One day it so happened that there was only the baker who was there and he was quite a handsome and winsome lad and a tad mature... and too old for wee 'ol me.. I went and asked him for the paper as usual since no one was there and he gave me the paper in a slow motion.. I was like Heloooo ... but did not say anything since ... I did not know him ( Obviously) It seems that was the moment he decided to fall for me ( I got all this update later on from the newspaper shop keeper) Anyway.. so the saga of him waiting for me to come and take newspaper and him making sure that the newspaper was given to me by him started..I definitely suspected something wierd going on but did not bother much.. Then came by birthday... on May 31st. He became eager to bake a cake.. and he by this time had befriended my friend who used to accompany me while coming back from school and was his regular customer for buying breads... By this time I had an inkling of what was going on but I decided to ignore it.. .. and let my mom pick up the newspaper without telling her why I refused to do this... One fine day... The newspaper shop guy told mom that there was a mail for me .. and I had to read it ,.. it was urgent. Mom unsuspectingly told.. me about it.. My aunt who was also there was curious too.. now me and my aunt .. are always partners in crime.. she is more of an elder sis to me.. so we all found a letter inside and excitedly opened it... my aunt and mom were more excited than me which was wierd... hahaha Lo and behold was a love letter .. uniquely composed of all popular songs and hand drawn pigeons... ( man this guy was creative !!) It had all the songs that I loved.. and some more... Started with something like Chaudavi ka Chand... and then went on to Kabootar jaja ..ja... and then Chandni tu meri Chandni... sau bar janam lenge... and it went on and on.. I was again.. thinking how could one waste time like this.. ( my pea brained mind did not comprehend the emotion of love and the creativity with which the letter was written.. as yet) I was affronted and a little but flattered that the guy in question went to so much trouble... LOL.. Then my aunt started teasing me... "good for you Jil.. we will all have free cakes for our lives.. and told her sister to marry me off... and rolled on the floor with mirth... then when she regained normality.. she seriously told me why was it that the guys after me were so wierd and why was there no knight in shining armor falling for me.. To that I was like GAWK... who wanted a knight in shining armor ? She was a young thing too... and a romantic... so she kept teasing me... I felt like tearing my hair apart.... grrrr ... I went and mouthed an earful to the newspaper guy... how dare you and that too to my mom. he was considerably chastised but he put the blame on the said guy who was nowhere to be seen... but I told him to give that guy the message that I WAS NOT INTERESTED... Not to be beaten... The baker decided that on my birthday he would bake a cake and distribute it to the whole neighborhood of shops thus proclaiming his love.. for Pallavi.) I was GAWK..... Luckily this was relayed to me by my friend S who was taking deep pleasure in this... I was horrified and did not know what to do... I was switching between giving him a big WHACK on his head or making a big scene thus giving him an earful for such fancies.. the confused rebellious tom boy teen that I was... I was totally stumped... If I make a scene... I shall be anyway... be grounded by dad and will be in public eye If I give him a whack.. same result ,.. what if he whacks me back If I talked to him nicely... HECK what would I talk ? I plotted with my friends and since my friend S was so maliciously enjoying my dilemma, I called her and told her to go and tell him that if he does anything such as giving cake or something.. I would slowly and surely break each and every part of his shop one by one.. and would raise hell.. Hahahah !! now to think of it .. it was so hilarious.. at that time it was definitely very embarassing.. So my birthday came and went and he made a cake surely but quietly gave it to S with a heartbroken smile.. I told S to give it back.. He distributed it among his friends to show his part in my special day... I secretly thought that was cute of that person.. But then heck.... Anyways... so then after a while when he realised that this would not work.. that while lasted for some 6 frustating months of being stared at... being smiled at... being mooned at... EWWWW.. That was that for me... made me terribly nervous.. So finally he decided to marry a nice girl from HYD and made sure that I knew that he was marrying but only because I was not interested in him but he would love me forever and ever and all that .... BRRRR... He also made sure that he told his wife on the wedding night... that his heart would always be with this girl called Pallavi from Shillong and only his body would be hers... EWWWW.... ( after the newspaper shop guy... grimly told me this story... ) well i did not know what to say.. but was mighty glad that he was married and off my back... Part II - The Stalker... Coming soon

Of Crushes and Starry nights...

I was reading Handa's blog where he finally talked to his crush.. and it reminded me of the paras from the poem.. Yarrow Unvisited by Wordsworth. `Be Yarrow stream unseen, unknown; It must, or we shall rue it: We have a vision of our own, Ah! why should we undo it? The treasured dreams of times long past, We`ll keep them, winsome Marrow! For when we`re there, although `tis fair, `Twill be another Yarrow! What is it about crushes that make it so poignant and makes your heart beat aflutter.. Whether it is the boy next door.. or that someone who just makes eye contact and there seems to be bird chirping a sweet song.. thus making you see colors of a beautiful rainbow.. a vision of your own where everything is perfect and made for you.. .just the way you want it and the cupids conspire to help you out too... and you do not want to know what lies on the other side.. you are just happy in your imaginary Utopia... SIGH Till you actually are jolted into reality which is so remnant of the para from Yarrow Visited...by Wordsworth. And is this - Yarrow? - This the stream Of which my fancy cherish`d So faithfully, a waking dream, An image that hath perish`d? O that some minstrel`s harp were near To utter notes of gladness And chase this silence from the air, That fills my heart with sadness. Flashback to Standard 8 and a stumbling clumsy just-discovered-boys Jil... Returning from school was always a great event for me during this time since there was this absolutely adorable and smart guy who lived near by school and we happened to cross each others path.. very frequently.. We would be happy making eye contact and let it be.. I was too gawky and tom boyish to admit that I was smitten but there I was smitten to the core... DROOL.. till our friends came to know about it and well the charm was getting to be a little tedious.. because now we had friends looking out for each other... Still those stolen glances.. and the moment we would pass each other by the road would be like thunder and lightning bouncing off us... Well it was our moment and there was definitely clapping going on with both hands... LOL ... Life was bliss... Interval.... ( My most embarassing moment in life.. and my best performance as a pseudo actress) Someone came and told me that his sister was our Senior ##$#@$ and he had a girlfriend... Double @%#^@#@ but heck I was okay and had a sadistic pleasure seeing him waiting.. opposite our classroom which faced their terrace.. or meeting him on the road when no one was looking... what timing.. we automatically or rather he automatically coordinated our passing-by each-other sessions very carefully... You can imagine.. it was the talk of the class... and well.. it did not last long.. There is a small flutter in the senior class too and well as you can imagine.. the sister.. goes ahead and has a talk with the guy... and he totally denies it... She then marches to my class during recess and has a talk with me... making it the most embarassing moment of my teen life...

She: Hi, how are you .. I am R and I just wanted to talk to you.. Me (Nervous and trapped like a deer in the glare of a truck light) : yes.. hi.. ( a little reticent.. and respectful since she was a senior By now one by one my friends have deserted me and I am surrounded by her pals.. watching the fun..) She: Hmm (with a sly smile) so you are after my brother ( Heck... how did that happen.. it he who started it all ) ... yeah I know he must be acting up with you too... and Well you know I am okay with it .. But when I asked him about it .. he denied the whole thing and said that he did not know any Pallavi... he also has a girlfriend.. who is my best friend... ( she was very pretty and was right there some distance away.. where was my hole.. to go and hide myself..) ( PHUTTTT .. my teen bubble burst... a little and I was watching my heart being broken into tiny pieces.. for the rejection.. though I understood later that he was in an awkward position of having a girl and making eyes at someone else.. .LOLOL his sister was duly worried.. at her philanderous brother's antics...) Me (Squirming and trying to come up with a very good way to shut her up) : yeah but who told you that I was interested in your brother ? She: Well I have friends too you see ( smiling slyly again) Me (this time had to come with an answer fast) : Well I know your bro .. but heck we meet so many people.. and yeah friends tease I guess.. and for your information I already have a guy ( That was a BIG lie) She (catching on to my lie and deciding to take my trip...) : Yeah !! and who is he ? Me (with red flaming cheeks and ears.. try to sport an attitude..) : Well back in Delhi ( I never saw Delhi in my life till then.. just had relatives... she thought the blush was because of the guy... man could I act..) She (a little confused) : oh ok then i am sorry... but I still wish to tell you that he already has a.... ( yeah how many times will she rub it in ? ) Me( getting warm to the lie and wanting a stop to this ) : hey R look yaar.. i think I am going to marry the chosen guy soon and its been all arranged from childhood ( YEAH right !! Hindi movie scene cut and a lot of Mills and Boons feedback on the brain...) and well things are serious between our parents and so I could not think about another guy forget about your brother.. I am not allowed to.. you see... ( very shyly) .. . and I really like this guy of mine... She (a little unsure now) : Oh ok .. chill man.. it was nice to talk to you.. errr... I think this is a misunderstanding.. .... TING goes the bell.. Me (relieved to bits and know what saved by the bell means..) : Oh there is the bell.. we start our classes now.. if you please excuse me..( pretending to be very busy with books and pens .. ) She (very friendly now) : Sure sure... bye ...

Me totally feeling like loser and cursing my friends who had suddenly appeared and looked desperately for a HOLE to bury myself in... LOLOL I was 13 and all that soap ( we had only Buniyaad and Hum Log running then on TV) was too much for me to take... But if you think that this dampened our quota of stolen glances.. you can think again.... Being teenagers... rebelling against something comes automatically.. so stolen glances and chemistry of passing each other by continued but more discreetly of course... !!! buhhaahah !!! TILL ONE DAY....... WE ALL GREW UP....

friends...laughter ... silly and memorable

Flashback to the days when we were in school .. looking forward to the holidays.. .skipping to her house.. when it was feasible... she lived on the other side of the hill.. Giggling about no good reason at all.. even when a pencil drops.. A determined Leo to the core.. always wanted to get the best of the world... But with a dashing sense of humor which made us get along so well.. Accepting our strengths and weakness without any questions.. today she is a successful business woman Walking back from tutions and laughing at all things funny .... and feeling good to share that laughter... fall over ourselves at things ... just for the heck of it.. Concetrating on finding the digestive system of the fish for the bio practicals.. cutting cockroaches together... Her coming and telling me all excited about being selected as a beauty queen ... in her engineering college.. Sharing clothes.. having a stint in the hostel together.. her trying to diplomatically keep me away from the girl that I did not much liked... As teenagers, a tryst with a guy whom we named Black and White because he used to always be in Black and White and well the oddest conversation I remember her having with him... when he was trying to woo her.. was

Me walking some distance from her letting her talk to this guy actually nugded her to it.. She to him : what did you do today ? ( for the sake of making conversation) He to her : nothing much.. I made Maggie. She : OH how did you make Maggie ? Umm I like Maggie He: Yeah I like maggie too. Its good.. nothing .. ummm She : yeah its good to have Maggie..

Me: GAWK at the number of times I heard Maggie there.. heck this was supposed to be romantic.. She tells me later on that they did not have anything else to talk about.. suffice it to say that Black and White never colored her life... LOL... A girl with a great sense of humor and lot of silly memories which seem so precious.. now.. Today I connected with her , yet another good friend from bygone days and it seemed like all our cloaks for the general junta had dropped off and we were left giggling like the girls that we used to be,... it was fun M .. friends are so precious.. I am looking forward to meeting you ... and its good to talk to you... I am tempting her with pork curry, some freak out times... and great laughter again and she is as willing to go for it... :) Laughter without any pretensions and without any inhibitions... oh yes its rare to find a soul with whom one can share that level of comfort and you will find it only with your school friends.. Cheers to old friends and thank god we can still connect without the layers of age and professional ego and barrier... a nice start to a week Aye ?? JustZen.. thanks Dude for the links... London is bleeding... a prayer for the departed souls and friends and relatives who have been lucky enough to be saved... and here is how blogs have been making news with respect to the blast.. kind of reminds me of a situation back home in Shillong..