Dreams leading to Reality

What does it take ?

2005-09-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

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

2005-09-13T00:34:00.000-07:00

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

Backpack around the unexplored parts of the world with hubby

Have three beautiful homes, two Jeeps and two bikes..

Have two kids

Become an artist

Have two cats, two dogs and some birds..

Write some books..

Always almost keep myself and my family happy..

Seven things you can do!!

Sing...

Make nifty things with odds and ends

Magic , Tarot , Healing

Learn my lessons well

Keep my sense of humor almost at all times..

Hold on to my dreams

Make my dreams into reality�

Seven things you can't do!!

Dance

Play the Guitar

Gardening
Let myself down

Be what I am not

Sit without doing anything

Handle fools, nags and copy cats

Seven things that attract you to the opposite sex!!

Humor

Deep Voice

Thick wavy hair

Warmth

Expressive Eyes

conversation skills

Cool Attitude

Seven things you say most!!

For what joy ?

What the F*&*@# ? ( when I am really pissed)

Yeah Right

Gimme a break

Cool
Whats up ?

EEESHHH

Seven celebrity crushes!!!

Tom Cruise

Kumar Gaurav ( yep he was my teen crush� )
Manoj Kumar (this was when I was 8 years old)

Gregory Peck

Cary Grant

Clark Gable

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

2005-09-08T23:31:00.000-07:00

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

2005-09-06T04:58:00.000-07:00

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

2005-09-06T00:41:00.000-07:00

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..

2005-09-02T00:43:00.000-07:00

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

2005-08-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

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 ???

2005-08-29T05:31:00.000-07:00

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..

2005-08-26T01:33:00.000-07:00

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......

2005-08-23T00:47:00.000-07:00

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

2005-08-18T20:29:00.000-07:00

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...

2005-08-06T07:55:00.000-07:00

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...

2005-08-04T03:17:00.000-07:00

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

2005-08-01T04:30:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-27T23:10:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-26T03:11:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-24T22:20:00.000-07:00

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 ...

2005-07-20T02:56:00.000-07:00

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...

2005-07-17T22:36:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-15T05:55:00.000-07:00

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 ....

2005-07-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-13T05:57:00.000-07:00

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...

2005-07-12T03:14:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-10T23:38:00.000-07:00

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..

Lazy Sunday afternooning

2005-07-10T02:13:00.000-07:00

Hubby is back... yipeeeeeeeee so am feeling much better now... yehawwww !! can be up to my old antics... hehee !! EVIRL laughter... Today after a looooooong time we bought Hilsa fish.. . and I cooked it just the way mom does it... and it seemed like a feast of Bhapa Ilish , Fry Iilish, rice and assorments of other Hilsa.. stuff.. Yumm its a fishy fishy fishy.. day... he heeh !! Food sometimes gives me a high... SIGH... I think I shall die of gluttony... LOL Anyway... listening to refrains of Trilok Gurtu and Taufiq Quereshi.. can go on rocking to this... for endless time...

Mooning Maudlin Maladies...

2005-07-07T23:42:00.000-07:00

Home alone and with lots of space.. thats what I was feeling like this week... so have decided to spend my time with my gal pals catching up on Hindi serials... LOL... OK I have become addicted to REMIX. Its kind of whacky and thank god not a soap. Yayyayayay and yes I managed to watch some Bold and the Beautiful too... hahahah look what an idle mind can do ... LOL... Its when you are on your own that you realise what a partner does for you in your life.. sometimes There is someone whom you can trouble... There is someone whom you can tickle There is someone whom you can cuddle There is someone whom you can snuggle.. There is someone who talks to you There is someone who listens to you There is someone who eats the food that you cook There is someone who hugs you .. There is someone to say cheers to... on a shot of vodka.. that someone also makes me a mean cocktail sometimes.. There is someone to play footsie.. he he ... There is someone to hang your wet towel ... There is someone who brings egg puffs for me on his way back.. There is someone who cooks delicious meals for me when he is in the mood There is someone who teaches me always to be myself... There is someone who patiently tells me the story even if I am jumping to hear the ending. And how can I forget There is someone who always keeps the shoes at the wrong place There is someone who will scold me for being absentminded and birdbrained There is someone to remind me of things that i think are inconsequential but stuff that he thinks are important There is someone who puts on the music as soon as he gets up... when I am not in for any musical strains early in the morning... ( I think it is a thing with Leos) There is someone who will BE there even if he is banging away at a Computer game... There is someone who gets pissed at me but then also takes the time to hug me back.. There is someone who thinks sometimes that I am a sandbag and practices his boxing abilities.. There is someone who hates me placing his things elsewhere... which I usually do... heheh There is somone to tempt you with all things naughty and enjoy being partners in crime. there is someone who completes you inspite of all the imperfections.. and makes you perfect... I miss you Rocks... eagerly waiting for you to be back. Notes out of nowhere: I have BIG black ants crawling my desk out of nowhere.. I have no idea where they came from.. EYAAHHHHH ... and then my team mate comes and tells me thank god you dont have ants in the pants... hahahahah LMAO... Just when you think that you have closed one lid... Pop opens another Pandora's box.. SIGH Everyone is feeling so chirpy all of a sudden... I think I am the only one feeling weekendy yet morose... My aunt has got a pet parrot who likes to hang up side down on a wire and is famous in taking of all the buttons in your clothes and your earrings.. hmmm somehow I never liked parrots but must check this out.. I think I prefer her having cats... I am dreaming of seafood for no reason at all.. I have my eye on a hot pink dress that I am going to dazzle Rocks with .. buhahaha !! Listening to Al Di Meola - Flamenco Classical Guitar Solo performance... and going ummmm.. feel like dancing... heavenly music... Recently discovered Eva Cassidy and her beautiful voice... just to know that she passed on.. What a loss.. She is the pioneer of Norah Jones genre of songs.. oh yes she is much better than Norah Jones... If you like listening to this genre.. you will also like Katie Melua. What is it about Women with heavenly voices and guitars... Awesome... I think I am in the Abhishek Bacchan DROOOLLLLS phase... he is so HOT.. SIGH...

Sunny Deol listening to Bobby Deol being asked by Karan Johar on Koffee with Karan : What would you do if you were offered films like Murder and Julie. Before Bobby has a chance to say the diplomatic thing, Sunny quips : He will take Julie and Murder her ....

LOLOLOLOL

Hubba hubba

2005-07-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

And here goes another week.... SIGH at the beautiful weather.. just feel like cozying up in a corner with a good book... definitely do not feel like working ... YIPEEEE at an opportunity which has just come by... now it depends on how the door is opened .... GAWK at the woman whose house probably flooded up due to some reason and hence she decided to spray all the water outside thuse splashing all the cars and passersby passing her house... SMIRKS at getting smart .. buhahaha TAP TAP TAP TAP ( tapping my foot and fingers with impatience) Its just a few secs to the movies.. and the ticket counter guy is slowly browsing through his comp.... GRRR... why does ticketing have to be so complicated... I wish it was as simple of manually stamping and selling the tickets ... as in old theatres... saves a lot of precious screen time.... tap tap tap .... Technology is supposed to hasten things.. not slow it down... WINCES at the guy nearby in the theatre who decides that his legs has to shake with the music thus shaking the whole row of chairs and me with it... and singing the song word for word thus totally spoiling my concentration... GRRRRRRR OUCHS *guilty of spending on inconsequential stuff* OUCH UFFF at the guy with the TVS scooty who suddenly decides to race my Jeep.... TEE HEE at the sweet messages from hubby dear who is away in Mumbai.. BRRR at the over cooled AC at work HMMMM at how to organize my tasks better... have to book tickets.. going to Assam... yipee.. pay my bills... etc etc etc GIGGLE at the movie Paheli... Guys if you want fantasy and no brainers... lots of colours and you are a hard core Sharukh Khan fan.. you go watch this movie... stop thinking and just go with the scenes ...... there is no rhyme or reason..... no science or logic... no reality.. all reelity... I saw snatches of Bewitched and Harry Potter in the movie... ... I think they should call this genre .. Masti bole to Kurkure.... LOLOLOL... songs are good if you like Indian classical... graphics are ok.. but nothing new... all in all its general timepass... SNICKER ( albeit softly) at the free time that I have snatched .... to catch up on writing and reading blogs.. HUMMING Khali Hai tere bina dono Akhiyan.... from Paheli... excellent song... ( if you like Classical strains) MMMMM at the smell of freshly baked cookies at Cookie Man in Forum.. You must try them out.... WINKS at school kids playing in a puddle of water...

weekend that was....

2005-06-26T22:47:00.000-07:00

blissful breeze and wide running mountain ranges... great company.. and lots of laughs campfire and wild fireflies... conversations thrown aside here and there silence that brings in contentment a soul search that makes you find yourself nature, thou art my muse... you teach me how to win and how to lose.... Malapropism ( something I picked from the net )

In his 1775 Restoration comedy, The Rivals, Richard Sheridan introduced a humorous character by the name of Mrs. Malaprop. The name is derived from the French mal � propos, which means inappropriate (we also have the word malapropos in English), and describes the manner in which she used many words in her speech. Mrs. Malaprop's Malapropisms Here are some of the original malapropisms from the lady herself: Mrs. Malaprop in Richard Sheridan's play The Rivals (1775). In case you're not sure what it is that Mrs. Malaprop is intending to say the correct word(s) have been put in square brackets after each quotation. "...promise to forget this fellow - to illiterate him, I say, quite from your memory." [obliterate] "O, he will dissolve my mystery!" [resolve] "He is the very pine-apple of politeness!" [pinnacle] "I have since laid Sir Anthony's preposition before her;" [proposition] "Oh! it gives me the hydrostatics to such a degree." [hysterics] "I hope you will represent her to the captain as an object not altogether illegible." [eligible] "...she might reprehend the true meaning of what she is saying." [comprehend] "...she's as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of Nile." [alligator] "I am sorry to say, Sir Anthony, that my affluence over my niece is very small." [influence] "Why, murder's the matter! slaughter's the matter! killing's the matter! - but he can tell you the perpendiculars." [particulars] "Nay, no delusions to the past - Lydia is convinced;" [allusions] "...behold, this very day, I have interceded another letter from the fellow;" [intercepted] "I thought she had persisted from corresponding with him;" [desisted]
"His physiognomy so grammatical!" [phraseology] "I am sure I have done everything in my power since I exploded the affair;" [exposed] "I am sorry to say, she seems resolved to decline every particle that I enjoin her." [article] "...if ever you betray what you are entrusted with... you forfeit my malevolence for ever..." [benevolence] "Your being Sir Anthony's son, captain, would itself be a sufficient accommodation;" [recommendation] "Sure, if I reprehend any thing in this world it is the use of my oracular tongue, and a nice derangement of epitaphs!" [apprehend, vernacular, arrangement, epithets]

World as we take it

2005-06-23T01:18:00.000-07:00

I was just listening to this ghazal ( one of my favorites from school time) as I was working ... thought it was really profound and just right for this weather... I have made a feeble attempt at translating this for my friends who do not understand Hindi... please excuse me.. if it is wierd.. I cannot write poetry for nuts... :)

Duniya jisey kehtay hain, jadoo ka khilona hai, Mil jaayey to mitti hai, kho jaayey to sona hai ! The world as they say.. is a magical toy When you have it, its equivalent to mud.. when its lost, it becomes gold.. Acha sa koi mausam tanha sa koi aalam, Har waqt ka rona to, beekaar ka rona hai ! When there is nice weather and a private corner All our usual issues we beset ourselves with, just seem so meaningless Barsaat ka baadal to deewana hai kya jaanay, Kis rah say bachna hai, kis cchat ko bigona hai ! What will the rain clouds know, its maudlin, which path it should save itself from, which hearth it should sprinkle on Gham ho ki khushi dono, kuch dher kay saathi hain, Phir rasta hi rasta hai, hasna hai na rona hai ! Joys and sorrows, they are your friends for just moments then you have nothing but different pathways...you have to laugh you have to cry Duniya jisey kehtay hain, jadoo ka khilona hai, Mil jaayey to mitti hai, kho jaayey to sona hai ! The world as they say.. is a magical toy When you have it, its equivalent to mud.. when its lost, it becomes gold..

Living by Asking...

2005-06-22T01:57:00.000-07:00

Begging ...is an art.. every profession in this universe needs skill to come to the top. Good people management and teamwork is the key to many a success stories in building companies and societies. Not so long ago, one could hardly count the beggars in the streets of Bangalore. I was surprised by their presence in different cities that I travelled to thanking god that well we do not have too many beggars, and insane people moving around. To be a beggar is just another easy alternative it seems. With the influx of moneyed junta due to lucrative industries and professions, this art seems to be thriving in this city. It started pretty decently.. with small boys selling magazines at traffic lights.. which was good enough. They do not irritate you much.. Then came the headphones, earbuds, sunglasses, etc. Some smart beggar decided that this was an opportunity that he would not miss.. why not build up and organization of beggars who would have different areas and would have different props each week oor certain parts of the day to keep the public confused. It would be very boring to pay the same bugger money having the same attire.. Different props which will play with the human mind What is the most touching aspect to which almost every human being reacts. ? The ultimate picture of Madonna with child concept. So all women beggars who were presentable age of being a mother.. have been handed babies..who are sedated so that they dont make a noise and are zombified to whats happening all around while the women do their job. Beg.. showing the drugged baby. Young girls who are sometimes stolen or who have grown in this environment. One can only imagine.. how much their minds have been messed up due to the drugs that they have been fed for the sake of the profession. Sometimes its a miracle that they can speak and walk normally. I have a special soft corner for these girls which they wiped out with one go.. when one day I gave a 10/- into her hand.. she promptly hides it and then screams at my face... pointing for more and if possible for a lunch in one of the nearby restaurants... SIGH.. Young uns who have just learnt to walk ... some just sit by the kerb or on the dividers and scream to glory when they do not get any attention.. and nobody is looking since the whole thing is very carefully planned.. .while teenage girls go about knocking in windows... Then comes the shifting of groups and props.. one fine day I see all the known faces in well hidden new crutches made to extract every ounce of sympathy from the drivers... well they forgot to think that the drivers who pass by regularly also have brains.. and how is it that every beggar has a crutch and hey !! I also see somebody getting tired of the crutches and walking while carrying it.. is this the la la land or what... If the teamwork is right, the will definitely make money.. the day when they start fighting among themselves.. out goes their wage.. If they know that there is this car which gives them money.. they will mark it for sure and keep sending their cronies to earn every now and then... thinking that the driver would not notice... As if this was not enough there has been a new strategy to have maimed and grotesque looking souls having the wierdest ailments knocking at the car window.. . If on side there is this little girl with no clothes on and one side of the face and head totally burnt, there is another who is epileptic and there is another soul who has a severe case of shivering and keeps shivering and knocking at the window.. lets not forget the children.. who take great pride in showing of their severed arm or leg.. one soul who had leprosy.. and showing that off to make money... And they all have learnt to co exist between each other marking one's territory very well... This totally eliminates the genuineness of beggardom where we used to see one or two old men or women once in a while. Now its being controlled and organized to go with the present times.. ruled by kids and women ...shouldnt we applaud this ? Why should we be the only ones getting organized.. ? One wonders that they could be better off doing some clean work or something better.. rather than this.. but I have also heard that there are many kids who prefer this kind of life rather then grow up to be what they can be.. with hard work but then again this India.. and to get a good life for the poor seems like us dreaming of going to moon.. So just like adopting the easiest skill, begging becomes an art... and only the best and the worst can survive... the best because they have the skill, worst because they have the defects and do not need skills.. ... it happens only in India...

on the wings of a snow white dove

2005-06-21T00:08:00.000-07:00

Just was remembering this song... so thought of putting it as the title.. after some days of slogging my machine has finally decided to play truant with me... buhahaha !! It tells me... I am going to crash and you cannot do anything about it... I say... go ahead I shall fix you ... and dare you to do it.. PING it goes and shows me a blue screen... So it is having its last laugh while I am twiddling my fingers... for some hours now... till I get a spare machine and surf the net ... SIGH... OH great one... full of chips... please come back to me... with the data intact... I bow before you... and implore you to reconsider my ownership... and I promise I shall not mess up with browsers again... Amen... And now... that is out of my way... let me continue.. Watched Batman... it was awesome.. movie.. great action scenes but the hero looked as if he was hard pressed to deliver his dialouge in a cramped manner with that suit of his... hmmm methinks that the other batman movies had more finesse and the story is a little lets say.. customized to the director's own way of thinking... so what else is new ? Been to this place to have lunch called the Elements... in nandidurg road... nice food nice place.. but service is something left to be desired... its a good place to chill out however... prices are not 500/- as the papers said... a meal for two would cost you some 300/- and change... The quantity of steaks is definitely lesser than Miller's 46 but its good food I must say. As soon as we entered this restaurant.. my friend S says that this is a Mallu restaurant.. I say no.. just because she was a Malyali, does not mean she would see Malyalis all around. She bet me... I kept quiet... since I did not know... Waiter: What will you have ? Me: what do you have for drinks? Waiter: OAH ! We heve a lod of mogtails. Mengoes, Horangas, Grepe, Gogonut Dingler, Me: ( trying to be unaffected my S's smug smile) Well what goes into a coconut tingler Waiter: Gogonut and Lemaun. But I am a sarry, we do not heve it now. S : ( trying to stop giggling) get me this Blue drink. What does it have.. Waiter: It has siirup and gream. Suffice it to say that we had a good laugh after quickly ordering our food... with all apologies... Given such a dialouge, I definitely lost the bet... with S ... (Again this is not written with the intention of offending my Malayali friends.. I am very aware of how funny a Bong and as Assamese accent can be .. so its all in fun eh !! Reminded me of the Italian restaurant I went to which had a Bengali waiter pronouncing all the Italian pasta names in a heavy Bangla accent... SIGH) Heights of communication... After all the insults in the mail that i received from that gentleman the other day( refer to my previous post), which I have decided to ignore.. for best known reasons... I get an explanation that it was all a professional communication... GAWK... if that was professional..I dread to think what would be personal communication.... ( GAAAAHHHH * screams tearing her hair*) May god give me the power of tolerance.. SIGH.. Having guests this weekend too.. so it seems that my social life and professional life is going at par when it comes to defining hectic.. but I love having friends.. so would not give them up for anything... FI sham It was another race which will go down in the history either as Bridgestone's triumph against Michelin or as the worst race that Schumacher could win. 6 cars all running on Bridgestone ... empty track... lots of opportunity to get to the podium yet Narain.. misses it... well at least he completed the race... Not nice to gloat Schumi that you would have won the race anyhow.. it was pure fluke...

Band is broad ... Ahoy ahoy ...

2005-06-18T07:36:00.000-07:00

Well I have finally got my broadband connection at home.. it ROCKS. Its fast and its like working in office.. COOL... So now I can keep up with my reading of blogs and stuff..... BUHAAAAAhahahah !!!!

Bouqets and Brickbats

2005-06-13T02:05:00.000-07:00

Manchenbele Lake, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

That was the first thing that came to my mind as I was musing about the week that went by �

Tis a pleasure to be with old friends� and experience the thrill of childhood days.. it was like old times when we went shopping and excalimed at silly old things.. laughed ourselves with stuff that was bygone but yet held great memories for us�

Watched a couple of movies together�

Took her to all my favorite haunts� and she loved it..

Yes, it was a wonderful time� and I hope to repeat it again and again � as we grow old�

Dwarf ... it was really nice meeting you the other day.. ... I hope you had a great dinner.. we were so tired that day :) hope to see more of you online...

D � The Company�

My take on this� nothing new � same old story.. same old bloodshed.. same old lines.. just the characters have changed.. I think Ram Gopal is rehashing his script again and again� and well if you have watched Company which was the best movie of his covering the slowly getting on to the reality topic of the Underworld, this movie is just not worth it. yeah Randeep Hooda was better than Vivek Oberoi is portraying the serious quirked gangsta � Rukhsar is back� after her stint in long forgotten movies with Rishi Kapoor and Aditya Pancholi�

Parineeta

V V Chopra seems to have joined the I-am-inspired-by-you bandwagon and gone and done a la Devdas without the finesse and the creative touch of the masters� and that is the only woe of mine.. It is veryt obvious that the director did not have that great a personal touch with the movie and it seemed as if that the movie had been made just for the heck of making another movie..

Otherwise the movie has an okay pace and well though Saif could have given a better performance, he did well. Vidya was a refreshing change from all Aishwarya type characters� Thank God for that.. !!! and oh before I forget just when you think what will happen to the hero and the heroine� the last scenes of Parineeta which was supposed to be the piece de resistance.. came out to be like a Laurel and Hardy show� spare us the melodrama� and cut us some slack in thinking that we do appreciate a good solid emotional climax.

Songs are good. I guess after watching movied of Sanjay Leela Banshali and Rituporno Ghosh, I have set standards for movies which use the same style and theme.. they should be better if not a poor copy� and the audience can always make out the difference when the director has really put one�s soul into the movie or done this movie just like that� just because this is selling� SIGH�

Travel

Silverline at Savandurg, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

Drove down to Manchenbele dam and to Savandurga. Had a looksy at the Great Banyan tree. The drive was good and there was a lot of offroading that we did � so unless you have really good suspension, do not try this place from Mysore road section. It is better to access this place via Magadi road where the view is a sceanic one and you can also chill out a lot while taking some good photographs. We got lost here and there and were roaming inside the forest for quite sometime� before we could find the right road. It was fun� we met some cyclists who were doing the moonlit cycling trail� sponsored by BSA. So guys if you need a days trip to chill out.. you could try the above places�

The Great Banyan Tree, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

(Mis)Communication ??

I usually like to communicate with online friends but I seriously do not appreciate ( rather confused with) first time mails which start with

Really nice to receive retort from you...hope your daysgoin like you want!Big things from big people!

and then at the last line says

PPL GENERALLY LAUGHT AT YOU WHEN YOU SAYLIKE THIS DONOT KNOW ABOUT YOU HOPE U R NOT AMONGTHEM! I M FROM ENGG BACKGROUND FROM PUTATIVEINS.ANYWAY, UNCERTANITY IS THE FORCE WHICH DRIVES USTO MAKE LIFE CERTAIN!I THINK SO......GOOD LUCK ANDEVERY SUCCESS TO YOU!TAKE CARE BYEE

GAAAAHHHH what did I do to deserve this ??? I am certainly NOT laughing but I am defintely irked to a certain extent with the fact that you are taking the liberty to write what you want. I wish you well and I also hope that you find your goals. But believe me your first lesson would be to cultivate the art of communicating which starts with ... Hello how are you ? and not a RAP on someone's tired head first thing in the morning just because you are a fan or you demand attention... Excuse me for being a little pissed...

Again I apologise if this hurts your sentiments since you have portrayed yourself as a very sensitive human being... ( ???) and I hope that you understand that I am not being BIG here.. just trying to be polite... and please do NOT use capitals in your mails... its like you shouting in my ears....

( Good that is off my chest ... HUH... )

I am zenned

2005-06-07T01:02:00.000-07:00

Men are afraid to forget their minds, fearing to fall through the Void with nothing to stay their fall. They do not know that the Void is not really void, but the realm of the real Dharma. -Huang Po, "Zen Teaching of Huang Po"

Sea of Food.. .and a whole lot of memories

2005-06-06T03:14:00.000-07:00

Madhu cooked the most wonderful Crab in Black Pepper Sauce this Sunday for us.. it was a feast of sea food .... I think this the best place for crabs.... My old school friend is in town... meeting her after 14 years.. and the years have dropped off just as if it was a soft thin veil and we do not get enough of reminiscing about our past.. sometimes its nice to dance with the forgotten melodies.... Its not so easy to get over a difficult past but I am with you .. . my old friend.. all the way.. Loved the portrait done at Bombay stores... thought it was pretty silly but heck its cool with friends.... he he Remembered a dear friend who never thought twice... before hurting me... well I love you all the same... Keli... and wish you all the best... Happy Belated birthday... so what if the dream of getting old together will not materialise... ahh the penury of human psyche... I remembered you on the 3rd of June and yes you have made a great difference in my life... and for that you will be the dearest friend I would have known.... Sometimes saying Sorry is just NOT enough... Driving through a storm with heavy rain beating down and with only music to accompany you is the one of the best experiences I have ever had.... nature conspires for self realization... The flavour of the industry seems to be dipped in mergers... Sunny's at Lavelle Road is the sickest place I have ever some across... you got to have blond hair to get a quick service... Had the worst kind of squid there... YUCKKKKKKK... Last but not the least.. here we go again with tags... this one is for you Arunima. THREE NAMES YOU GO BY: Jil Jilmil Pallavi THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD: Blueflame bikerfemme Jilmil THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF: (Well this is tough... I like everything LOL... ) My eyes ( which though weak can see a lot hahah ) my fingers ( they can type fast... buhahahah ) My attitude ..( buhahahah ) THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE: Assam Hilsa Fish My Bilingual Family.... THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU: Depression Boredom Helplessness THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS : my lenses my music, my thoughts THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW: Lenses Smile Attitude THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP: Humor Sizzling Chemistry Heaps of good memories TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE (in no particular order): DUH !!! DUH DUH THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU: Humor, conversation skills attitude THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW: A long drive, finish The Zahir by Paulo Coelho, drink a cup of tea made by Ma. THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING Travel Writer Lonely Planet presenter Writing a book... THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO FOR A VACATION: Shillong Egypt Rome THREE KIDS NAMES YOU LIKE: Aahana Ispshita Manek THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE: Write couple of books Attain wisdom Create many more memories

Music and movies tags !!!

2005-06-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

Squirrel.. here I go... Total volume of music files on my computer: More than 10 gigs and still increasing !! :) I keep burning them and keep adding .. . The last CD I bought was: Dire Straits Limited Edition. Songs playing right now Car: Western Classical: Brahms' Wiegenlied, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, Pachabel's Canon, Chopin's Piano's Concert.. from Economic times western classical collection Office: Generally listen to Yahoo Launchcast with the following stations running on and off .. Smooth Jazz, Country, Classic Rock, Alternative Rock, Quiet Storm, Big Hits of the 80's, New Hits, etc Instrumentals: Richard Clayderman, Enya, Vanessa Mae, Mix : JJ Cale, Eva Cassidy, Clapton, Don Henley, Patsy Cline, Skeeter Davis, Corrs, Deff Leppard Jon Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews Band, Dreamtheatre, Madonna, Green Day, Mark Knopfler, Satriani, Santana, Gulzar, R D Burman songs, Ghazals, ... Home: Riff, A world of Jazz in Worldspace Radio.. Farishta: Worldspace radio ( station on old Hindi hits) Country: Worldspace System: Worldspace Potion: Worldspace Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon Jethro Tull Doors Old English Folk songs Indian Instrumentals..Chaurasia, Zakir Hussain, etc Old Ghazals Five songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me: Hume tumse pyar kitna ... yeh ham nahi jaante ... ( lots of memories... heartbreaks, love lost, love found) Stars ... Simply Red ( my constant companion for no reason at all when I was a student ) Ankh se Ankh mila baat banata kyon hai... ( first ghazal i sang in front of an audience) Ajeeb Dasta hai yeh ( My first song I sang in public with just one guitar for company which was very off key.. LOL.. till today.. I have a soft corner for this song..) Careless Whisper ( mmmm this song so reminds me of those days in school.. first crush.. youth.. adolescence) Five people to whom I�m passing the baton: Vighy Reiya Nupur Maddie ( if you are there ) Shub This is for you Reiya... Total No. of films I own on DVD/Video: hmmm not much but in the process of collecting ... maybe some 12 odd.. I do watch a lot of movies.. love watching them in the theatres .... The Last film I bought: A Beautiful Mind The Last Film I watched: Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith The Lion King ( never get tired of it ) Hitch ( pretty ok I guess ) Waqt ( YUCK ) Jo Bole So Nehal ( YUCK YUCK ) Five Films that I watch a lot or mean a lot to me: English Casablanca : ( sentiment at its peak) Gone with the wind ( romance at its peak) Schindler's List ( strong movie.. ) Sound of music ( awesome movie) My Fair Lady ( good memories ) ...... and lots more.. Hindi Jaane bhi do Yaaron Padosan Chasme Badooor Golmaal Chupke Chupke..... ( there are lots ) Well I hope that says it all... Squirrel, Nupur, MMN, Semantic, Anumita, Questor would you be interested in carrying this through.. .:) ************************************ On a different note.. have updated this blog on my monologues..

Monsoon in earnest

2005-06-01T01:58:00.000-07:00

Vodka and Cognac, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

Having lived here for almost a decade, I have never experienced chaos at just one or two bouts of rainfall. Yesterday it was one of those days which again proved how pathetic our drainage system is and how buildings and drains are sadly not growing proportionately...SIGH Thinking of a quiet dinner we ambled slowly towards St Marks Road to a place which we did not try before... and to the horror of horrors the whole road was flooded with knee deep water.. and there were irate drivers,... honking .. some stuck and some plain frustated... Not one to give up we decided to approach the place from the road next to the Mallya Hospital...and it was like as if nature was stuck at conspiring against us... Just as we gave up the idea.. we got splashed by another irate driver who must have been stuck on the road for hours... GRRRR.. the water level was so high the splash was felt all to my passenger seat through the unfortunately open window which Rocks thought would allow some fresh air and instead... got a huge splash of water... LOL... Not to be daunted since it was my birthday... we went to Casa Del Sol... and had this aboslutely wonderful dinner and captured some nice shots.. inside the hotel.. I seriously reccomend this hotel if you want to have a special dinner... cocktails here also awesome... Since I was recovering from a cold I wanted something like brandy and warm water... but the smart waiter ( he looks pretty cool too... hehe ) made something beautiful with vodka, cognac, pepper, honey and warm water... I think I like Cognac... hic... it is very potent mind you but I am not complaining.. The Tapas combo was also great with chicken vulcano, fish ceviche and paneer pepperocino.. this is the only restaurant which gives you a Tapas.. Weather ... company .... friends.... all made it into a great day....

Embracing a new decade..with relish..

2005-05-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

Great wishes..... Calls from people who care mails from friends who care.. Shub thanks for the wishes.. a close friend who is baking me a cake as a gift for my birthday and making her best chocolates.. a long distance call from another close pal... a quiet dinner planned...at a special place,... want to try something new today.. a day that is going pretty well I must say... Josh thanks for singing the wish to me.... LOLOL Naba... it was great talking to you ... it is this day that you really know how many actually care about you... and what you mean to them... Neels a special thanks to you for the sweet post that you put up... you rock gal.. Aqua.. thanks for remembering... I forget too.. you know... LOLOL Ronj ... thanks for waking so early and wishing me... hugss to Dhriti... and all my blogger friends who wished me.... thanks sooooo much for the wishes..... the day is rocking... Rocks.... you make my life worth living each year.... thanks for that... ****************************** Had a great lunch with a great friend... tripped on Cosmopolitian and a Martini.. and Mixed Grill Steak at Millers and great company... Distributed a rum chocolate mocha cake to friends... was a big hit.. thanks Susan.. you are a doll.. Ending my day with another long distance call from my brother posted in Kufwara near Srinagar.. says its snowing there... thanks for calling me Tushar... you make me very proud... ******************************* GAAAH am I being maudlin... welll today I am allowed to be that arent I ?? YIPEEEEE !!! TODAY MUH BUDDAY... TODAY MUH DAY.. DUM DEE DUM... TA DUM ....

Weekend that was

2005-05-30T01:03:00.000-07:00

Was in a sneezing mode whole weekend so could not do much except for laze around and move like a sloth. My brain is full of cotton or so it seems .... The only positive thing was that I could finish my pending books yipeee.. got more books to read.... Got my BSNL connection which I had given up and now for the broadband all thanks to my office.. who have kindly arranged for this.. Was too lazy and determined otherwise to get work or anything online home.. now it seems I have no choice...... Watched Dhoom in this sloth like mood with my brains addled with slow motion version of daily life...... Actually liked the movie but found strong impressions of lot of movies such as Fast and the Furious, Mission Impossible, Matrix.. but it was well made.. compared to other copies that they have done. Loved watching Lion King too.. I loveeeee Simba, Pumba and Timone... Hakuna Matata Also watched Jo Bole So Nehal� dont know what the bomb blast and hullaballo was all about.. its just another stupid movie where Sunny Deol just keeps screaming in your ear� EEEYYYIKESS� he takes the myth of a sardar a little to far.. My input� STAY AWAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY ............ This movie was definitely not losing lives over� ***************************************** A scene that I remember� Girl trying to patao Nehal Singh � in skimpy clothes.. finally kisses his hairy mouth� and then Nehal Singh.. turns and does a good impression of a gorrilla� GRUNTING� GRUNT GRUNT � until he takes her to bed� ........ hahah LMAO ........ which man in their true senses� GRUNTS just after a simple kiss.. ok GRUNT is not the word.. HRRRRMPP� GRRRRMPPP� is the exact word.. and add to that.. BIG BIG EYES�.... DAZED like in a trance.. walks like a zombie to get his girl� I think they got over inspired by B-Grade horror movies...... I was rolling in laughter.. Good heavens Hindi films are redefining romance scenes.. they need to read Mills and Boons.. I think to get ideas.. SIGH� .... PS: I am sorry if this offends you but I had to write it down� ***************************************** F1 Tamasha It was pure fluke that Alonso could get through at the top though you cannot blame him for trying really hard. He was waylaid at the start of the race which was pretty much a mess.. I felt really sad for Raikkonen who lost the race at the last but one lap.. because of his handling of the car which could not take anymore of the jerks and vibration and there was this major suspension failure� which resulted in a major crash SIGH� he got away with minor scratches and a huge damage to his car and his position�.. he needs to cool down methinks.. he looks like ice but has fire inside him� lethal combination� Sometimes it pays to drive like Schumacher.. he handles the car like a baby� I think Alonso is trying to be just like him.. I was jubilant at seeing Barrichello on the podium after such a long time.. He says Ferrari guys have been trying to improve their car and their tyres for the past three races and they saw good resut in yesterday�s race.. Good for them.. Micheal was pretty decent yesterday� if Ferrari can make a comeback now, it will prove their strength and resilience... ************************* Not a good idea to have someone stay over who is loath to do anything but sit in one place� brrr�.. had to literally tell him to go and book his tickets back home.. instead of just couch potatoeing.. bad idea to have a tiff with your spouse and go and skulk at a friends house miles away without doing much... poor thing.. but well I somehow never could identify with self pity and I-will-do-nothing-about-it-but-sit attitude. ............ I have started using this cool tool called Blogjet� to blog.. maybe you could try it.. its easy to post here.. since you will not lose your posts and all that� I am still evaluating this software.. will let you know more about it later... Tomorrow is my BIRTHDAY .. yipeeeeeee�� dhin chak dhin chak� I dont know why but I still get all so excited when my birthday comes by� planning to go to a special place this time.. no partying just a quiet dinner..since we are still in mourning... but all the same.. its my birthday�

Vodkayaha !!

2005-05-26T22:23:00.000-07:00

The other we decided that we would splurge some dough on something just for the heck of it ... We decided impulsively that it would be on the esteemed Absolut Peppar. I must tell you that this is one hell of a vodka though I am yet to get used to its peppery taste.. Here are some of the vodkas that I liked and I reccommend Vodka lovers to try Eristoff Clear Vodka ( this is the vodka I wooed my to be husband with buhahahah ) The superior class of clear Eristoff Vodka porduced from highest quality products. These have a neutral taste wchich is obtained from the finest rye. Eristoff Vodka has obtained its high standard at taste and aroma from a 19th century recipe of Mikolaj Aleksandrowicz Eristoff and the unique multiple filtration wchich ends with a final filtration on coal. The Eristoff Vodka is not just a superior vodka but also has a unique, distinctive bottle. This characteristic is appriopriate to the product and reflects the quality of princes and kings. Produced on the Bacardi Martini Licence Poland. Alcohol Level: 40% alc/vol (80 Proof) Available Sizes: 700ml Country of Origin: United States Producer: Bacardi Website: www.borninteractive.com/cybermixes/eristoff/ Danzka ( one of my all time favorites ) DANZKA� Vodka is a traditional product in packaging that is far from traditional. With its distinctive aluminium bottle, DANZKA� Vodka is very visible and differs significantly from other vodkas in their normal glass bottles. Alcohol Level: 40% alc/vol (80 Proof) Available Sizes: 50ml, 750ml Distilled From: Wheat Country of Origin: Denmark Producer: Danisco Distillers This vodka is so smooth it gives a new meaning to satin ;) Smirnoff Vodka 100 proof 1.0L Smirnoff Blue, made by the unique Smirnoff distillation process, is distilled to a higher ABV/proof than Smirnoff vodka. Nothing else tastes smoother than Smirnoff. Crafted from the finest grain and filtered in a unique charcoal process. I liked this better than Red Smirnoff any day... Skyy Vodka SKYY Quality. SKYY pioneered the multiple distillation and triple filtration process in 1992. A four-column distillation process distills SKYY Vodka at several precisely controlled temperatures, each removing specific impurities (congeners). Next the distilled vodka passes through 3 filters; charcoal, rough cellulose and fine cellulose to remove remaining impurities. Finally each batch is checked to ensure high purity levels and a smooth clean taste. Alcohol Level: 40% alc/vol (80 Proof) Available Sizes: 50ml, 750ml Distilled From: Grain Country of Origin: United States Producer: Skyy Spirits Website: www.skyy.com ( their website is quite cool) Absolut Peppar Vodka Absolut Peppar is a common vodka containing a complex taste of green jalapeno peppers and fiery capsicum spices like paprika and chili. Alcohol Level: 40% alc/vol (80 Proof) Available Sizes: 50ml, 750ml Distilled From: Grain Country of Origin: Sweden Producer: V&S Vin & Sprit Website: www.absolut.com ___________________________________________________ Cocktails I would like to have... Salt and Pepper Martini recipe 1/8 oz vermouth 2 oz Absolut� Peppar vodka Combine vermouth and absolut peppar in a mixing glass over ice. Stir, strain into a salt-rimmed cocktail glass, and serve. The Absolut Cosmo - 2 parts Absolut Kurant - 1 part cranberry juice - 1 part orange liqueur - 2 teaspoons of lime juice - 1 lime wedge for garnish - 1 small wreath of dried cranberries Pour ingredients into cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until cold and strain into martini glass. Garnish with lime and cranberries. Key Lime Martini - 2 parts Malibu Coconut Rum - 2 parts Stoli Vanil Vodka (vanilla flavored vodka) - 1 part lime juice Shake all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker, and strain into martini glass. SEA BREEZE Ingredients: - 2 oz Vodka - 3 oz Cranberry Juice - 2 oz Grapefruit Juice - Garnish: Lime Wedge - Glassware: Highball Glass Shake all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into a highball glass. Garnish with lime wedge. VODKA SWIZZLE Ingredients: - 2 oz Vodka - 2 oz Lime Juice - 2 - 3 oz Club Soda - 1 tsp Superfine Sugar - 2 dashes Bitters Glassware: Old-Fashioned Glass Mix gin, lime juice, and bitters in a shaker with ice. Strain into an old-fashioned glass over crushed ice and stir. Serve with a swizzle stick SILVER SUNSET Ingredients: - 1 oz Vodka - 2 oz Orange Juice - 1/2 oz Apricot Brandy - 1 oz Campari - 1/2 oz Lemon Juice - Egg White - Garnish: Cherry, Orange Slice - Glassware: Cocktail Glass Shake all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with lime wedge. MADRAS ( did you know there was cocktail named Madras) Ingredients: - 2 oz Vodka - 2 oz Orange Juice - 2 oz Cranberry Juice - Glassware: Highball Glass Mix all the ingredients in a cocktail glass highball glass.

Are you a Buddha ? Wish it was as simple as this

2005-05-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

In Tokyo in the Meiji era there lived two prominent teachers of opposite characteristics. One, Unsho, an instructor in Shingon, kept Buddha's precepts scrupulously. He never drank intoxicants, nor did he eat after eleven o'clock in the morning. The other teacher, Tanzan, a professor of philosophy at the Imperial University, never observed the precepts. When he felt like eating, he ate, and when he felt like sleeping in the daytime, he slept. One day Unsho visited Tanzan, who was drinking wine at the time, not even a drop of which is supposed to touch the tongue of a Buddhist. "Hello, brother," Tanzan greeted him. "Won't you have a drink?" "I never drink!" exclaimed Unsho solemnly. "One who does not drink is not even human," said Tanzan. "Do you mean to call me inhuman just because I do not indulge in intoxicating liquids!" exclaimed Unsho in anger. "Then if I am not human, what am I?" "A Buddha," answered Tanzan. Courtesy 101 Zen Stories *************************************************** And life was as simple as that... once upon a time .... not so long ago

Hailstorms and then some

2005-05-24T21:17:00.000-07:00

Just another stormy Monday Monday evening was one heck of an evening in Bangalore. I have ridden in the middle of strong windy storms before in Bangalore but Monday evening was a different weather altogether... Winds of speed 90kmph throwing in trees and twigs and branches all over... I was driving through Cubbon road when I could hear all sounds of cling clang... boom crash... on my roof and the spooky sound of angry wind... Picked hubby up and got caught in one of the worst storms ever... it was raining hail.. and trees were falling like puppets all around. Many avoided the trees falling on their roof.. some got out and decently removed the branches. It seemed that the trees were taking revenge on the human population the way it was crashing one after the other specially the weak branches ... we could do nothing but sit tight as the storm passed us over... typically as is with Bangalore weather.. after wreaking havoc, it was clear... when we reached home.... much ado about nothing... not so... *********************************************** Star Wars : The Revenge of the Sith A culmination of the cult movie and it was a good watch I must say. Great graphics... fast storyline.. sometimes a little to fast... Now we can all rest in peace that the story is completed... The animation version is much better than the movie version methinks. ******************************************* Waqt : A time for peanuts... If you ever want to feel like being in a washing machine.. this is the movie to watch... SIGH It will wring you dry of your senses... Emotional cry baby stories are passe now ... why dont they come up with something new ?? ***************************************** Bangalore Railway Station Parking I was amazed at the way the parking guys manipulate the parked cars by just pushing the front wheel with their hand. They were kind of playing chess it seemed with the parked cars as we waited for the parking space to clear. Guiness Books where are you ? You must check this out to believe it !! Sheer strength or just the right amount of pressure ?? *********************************** Shell Petrol Bunk in Lavelle Road Friends with cars and bikes.... diesel or petrol must try this Shell bunk. They provide awesome service and your car will never feel the same again... I highly recommend this place.. ********************************** F1 scene....times are a-changing Ferrari and Bridgestone defintely does not do it this time.. Michael seems to be losing his cool .. and Ralph of all people is commenting on his temper... irony of ironies... Ra Ra Raikkonen... we are rooting for you... I am glad that he is doing very well.. I also wish that Ferrari comes up with something fast so that they at least have a saving grace.. I am glad in other respects that the rest of the gang is getting their shoot at the podium. Now the competition seems fair and square... Blow me white blow me blue... I dont want a red no more....

I really have to.... WAACK it out

2005-05-23T00:56:00.000-07:00

This is slowly getting on to my nerves... i really dont know what to do... I have this friend who I like a lot.. but I also realise that her way of looking at life is quite different,... well thats why I like her... She was paranoid about not becoming a mama... I was always there ... encouraging her that well becoming a mama sometimes is not just wham bam and thank you mam... when you really want it ... LOL... and so on days went... After months of deliberation she is on the way to become a mama... Just when I thought that this was a great time and obviously I was very happy for her... she has elevated herself to another level of paranoia .... this time it was me... Everytime I try and chat or talk with her... she keeps pestering me with the same questions over and over again... Why are you not yet a mama ? When are you going to be one ? Dont waste time... ( nodding her head) its dangerous you see ? Something wrong with you.. you must go to the doc... GRRRRR... Till date I have had some 10 conversations with her and each time she sings the same old song.. I am frankly getting really pissed... to such an extent that I am praying that her kid pops out soon and keeps her so busy that my reproductive system will be out of her mind.... Why of why cant she be happy that she is carrying a child and let me be !!! Well first of all its personal... and second... this thing is unnatural.... I have tried being diplomatic to her but she does not seem to stop... SIGH I had heard about friends being pestered by their married friends to get married so that they also enjoy marital bliss..... Its sad to say but this attitude of hers is really making me run a mile from her... She is bent on dissecting my reproductive system... just because well... ( I am stumped) BRRRRR... I am really feeling like a dizzball.. and I hate the fact that this friend does not seem to know when to stop... there is something like backing off when the other does not want you to intrude... even if she thinks that its in the name of concern.... where did all the funny hours we spent over coffee go ? its times like this ,... I hate the concept of so called close friends who think they know more about you than yourself.... SIGH ... I just finished cutting off a conversation with her going through the same lane of thought,.... and though I am usually great with being straight and all.. I cannot for the life of me be rude to her... and tell her to stop prying... EGAD... the penury of being close..... when did it become so complicated..... Avoidance is bliss... now ... so it shall be ....

Trek trek trek... and phussssssssss :)

2005-05-18T03:41:00.000-07:00

Trekking through the tea gardens, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

Walking through the mountains is an exhilirating feeling Crickets can be very spooky Sleeplessness does not do very well for trekking You can see some of the most beautiful flowers in Ooty Kotagiri is another beautiful place you must go if you are interested in trekking Good company always makes up for almost anything Great to be in a new group who are as freaky minded as the rest of us. Animals are always a great time pass event at 2AM in the morning Missed Satriani but dont have any regrets... after the wonderful trek... Its a scary experience to sit in a bus with a sleeping driver who is driving with his eyes closed. The Nilgiris is one of the best parts of South India... Surly drivers make surly companions... even though the ice is broken... Pykara Falls is nothing great... but it has great beauty around it.. Sick jokes can actually entertain us on the highway... my head in going ping pong .. with the ping pong joke :) EGAD I learnt various ways to kill an elephant ... through a joke.. buhahahaha Great to know the Kool Trekkers.... looking forward to another trek soon .... PS: will come back with the new template... till then its back to old one ... :)

Ta daaaa....

2005-05-13T03:14:00.000-07:00

And here I am again with another new look.... Need to fine tune it... will do it later... Weekend is here and the hills beckons again... Going for a trekking trail this time... to OOTY - Porthimund... Details ... as soon as I am back.... Till then have a great weekend folks...

A long but not so lost friend...

2005-05-09T00:07:00.000-07:00

PS: This is a long story so please go ahead with your own time and risk... :) .. its close to my heart and it shows how a soul can survive inspite of all odds... yet another victory... to life.. This is a story about a friend who is very dear to me and with whom I have so much history that shaped our lives... Early 1970's . Not so long ago... in a small town lived this generation of kids who were born somewhere during the time when the concept of flower child was not totally faded out but it had reached its point and when technology was just arriving into this sphere.. Shillong was the name of the place and life as usual comprised of simple things as eating sleeping and chilly wiinters... and lots of warmth in the family... it is a small town where everybody knows everybody else and any little incidence is news for all. Houses were built.. with great hopes and dreams... near the workplace which would help the families manage their home and work well.. neighborhoods were formed on hills... One such neiighborhood was Jils and one was of Deeps.. Though it was two hills but the houses were placed in such a way that the road which connected the two mounds of earth was just 15 minutes walk from each other and thats the time it took for Jil and Deeps to reach each other... but things were pretty obscure since the kids were still dependent on parents for socialising.. Typically the parents worked in the same office so there was a lot of interaction on and off but the kids never bothered to find out where they lived... as age set in and the the education educated the kids.... they became friends... since they happened to study in the same class and in the same school... what a convenient coincidence for the parents... when they found out... Standard 1, 1981. Jil was as usual a stumbling impulsive kid making lot of gaffes and faux pax and always wanting to get away with naughty stuff. A chatterbox the teacher named her yet she seemed to have an OK impression on the teachers since she would keep her grades high. In fact she would top the class. Deeps on the other hand was quiet and shy with a very pretty smile and really always striving to get the better of Jil. She would top the class when Jil wouldnt. Fiercely competitive and not bothered to hide it... She could never comprehend how Jil managed to get better marks than her sometimes.. sometimes Deeps would get ahead but that did not matter to Jil since there was always a next time... but it did hurt when Deeps would come and show Jil her marks... far be it from Jil to show this,.... in fact Jil did not care either ways as long as her parents were happy and she was happy.. bull for competition... it was always a matter of going forward... Competition always bored Jil and she did not give it much thought... Deeps on the other hand...kept every milestone as a memoir or so it seemed since she would always remind Jil of how less than her Jil got she got or how much more Jil got... and they would always be behind each other every now and then in the ranks.. and it would change every time.. but they would be neck to neck with the marks... Fast forward to Standard VIII, 1988. By now it was predictable seeing Deeps' reaction to results and it was a standing joke with all ... how she would get disturbed if she got less than Jil in maths. Maths, English and Science was Jil's forte and if I remember correctly Geography, and some other subjects were Deeps' forte where she always managed to score more.. Maths was something which always kept fluctuating sometimes she was better sometimes Jil was... She had a tutor in her sister so she would score higher sometimes... By this time the teachers also would have fun putting Jil and Deeps as adverseries ... something fun for them to gossip about.. By now a group had been formed and Jil and Deeps were in the same hang out group. The group had fun... doing all sorts of things and Jil and Deeps realised that they could be good friends if this feeling of competition was knocked off.. Jil thought.. oh well it was Deeps who started it and she should ignore it... by now Jil too got in the game and started organising her stuff.. Deeps was thrilled to have Jil reacting at last... and well now the game was getting warmer.. Standard IX, 1989. Jil and Deeps respect each other and start accepting that one is equal to the other.. albeit reluctantly.. but I am sure Deeps thought that she was better than Jil always. Anyways... this was the time.. the basis of friendships started to form.. and Jil and Deeps were in their teens already realising that hypocrisy was not going to solve stuff. and they were both straight talkers and thats why they acknowledged each other as friends... Life was cool.. They were also living and breathing Pink Floyd.. Standard X 1990. thoughts are flying asunder... hormones kicking majorly and Jil and Deeps are right in the middle of it. Jil always being a tomboy never thought that spending time ogling at the boys was something useful but she did enjoy doingit with her friends... what the heck.. Jil has a crush on the cutest boy who lives near her school... and her heart goes flip flop.. she has been swooning for this hunk from STD VIII but all secretly ... Jil also knows that she will never have the guts to go and speak to this guy.. but it was heart stopping fun just to see this guy... Jil and Deeps have fun sharing what if secrets with each other... they were growing girls who need to talk a lot... and the best was that they were very much like each other... brash... boisterous... totally freakky... totally cool...without any inhibitions.... It was very convenient that their houses are15 mins walk from each other and one good way of spending time is that they can communicate through sign language from their balconies. Jil's balcony had uninterrupted view of Deeps' house entrance and terrace... and vice versa... The introduction of telephone took communication to one more level... and this time ... Jil and Deeps would be cooped up in their respective rooms discussing general stuff... and yes more importantly their imaginary love lives, music, movies, etc. Deeps tells Jil that she is nothing ... has no qualities when compared to her sister.. who was some two years older and was excellent in studies....her parents always compared Deeps to her sister... and well made her a underconfident wreck from inside without realising it... Jil is of the opinion that Deeps was a much better soul... in all her bias and told her so... Little did she realise that this sibling comparison was slowly eating away at her soul...Jil now understands why Deeps always wanted to be better than her. It was like scoring with someone else what she could not score at home.. which made sad but perfect sense... Deeps by now undergoes a major change by falling in love with her tenant who lived below her house. He is a younger boy but Deeps does not care though Jil raises her yet undefined eyebrows... Deeps, a true Scorpio goes ahead in this relationship with the full trust of a confused teenage adult whereas Jil is a little cautious.. advising her to take it slow. Jil instinctively senses that this is not how it was supposed to be since the boy is not at all what suited Deeps but she keeps quiet.. what would she know about all this... but....Deeps becomes a new and confident person when with Sanjay without the shadow of her sibling. She flowers under his attention .. .and she is more gregarious then ever.. Jil is happy to see Deeps bloom... Deeps' life now revolves around Sanjay... this dude who according to Jil was invisible. As the seasons fly past.. the peer pressure is getting high and studies become the main focus.. early morning to late evening would be spent in homeworks and assignments... and tutions.. the only relief would be school time... where all would joke around... and share their dreams. Jil has her world which comprises of being a school prefect, more friends, management of juniors, etc Deeps quietly slips off into her own hazy but happy world of knowing a guy.. in all her innocence.. .Jil sees this and is gentle with her even when some make fun of her. Jil by now counts her as one of her very good friends. Evenings are spent in walking that little road... discussing about how best to do what.. parents come to know and Deeps is ready to fight for her boy.. with nothing but pride in her hand... Jil stalls her .. and talks to her.. more walks are taken in the cold chilly air between our houses with our folks watching out for us from that balcony.. Deeps is frantic,... Sanjay is bowing under pressure and he seems to be trapped... but does not want to leave either... they change houses... Deeps is desperate.. more walks are taken.... this time Deeps almost goes over the bend... studies... love life competition and living up to her sibling's standard was more than she could take it... but she fights back.. Jil is there by her.... not knowing what to do yet.. trying to make her find a balance in this situation...but Jil sadly knows that the breaking point is so near and hopes against hope that Deeps regains herself soon and not give in... November 1989. Winter sets in and studies are in frenzy. To top it all insurgencies start and Shillong is no longer a safe place. We have stray incidences of crime which are getting more frequent day by day. As if in tune with the time.. Deeps falls ill with Typhoid and she is serious... Jil rushes to see her but knows she will recover at her own pace.. all the pressure is taking a toll on her. When she recovers, she loses more than her hair which is normal. She loses some memory and her grasp of learning. This is not visible. March 1990: It is exam time ...one of the most important exams in our life.. the first big exam and it is just few days away.. everyone is studying hard.. revising all that was learnt through the year... Deeps is still recovering and somehow once they manage to have their evening walk together.. Jil sees that Deeps is talking nonsense.. there was no link to what she was saying but Jil comes to know that Sanjay has left her when she was sick. This drives Deeps over the bend and is the last straw, Her psyche flips over slowly and she undergoes a total personality change.. from the shy demure Deeps to an angry kid who lets out all the abuses that she can for her parents, her boyfriend. .... Jil is bewildered and scared to see her like this and tries to talk to her but Deeps snaps at her and tells her to keep quiet. Deeps tells Jil that she is hearing voices in her head and she feels that she has no control over her emotions.. Jil's heart sinks lower... she tries to get the focus back on studies and tells her that they will deal with this after the exam... Deeps is not convinced.. she is on her own trip but she agrees to go back to her studies... Exam begins. The next morning is History paper... where we have to do lot of cramming... Jil is busy mugging her dates... Napoleon, Qutub-ud-in Aibak, Mohammad Bin Tughlaq. Bahadur Shah Zafar, Aurangzeb, Harrapa and Mohen jo daro civilisation, stone age.... etc etc... Suddenly as the dusk is about to fall, the phone rings... Jil feels disturbed by lets her dad answer it. Dad is looking at Jil with serious and Dont-do-this-eyes. Jil nods and tells him to make some excuse. Dad gladly does.. not telling Jil who it is. After sometime the phone again rings.. persistently.. this time.. Dad the good human being that he is cannot avoid anymore and summons Jil to answer the phone... Jil takes the call and hears a desperate mother appealing for help... Deeps is in trouble.. and is asking only for Jil... She is going mad throwing things and is asking for Jil... she would only listen to Jil... Jil is in a dilemma. But she agrees without hesitation assuring the mother that she was on her way. Jil's parents warn her of dire consequences and reprimands her... but she beeseches them to let her go... She knows that Deeps needed her.. and Jil will be there no matter what.. Jil runs with her fast beating heart towards Deeps' house and those 20 minutes seem 20 hours.and Jil wishes she had wings. Finally Jil reaches Deeps' house.. and sees that the whole house is in shambles.. Deeps obviously has had a panic attack and she loses her bearings and went about in an abusing spree.... Jil goes and hugs her trembling body and soothes her... requesting her parents to go out of the room. Jil asks her quietly when Deeps sobers down looking out of the window.. what was the matter... Deeps hugs Jil back tightly and a tiny trembling voice very unlike Deeps pipes in... " I am not able to recollect anything" ... Jil is astounded... and helpless.. How ?? Deeps says again that her memory is like a blurred slate and she cannot remember any details of the History subject. Even Maths was an effort for her... She showed me that she could not hold her pen straight.. The writing over which she had earned so much praise was just thin thread lines... without forming a letter... or an alphabet.. Jil does not know what to do.. she is overcome and slowly tears roll down Jil's cheeks and Deeps knows and Jil also knows that there was nothing they could do but submit to fate. Deeps cries harder at the unimaginable loss. Jil cries for her friend... and at the total tragedy of the whole situation feeling so helpless. They sit like that for some time... till Jil tells her to take a break and give the exam again next year. It was obvious that she could not sit for them. Deeps shivers harder at this and tears of pure pain and frustration beats at her. This day before the history exam will remain in Jil's memory till her memory dies...Jil will never understand how one can lose total control and what a painful situation one can be when one sees a perfectly normal soul go slowly and painfully lost.. in the depths of her confusion... Jil finds it difficult to comprehend with her teenage brain how such a silly situation could lead to such a serious siituation. For a girl who was well known for her good marks, it was a fluke of fate that everything be taken away from her... after bringing her to the end of the goal but thats the way it was. That was the last Jil saw any sign of the coherent and brillant Deeps. Exams come and go. Deeps sits through it all never writing anything in the paper.. she comes every exam day.. sits through the exam and go back... all quiet.. it was as if she was trying to fight her inner demons but not succeeding,.... Jil sees Deeps moving further and further away from her and she cannot do anything about it..Deeps clearly was one of the very few who failed and by this time Deeps becomes another person altogether... totally silent.. speaking when spoken to... not laughing much... friends try and help her... but she shuns everyone... she can no longer identify with Jil... Jil is frustrated... but she still keeps trying.. Jil cannot imagine what she has lost by losing Deeps ... Deeps goes deeper and deeper into her world and becomes a recluse... while time flies... Jil is instructed by Deeps' mother not to come by. Jil is hurt but she understands. Jil wished Deeps would call her. Deeps does not answer the phone and her parents were not helping by barring her friends from visiting her. Jil gives up reluctantly knowing that when time comes Deeps will meet Jil again as coherent friends. Meanwhile, society starts being very cruel to her. The whole town assumes that Deeps is insane. The whole town writes her off and make fun of her... Jil can only ignore the hearsay.. wishing that people werent so cruel... Jil's heart does not give up. Jil sees from a distance.. from her balcony when Deeps listlessly staring into the space... and Jil is heartbroken only praying to god to get her friend back to normal .... how she wishes that Deeps calls her for a walk.. Pre-Univ 1992. Deeps is not giving up. She has fought back... it took two years but she is fighting back... she slowly regains her writing skill... some of her spirit but is a totally different human being now. Jil meets her sometimes on the road.. longs to talk to her but Deeps who is with her mom quietly says hi and walks along.. Jil understands that Deeps that she knew is lost forever...and only a miracle would bring her back... Fast Forward.... 2003 . Deeps emails Jil about her marriage to someone. Jil is pleasantly surprised and wishes her well. But Jil knows that the guy whom she was marrying was a vagabond and a useless freak who went about womanising from his teens. But Jil thinks that people change and well teens are always a bit wild... for some and marraige was was a serious step with parents blessings. Jil is thrilled... squashing her doubts.. 2004..fairy tale ends .. . Jil gets an email from Deeps .. saying that she is filing for divorce since the man concerned already was married and he played a game all along. Jil is shocked and hates at being right. Deeps asks Jil for evidence.. but what good will just words do ? Hard core evidence was what they were looking for... As usual.. the man escapes.. by pleading insanity in wife... there the dark past comes calling back to Deeps .. and Jil can imagine what she might be going through again pained at her loss.. All through the year Deeps is the one this time who corresponds over email.. Jil invites Deeps for a visit to Bangalore but Deeps is reluctant... so many years have passed. What would Jil be like ? Is she still my good friend...Deeps shifts to Calcutta from Shillong and a new life begins. Jil is esctatic. Jil cannot thank God enough for Deeps... this time not asking why she had to go through this.. but grateful that Jil could see some of the old Deeps back in action. This would do for Jil. One hot summer evening in 2005. The cell rings and it says Deeps Cell. Jil eagerly picks up the phone.. to talk to her. Deeps slowly says that she might be coming to Bangalore after excitedly talking about everything but nothing.. just like the old days... Jil's joy knows no limits... Jil is mentally hugging Deeps... and telling her how much she would just love to see her and talk to her.. how much Jil would like to take a walk down memory lane and start from the moment where they left off... before life took over... Yes the news of the impending visit from Deeps is making me feel really great. She is just another normal woman now going through her normal life.. A lot of times the past should remain where it should,... in the past.. and one needs to carry on from there.. I see new hope in Deeps.. I see another long but not so lost friendship rejoice... Yes there is reality in dreaming after all... so what if it took more than a decade to reach there.... It is worth it.. Welcome back... my old friend... and a big toast to new beginnings.... I am proud of you..heres to you and me growing old together... heres to life heres to friendship.

The End

2005-05-09T00:04:00.000-07:00

What a way to end my weekend... Well last week it was only words .. meetings and words and late nights.. which was fun.. After an exhausting session of work I am planning to get away early with the permission of my boss.. as I am ready to pack myself up... a young un comes to me with a forgotten task that I had asked his help for. He remembered and I totally forgot.. I give him the time to fix the stuff up with whatever was wrong. We had worked together and he came out to be a sweet chap ... fresh out of college and lot of dreams and enthu to work... I was feeling quite old but heck I matched his verve and talked about everything music and iPods, etc... ( ah ye! of the young world) This time he comes to finish what I had requested regarding a project. As he is working away at my laptop, he looks around and softly asks me... A : Pallavi, do you know a good hair salon for men ? Me ( looking around and seeing no one nearby ) : yes.. there are many .. why ? A: Well tell me about a good one !! I need to know... Me (quite puzzled by his insistence but willing to help) : Well you could go to this ABC salon. A: Great, now what do you think of my hair.. ( he is trying to lengthen his hair and its in that funnyt stage where all the hair seems to curl up in the wrong side). Me: Well you are in that stage where it is growing in all directions ( subduing a yawn) A: Yeah, well I have a difficult time managing my hair.. Me: Smiling and telling him that it is only a phase ( thinking to myself... good lord why am I in this conversation.. I so wanted to go home and sleep) A(After typing some more commands, he softly asks): So what do you think I should do... I was thinking of straightening my hair. Please suggest Me: Well you could do that.. ( not willing to go into something which I did not know) A: No please tell me... Me: ( now really feeling trapped) well you could straighten it ... ( and before I could finish) A: No I think I shall smoothen it. Me ( all these were new terms for me ... ) Ahem what is smoothening ? A ( goes to give me an explanation) : well what do you think? Me: I think I really am not the right person to talk to... considering I had little or no hair on my head ... A: Ok cool .. Me: maybe

does it make sense

2005-05-03T04:21:00.000-07:00

I had decided that I would not blog about work and also found an anonymous space for my rants...so the point is that I will definitely rant without being under the eyes of the benign and cute ministering angel or the general junta.. albeit anonymously.. buhahahaa !!! ...... but I cannot help but blogging this.. here.. In a meeting where we were reviewing doc contents, it was instructed by the Senior Management again and again to remove noise words... such as Enter the, Specify the, Select the... which is normal for a standard online help. According to the feedback, we should have used neutral sentences.. well I thought that instructions to a user needs to be very implicit when talking to a user... I guess it was a question of rolling the way the ball rolls... and what they said also made sense... so "off with the noise words' head" we went.... As we were trying to form content, Josh, my team mate piped up with an analogy... we have to make a biryani without turmeric, salt, etc. We cannot comprehend documentation without actual instructions for a user..to do something and just provide an explanation for that field. But we got around to preparing this kind of biryani without the main ingredients... nothing is impossible after all. When reviewing the doc suddenly we come across a noise word.. Specify.. all 4 of us who were drilled not to use noise words piped up "no noise words" The gentleman in question pipes back... oh bull... boo boo booo there you are for noise words... this sparked off a humorous discussion on noise words.. go figure.... boo boo boo !!! is that enough noise or what... If we were not to use noise words for the sake of not repeating ourselves... what would a man drowning in the river be instructed to do to avoid shouting HELP HELP HELP... I was imagining a scenario where my purse got stolen and I shout chor chor... what would be the alternative... for this noise word... LOL or for that matter what would be a KNOCK KNOCK joke be like without noise words... Of course.. these thoughts were kept within the conference room ... and we all know that when the time comes ... we will also make a noise about the noise words... LOL Coming to a feature... which said that this was the extension of another feature... Someone... who was pretty tired and a reluctant reviewer comments... This is like : Who is Appaswamy ? Brother of Uppuswamy Related to that we had a session on sentence jokes... here are a couple which I picked and couple which we laughed about .... In an English examination paper: Write a sentence on Rendezvous. I do not know what Rendezvous means so I asked my friend what it meant. ( well that is a sentence isnt it ?? go figure LOLOL) Teacher: Give me a sentence with the word "indisposition" in it. Pupil: I always play center because I like playing in dis position. Teacher: Give me a sentence starting with the letter I. Student: Ok I is . . . . . Teacher: No,no. You do not say I is, you say I am. Student: Ok. I am the ninth letter of the alphabet. Teacher: Ronald, spell 'bet' Ronald: B-e-t-t Teacher: Take off one t. Ronald: Which one? Teacher: Please state the formula for water. Student: H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O. Teacher: Wrong Student: How can it be wrong? Yesterday you said to formula was H to O!

Totally personal...and then some

2005-04-27T06:44:00.000-07:00

Ok this post has got to do with me, myself and more me... so you can kindly ignore it if it does not work for you... LOL hehe !! I was going through Squirrel's post as usual.. and found this post very interesting and thought I would get interviewed by the Squirrel herself... and here are the questions that she came up with.. I think I did something similar for Nupur too...but anyway I shall place this as a post... This gemini likes answering interesting questions.. so here we go... 1. Is balance a good thing or a bad thing? Can one be "too" balanced? Balance is what I like looking out for everytime in my life.. who does not...In everything if i have found a downhill, i have also found an uphill and given a choice I would always like to remain in the middle. but I guess that does not work out very well in life. As soon as you think that you have attained the perfect balance... for example between two or three aspects in life.. there comes something which totally takes your foothold away... I guess it is good to expect the unexpected and try and keep your balance no matter what.. One can never be too balanced.. I guess.. it just is not the way life is designed for anyone... one can strive for some greys but you have to go through your black and whites to find your true colors... 2. If you could only eat 5 foods for the rest of your life, what would they be? These can either food items... like grapes, or dishes... like biryani. Well... eating good food is something which I like... Maybe I would settle for

Salads ( both fruits and vegetables)
Stuff made of mince meat and bread/rice
Blue berry cheese cake
wine
water

3. What animal do you think you most resemble (behaviorally or physically, or both)? I would associate with the cat family i think... I would like to think that I am

as ferocious and impulsive as a tiger
as graceful, independent and resourceful as a cat
as open hearted and stealthy as a lynx
as mysterious as the mountain lion
as fast in thinking as the cheetah moves
as invisible as the black panther in the dark when required
as lucky as a house cat
as fearless as the leopard
as warm as a tigress with its family
as fun loving as the tiger cubs which learns a lesson even in play

4. What is the saddest thing you can imagine? The happiest?

Being without my partner or pets .. or my folks and my aunts... whom I love a lot.. they complete my circle...
Being with my partner and my folks ....and lot of pets... yeah and lots of good friends....

5. What is one thing people assume about you that just isn't true.

That I am available 24 / 7 for people who when I call are nowhere to be seen.
That I shall always be able to make people laugh. (I do have my black moments which I expect my friends to understand)
That I have limitless patience and can forgive everything just because I have overlooked a lot of gaffes.
That I do not have a serious side.
That I only have a serious side... LOLOL ( contradicting isnt it ?)
That I will take whatever is doled out to me without reacting.

here is something else which I picked up from Ash's post.. these things are addictive I tell you.. here are my 43 things that I so so so dream about and waiting for it to be a reality... if you want to list down your wishes for the heck of it.. you can do so at 43things.com And here is another moving write up I read through Wise Donkey's Post. Incidentally he is also the same guy who was in the news sometime back for climbing the IISC tower when the Chinese Premier was in town. ( As per Aqua's information)

Culture ... Koolture

2005-04-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

Sakshi speaking to the tree, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

Saturday evening saw us enjoying the cool breeze in Fireflies farm and getting a taste of the cultural kaliedoscope in Bhoomi Jatre. My notes.. Well organised event... it was nice to see an event without having any obvious sponsors.. Loved the Yakshagana dance... something new for me to watch.. The violinist duo was amazing in bringing out their compositions and their jugalbandi session was pretty cool.. The only disadvantage was that it went on for too long.. one needs some change after an hour.. However good a program is one can take it only upto a certain time... Konark Reddy and Roberto Narayan.. did some jamming session.. except that their Work in Progress was actually a work in progress it was jarring to say the least but the effort was appreciated... I dont think I should compare but after listening to Taufiq Khureshi Roberto Narayan was kind of ok and nothing extraordinary... dont know what the hype about him was... Loved the slide guitar performance... And absolutely loved the dance composition ... of Sakshi's story.. very well done... There was one part where there was this elaborate dance was going on and a dog came up to the stage... totally bewildered to see all the action and did not know what to make of it.... After being entranced for some seconds.. it ran off .... The stage, oak tree must be its sleeping or irrigation place... and it was confused seeing the tree transformed into a stage... They could have made the shows a little shorter.. guess they did not have enough performers.. Food was great... you could get a variety of food to eat.. and there were lot to buy too.. I got a good deal with the free books... And I had MOMOS ... buhahahah !!! here are the pictures of that evening if you are interested... ******************************************************************** Casa Del Sol Amazing place to eat.. here is the review of that place... *************************************** Robot Animation Movie A must watch if you like animation... lot of humor involved and a great animation work.. I must say... ******************************************* Alonso Alonso it is ... Yet again Alonso did it.. though this time I appreciate Michael Schumacher a lot since he came to the 2nd position from 13th place... only he can do it.. I dont think even Alonso could do that if he was in the 13th place... but got to admit that Renault traction is much better than Ferrari.. looking forward to another race... Micheal proves it again and again.. that it takes more than just being the best to win... ********************************************** May God bless Preeti and give her strenth to be where she needs to be... !!

Souvenirs

2005-04-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

Among my Souvenirs music by Edgar Leslie, lyrics by Horatio Nicholls

There's nothing left for me Of days that used to be They're just a memory Among my souvenirs

Some letters sad and blue A photograph or two I see a rose from you Among my souvenirs

A few more tokens rest Within my treasure chest And, though they do their best To give me consolation,

I count them all apart And, as the teardrops start, I find a broken heart Among my souvenirs

I count them all apart And, as the teardrops start, I find a broken heart Among my souvenirs ********************************* ....Some chord touched A lost tune sung.. here I am with my souvenirs in my solitude and they say past is past why is it never one to last knowing the answers yet I am back with my souvenirs.... have a nice weekend folks...

Scratches...

2005-04-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

Phone talk Me at the fag end of the day getting a message on my antique mobile... "I do not know you are. I am so confused. Please tell me who you are.. I do not know how I got your number.blah blah blah" Me thinking : How the heck would I know who that is ? Typically I am too caught up to reply to that message. And I forget about it.. After sometime I get a call... Man ( now why was that obvious) : Hello? Me: Hello? ( quite abruptly since I was trying to figure out something and it was really late) Man: who are you? I dont know how I got your number .. but who are you ? Me: Who is this ? ( trying to be nice) I think we got our phone numbers crossed... I dont know you .. I am sorry and I guess thats it. Man: ( pause) OHhhhhh... So what do you do ? ( aha a question for a question.. Smart Baiy) Me: ( too tired to get chatty) Look buddy. I am in the middle of something and we just happen to have the wrong numbers here Man: Oh okok ... So when you are free call me ok ... Me: sure sure... ( I cut the phone) HUH ( GAWK ) am i mistaken or was that him trying to talk to me... how did that go like I should call him to find out who I am and how he is so confused... DUH After sometime I get a sms message... Man: I think you have a lot of attitude Me this time not hesitating with a reply... "yes I have.." (and a lot more stinging words).. and "nice to know you". Is there a communication gap here or what.. man calls me ... man messages me.. man tries to know what i do and where I am.. man tells me to call him back... man does not tell me who he is.. when I honestly tell him .. that its a wrong number and I am not interested... I am the one having the attitude here.... OK is this the finest example of male chauvinism or what... or maybe at this hour of the night when I would like to cozy with my book my wires have been crossed.. Bless you MAN for being a MAN but dont blame me for being a WOMAN.. women are supposed to have attitudes .. BUAHHAHAHAH A!!! and if I know you MAN, I am sorry for this ... but if you would have told me who you were... maybe this conversation would not have been so abrupt... :) ********************************************************** In the lift: A tall American an Indian with an American accent... and evirl 'ol me. American: walking inside the lift.. with a golf case.. Indian: Hi... ( trying to be his friendly self) American: Hi.. Indian: back from the US huh American: Yeah.. Indian: Ah a golf case?? you have started playing golf? American: Umm nope with a smile Indian: Then why are you carrying one? American: UMmm its for a friend.. Indian: Who ? Tim, Paul, .. American: ( feeling very invaded) ummmm nope.. its for Alfred.. you know him ? Indian: tying to get the connection.. Oh Alfie ?? American: Ummm yeah maybe ?? Indian: Ahhh so he is playing golf.. and you got it for him... from here.. American: No .... SIGH from the US... Me: silently praying for that guy to shut up before he gets snubbed by the American... TING ... the lift door opens and.. and the american also looks a lot relieved... I also am happy that it is time for me to get out... :) Are we Indians always that curious ? Or are we trying to be over friendly sometimes... ? What is it that makes us want to bring out a full story out of a one line conversation..

Hanging out in Horsley hills

2005-04-18T02:37:00.000-07:00

A nice way to ride through, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

This is what we did this weekend nice place to go if you just want to chill out... here is the write up with information about the place and the snaps.. .. Toodle doooo. PS: Met this awesomely beautiful deer ... cant get over its beautiful eyes.. SIGH !!

Horsley Hills is a quaint little place where you can chill out and have fun..

If you are looking for lot of activity, then this is not the place to go..

If you have lot of stuff happening in the group.. then this is the place to go..

A nice getaway for the weary... its a nice time to be there.. now...

The drive is a beautiful one where the road is flanked by gulmohur trees..

All in all it is a good place to take off on a weekend !!

FILM FESTIVAL for you

If you are interested in a film festival happening in town you can visit this link.. some movies for thought.. eh ????

Are you going to be there ??

2005-04-12T00:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Bhoomi Jathre is here once again!

Two weeks after Ugadi on Saturday April 23^rd. The theme for this jathre is THE TREE GOD � MARA DEVARU.

Thus we bring you a non-sponsored, dusk to dawn, music festival in celebration of trees. Where the artists, and in fact, the whole event is supported by the gate collection. We are also particularly thrilled to say that the entrance remains Rs 200 for the third year running. No mean feat considering the price of a cappuccino, a pint or the last row at Sting.

More than ever the jathre has become a movement of artists rather than just a platform for performance. Great new talent, respected senior artists, a protest singer from the rain forests of Ecuador� They are all coming together to play beneath a banyan tree. On April 23^rd many of us will gather at Fireflies, a beautiful eco-ashram on Kanakpura Road, to star-gaze and listen to them.

Renowned violinists Mysore Nagaraj & Dr.Mysore Manjunath have joined the jathre with much joyousness. As have a Yakshagana troupe from Udipi and Shiri Dance Company from Bangalore. From Myndsnare, a popular heavy metal band to G. Ravi Kiran, a formidable Carnatic vocalist�these are just a sample of the range.

The line-up for this year is as follows:

Appagere Thimmaraju � Jaanapada about trees

David Chungandro Teran (Ecuador) � Protest songs from Latin America

Yakshagana (Udipi)

Prakash Sontakke � Hindustani slide guitar

Shiri Dance Company � performing SAAKSHI, a Tale of a Tree

Mysore Nagaraj & Dr. Mysore Manjunath � Violin Duet

G. Ravi Kiran � Carnatic Vocals

Konarak Reddy - Guitars

Roberto Narain - Drums

Myndsnare � Metal Band

Yell-O � Rock Band

The concert runs between sunset and sunrise, but you are welcome to come in any time after 5.30pm. We will be doing sound checks, but the craft stalls will be open. And as in earlier years, there will be stalls with home-made food cooked by a variety of people from around Bangalore and Kaggalipura Village.

Chilli bajjis, momos, apple shakes, akki roti

Coffee cake, chocolate fudge, date bars

Organic salads, sandwiches and biriyani

Baskets, t-shirts, mats, chappals

Music.Food.Dance.Music.Film.Music.Craft.Music

We will be repeating the Free Books Stall and the Flea Market from last year. Please do bring books for the Free Books Stall and practically anything that is legal, eco-friendly and convivial for the Flea Market. The idea is to trade, barter and re-cycle, not to make a killing. From past experience, let it be said that CDs, cheap T-shirts and guava cheese work better at the Flea Market than furniture and other pricey stuff. Eg It�s a great place for bands and musicians to sell their CDs.

To donate books to the Free Books Stall contact Aparna at 9886002171

To participate in the Flea Market contact Gracey at 944842572

For info and directions to Fireflies contact John at 9448192010

For info about Bhoomi Jathre contact Kirtana at (080) 25585395

Bhoomi Jathre tickets, priced at Rs 200 only for a whole night of music will soon be available. CHILDREN BELOW 12 ARE FREE AND VERY WELCOME. Home grown Bhoomi Jathre posters will appear in public spaces, but like every year, we depend on the Bangalore grapevine and other guerilla techniques to get the word out. This is a people-supported, community event. So please, in the immortal words of Lipps Inc,

..�talk about it talk about it talk about it talk about i-it.�

Come, join us�

With much warmth,

Kirtana, Konarak, John, Deepu and all at Fireflies

http://konarakreddy.com

BUZZZZZZ

2005-04-11T03:37:00.000-07:00

Rocky tired but good to go, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

I am still going through a jinxed period in my life... mercury the god of swiftness has taken a vacation from my account So every bit of what I say gets cross connected for some reason or the other.. Lying low.. lying soft.. lying till the shadows lift... Sunday dinner was awesome where Madhu Menon laid out this absolutely brillant 4 course meal. Lucky for us that he was free... and we were treated to his culinary skills... which included Fruit And Shrimp Salad, Crab noodles, Egg Fried rice and Fish in Yellow Curry, and a combo of flat rice noodles, some chinese sausage, and eggs ... and ended with complimentary icecream.... That was after some chicken Satay, Drunken Beef and Chicken in Peanut and Chilli sauce... I freaked on Tequila Stinger.. which was much better than Tequila Sunrise.. and it goes down slow and strong... Finished watching Sex and the City's Season Two.... I think I am addicted to woman power... hahahah !!!! Whatever... Rains in Bangalore.. what a pleasant sight... Finally some cool weather... but its heating up again !!

TGIF

2005-04-08T00:07:00.000-07:00

Am i glad that today is friday.. picked up by my ears... On learning the Kannada language A ( A Tamilian) : .... mad bidi... mad bidu.... ( trying to figure out which was the right one Josh: Its mad b B ( possibly a North Indian) : Josh ( the expert here ): Me ( silent spectator):

coincidence

2005-04-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

I do not believe in coincidences.. every little incident has its means and end.. when you connect with a total stranger when there is a cycle carrying bike repairs just when my bike breaks down when you just manage to reach home as it starts raining.... when an individual is bent on being sadistic with regard to a simple issue like deliberately coming against a one way and not refusing to budge when you honk when I can see only oily food when I am trying hard to maintain a diet and lately there is this little puppy who is bent on coming under my wheels just when I enter my work premises.. this little adorable critter inevitably comes and stands in the middle of the gate just when I am about to take the turn to enter the office. Is it daring me to run him over ?? or is he just saying good morning to me ?? no matter what time I come in.. this bugger is there... wagging its weak tail.. looking at me with those soulful eyes.. wish I could take him with me... but is all this coincidental ???

Paint me a dream

2005-04-06T03:34:00.000-07:00

Paint me a Birmingham Tracy Lawrence He was sittin� there, his brush in hand Paintin� waves as they danced, upon the sand With every stroke, he brought to life The deep blue of the ocean, against the mornin� sky I asked him if he only painted ocean scenes He said for twenty dollars, I�ll paint you anything. Chorus: Well could you Paint Me A Birmingham Make it look just the way I planned A little house on the edge of town Porch goin� all the way around Put her there in the front yard swing Cotton dress make it, early spring For awhile she�ll be, mine again If you can Paint Me A Birmingham. He looked at me, with knowing eyes Then took a canvas from a bag there by his side Picked up a brush, and said to me Son just in this picture, where would you like to be I said if there�s any way you can Could you paint me back into her arms again. Paint Me A Birmingham Make it look just the way I planned A little house on the edge of town Porch goin� all the way around Put her there in the front yard swing Cotton dress make it, early spring For awhile she�ll be, mine again If you can Paint Me A Birmingham. Put her there in the front yard swing Cotton dress make it, early spring For awhile she�ll be, mine again If you can Paint Me A, Birmingham. ************************************************* this song just took my back to my dreams.. and where I started... way back... and yes I am on my way to paint myself my own reality......some blurred lines.. some pastels.. some bright colors.. some emotions.. some falls.. some wins.. some loss... and my painting is yet to be over...

Hexed

2005-04-04T03:49:00.000-07:00

is what I feel like... Having a spate of Murphy's law specially when it comes to biryani... god knows why ... After having this awesome Beef Biryani for 25/- and Kaali Mirch for 18/- it was like I was dreaming biryani all the way through.. . review coming up shortly... you got to go there if you eat beef.. YEHAWWWWWWWW !!! Shivaji nagar has a 10/- mutton biryani by the way... have to write about that sometime... if you go at 11:30 you will pass this guy with a hot saucepan serving out mutton biryani for 10/- bucks... and it tastes awesome... I swear I am a glutton.. hehee !! Saturday I have this terrible inclination for biryani.. completely forgetting that it was my veg day.. SIGH... and getting totally pissed off unecessarily with hubby for not getting me biryani... all that swollen sulk for nothing !!! SIGH Sunday... a friend invites me for coffee... I message that friend that it is okay if we can meet some other time.. ( i just wanted to sleep and I knew she would like that too). She says that she will come and meet me... I wait at the appointed place... sacrificing F1 race and my sleep... still not grumbling since it was a good pal of mine... and well anything for friends... got to know after driving all the way to the place.. .and waiting for 10 minutes that the friend was peacefully sleeping and totally ignored all my messages... IS THAT DUMB OR IS THAT DUMB ? And I thought I was forgetful... I go $%@#@#@!@# and swear all the back home ... my consolation and admittable glee at not missing the race at all... That evening to satisfy my biryani craving.. my hubby takes me to this joint near home... and I have the most disgustingly made biryani... and I decide to give up to Murphy getting the better of me... and I keep quiet... going quietly ballistic inside.. but I know the more I get ballistic the more Murphy will get to me... So OM SHANTI OM,.... ************************************************************************** Before Murphy struck... we watched Million Dollar Baby. An excellent movie.. I have watch it again since some of the dialogues have been garbled and I feel I have watched the movie partially .. and the worst was that they edited some scenes.. GRRRR.. I hate cinema hall edits.... I am going to get a good DVD and watch this movie again... An absolutely heart rocking movie... Hilary Swanks absolutely rocks... Story is unpredictable and somewhat slow but it picks up when you are whammied with an unexpected blow... An absolute must watch... :) *********************************************************** Other movies that I watched... Constantine Its a mixture of Devil's advocate and Matrix.. nothing much there... Dishum and one demon is gone.. dhishum and one demon is created... nothing new here... Bewafa My friend is still cursing me how I conned her into this movie.. I wanted to watch a timepass movie.. but this movie passes the concept of timepass and goes to being cringingly boring... to tears... Rog This movie itself is a disease you will get if you watch it... did not know what they wanted to project... EGAD... all skin and no story.. I think it is high time we stopped sensationalising sex and selling it to the audience... Shabd I liked this movie... a very unusual concept... just like Lamhe, it is not something for the mass but it definitely is well done.. great edits... good music... good storyline... unsual but its nice to know that experiment with stories are on... instead of the same old storyline rehashed over and over again.. Jurm An okay movie.. Lara Dutta is not actor material ... but going by the picture.. it is a typically bollywood Ishtyle movie... with all the thrill and the suspense thrown in but no substance... A very predictable movie... you have all seen in before... *************************************************************************** F1 Renault rocks...way to go Alonso... an interesting race ... tough one but interesting all the same.. Good to see Raikonnen on the podium..

Some pics my biker friend took..

2005-03-31T22:18:00.000-08:00

This is my friend, Biju Nair (shot from my camera) ... and his camera.. Canon EOS 300. Thought it would be cool to share his pics ... here.. specially the one below... with the baby and the ripple.. the next one is an overview of the bikes from the top... at the Estate house of our friend... in Thekaddy... And thats me trying to figure out something in my camera !!! he clicked it probably when I was shooting his profile... :) and the next one is a curious monkey's hands.. who was wondering whether to get in or not... the same monkey whose snap I posted on one of my previous posts..

2005-03-31T20:04:00.000-08:00

Games people play (written by: joe south) Oh the games people play now Every night and every day now Never meaning what they say now Never saying what they mean So they while away the hours In their ivory towers Till there covered up with flowers In the back of a black limousine Talkin bout you and me And the games people play Oh we make one another cry Break our heart Then we say goodbye Cause our heart say We hope to die Let the other one to blame Neither one will ever give in So were gazing at an 8 by 10 Thinking bout the way It might have been Its a dirty, rotten, shame Talkin bout you and me And the games people play People walking up to ya Sayin glory, hallelujah And they try to sock it to ya In the name of the Lord They gonna teach you How to meditate Read your horoscope And cheat your faith And furthermore to hell with hate Come on and get on board Talkin bout you and me And the games people play Look around tell me What you see Whats happening to you and me God grant me the serenity To remember who I am Cause your giving up your sanity For your pride and your vanity Turn your back on humanity And you don't give a damn Talkin bout you and me And the games people play ***************************************************** And this is by your's truly :) Entities... engaged in conversations... unlimited sparks flying here and there ... all deliberate ... all misfired here and there... hidden barbs... which one is trying to ignore it to bliss one never tiring of throwing the spears... on and off.. feels like the old days when one tried to get the better of the other.. tired of games people play.. innuendos... meaningful looks.. here and there... sparks again... a little enactment for the observer.. childish... yet .. fair... to one and all.. what would one give for pure unadulterated laughter pure unadulterated... conversation without any inhibition, judgement or bias.. people say in Rome do as the Romans do.. damned if one does... damned if one does not... beauty hides a much complicated network of sub atomic particles.. Tired of all the games people play..

Holi Cow

2005-03-31T02:32:00.000-08:00

Holi I have this kid in my neighborhood who is holi happy. He just cannot seem to get the idea out that Holi is gone.. but according to him.. his "pichkari" has not broken the ice till he squirts it on all the cars of the and mine was the only one left since I left before he was awake and came home when all the kids were safely asleep ... its been hectic the past week.. So one day he waits for the perfect chance. ( I guess he was having holiday on this day). As I reverse my jeep and take it out... and just when I cross his balcony, my front window is splashed with a THWACCCKKK of water.... out of nowhere... I spy him carefully taking in his Pichkari and making a run without stopping and by the time I come out and give him a scary look... he is gone... LOLOL I was reminded of my childhood and Holi when how easy it was to get away with naughty deeds... The security tells me that this HUDUGA is up to mischief with all the cars... LOLOL.. . He is a favorite of my husband since he always comes and literally converses with Rocks when he washes the bike... Jai ho to male bonding... no matter what age it is :) .... Cow Well the population of cows have increased by manifold now. We have cows cooly urinating or chewing cud and least bothered for all you care... so what if it is the main road and it is holding up the traffic... it will go on chewing in a rythmic motion which will beat the best musician in town.... and then when it feels like it will stop to pick a fight with a fellow bull.. and go BANG CRASH BOOM against each other and your car,.... where you are patiently waiting for them to move on and what do you get for that... a BIG dent by one of the enraged cows.. in its effort to show everyone who is the boss !!! Animal logic or just another case of wrong place at the wrong time.... your take !!

Refreshed

2005-03-29T02:27:00.000-08:00

Thats how I feel after coming back from the ride.. not like the monkey above but refreshed.. hehe !!

Great roads... uninterrupted highway..
Observed some giant trucks and tractors never seen in Karnataka..
Moon rising by the ghats...
2 Hour boat ride in Periyar... as smooth as a lullaby...
Tamil Nadu is grilling hot
Dindigul sports the best biryani joint I have ever had till date....
Off roading... had my heart in my hands...
Nothing quenches thrist like fresh sweet sugarcane juice...
Crushed date palm juice is YUCK... i mistook it for lemon juice.. it tasted like country liquor..
Monkeys can be a curious lot.. specially one who almost lost his hide while entering the bar through the window sill.. have the shots to prove it..
Donkeys can be really cute... they redefine the meaning of Beasts of Burden...
Morning rides are the best...
Achieved the impossible... beat the traffic at HOSUR road...

Photos are here . Detailed write up is here !! HALLELUJAH !! I can read Haloscan comments again... Jai HO !!!!!

Aunty bole to

2005-03-24T02:49:00.000-08:00

I think I have been stereotyped... GAWK... and it is so easy to categorise an individual... without waiting for any damn human communication chemistry to happen... have been called a brat, a babe, a singer, a wild one, reckless, Absent minded, golu, Wacko, Jack and Jil, Powerbuilder ( PB), tomboy, bindaas, ... but AUNTY... ( which the pretty gal from HR in the office called me by mistake who probably thought that I did not hear it LOLOL...) Goes to say that I think I am getting to be ancient ... OH HECK who the hell cares.. .?? Either it is pure short sightedness or its just trying to put this employee in some peg or the other... Now that I am jotting my thoughts down... it seems that my traditional attires and the serious attitude that I am trying to portray have been leading to the so called stereotyping... Does this require unveiling of my real image... BUHAHAHAHAH !!! * EVIRL LAUGHTER* This reminds me of my college days ... where I used to put in pretty mean names to my profs... and well I think I am coming back a full circle..... what you sow .. you will reap... funda I guess.. LOLOL... Must say that I am in a great team otherwise... I think its too much to hope for a perfect setup otherwise... am trying to be as inconspicous and non assuming as possible.. but it is not seeming to work... :) labelled if i talk labelled if I dont... or is it just my EGO that is getting hyper about this ??? TIME FOR ANOTHER RIDE... yipeeee do da do...... Back to the nature... back to the Ghats.... back to the wild..... Going to THEKADDY this time... Will be back with snaps, and hopefully good stories... By the way I have decided to get a tatooo.... FINALLY.... yes and I have got just design I want... BUhahahahah !!!! and life is on a roll....

First day

2005-03-21T05:25:00.000-08:00

A warm welcome with a T-shirt, two books and a home office pen kit... Lots of meetings and words thrashing... Lunch...faux pas... I am told that I am to go to the terrace... and have lunch.. go in late since I want to be as inconspicuous as ever... trying not to attract attention... Walk in puposefully.. to the the terrace... sit down.. and have my lunch.. as quietly and quickly as possible... mindful of eyes eyeing me wierdly... I try and finish my food faster... feeilng awkward... suddenly I am accosted pleasantly by an ex colleague ( who I know belongs to another company in the same building) .. who talks to me... blah blah.. I also talk to him blah blah...he calmly tells me that I am having lunch in their premises.. GAWK and I look around me and I realise that I have had lunch on the wrong side of the terrace which belongs to another company... and see everybody having black tags... which should have been red... and I have some so many pairs of eyes looking at me as if I am an alien... heh heh.. I walk sheepishly to the other side and see all my colleagues with red tags all eyeing me with laughing eyes... Heh Heh !! I laugh loudly at myself and walk around with aplomb and go down as fast as possible to my bay... back to the comfort of the cyber space where everything is neutral... where is my burying hole :) meetings again... where half of it flies past my head.. brillant heads at work.. an engaging conversation with a fellow writer who is as brillant as they come... I am lucky to be in this team.... and the day is ending as I type this... Heh heh !!!

Finally

2005-03-18T00:25:00.000-08:00

Today is my last day this place... WHEW... what a relief.... Mind is blank.. spirit is temporarily free... free of deadlines... free from walking on ice... free from all comfort.... free from the thin red line.. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !! With a bittersweet feeling I thus leave this place... To another beginning ... another role... another domain.. Am feeling light and content... waiting for the new journey to begin... Its always sad to say goodbye but all things that start has to end.. and thus is the end of my time here... So will be back jotting from my new place.. wish me luck !! Meanwhile you have a great weekend ...

Red

2005-03-15T21:42:00.000-08:00

What does the color red signify for you ... ? I have always been fascinated by the color red...right from the time I have had a sense of remembering... cant say it is my favorite color but it definitely perks me up.... its like all things which are forbidden and which needs exploring... Pallavi - 3 years old I have this friend who is a tenant in my house. Her name is Rajani. She is about 4 years old. We play together. We do almost everything together.. eating, running, etc... I also learn Bharatnatyam with her... inspired by the natyam dress she wore... Then comes a day when we star discovering color pencils and sketchpens.. I have the paper and she had the pens. She has three red sketch pens and three dark green pens. I was totally in love with the red sketch pen so much so that I asked her very politely if she could lend me for one day... she knew I coveted that and totally refused.. That got to me... I again asked her but she was adamant. I kept quiet and later on I cooly stole one red sketch pen.. when we were collecting the papers.... :) I got it and was totally in love with it.. did not eat did not sleep but went on drawing with the red sketchpen on and on... Mom and Pop thought it was strange that I was quiet.. it did not take them much to figure out what I had done.. they asked me to give it back but I did not move. They finally took it from me after promising me to get a red sketchpen and very calmly returned it to Rajani and we became friends again.. Till I saw her red shoes... ..... I brought that home very calmly... and kept admiring it.. this time i hid it under my small table.. suffice it to say that my behind was red as well from a good spanking and later I also got a pair of red shoes.. and red sketchpens... LOLOL ********************************************************************** Today be it a Ferrari or a Red leather... it still continues to fascinate me... I am at present writing in paper with red gel pen !! heheeh !! History on Red

Red is supposedly the first color percieved by Man. Brain-injured persons suffering from temporary color-blindness start to perceive red before they are able to discern any other colors. Neolithic hunter peoples considered red to be the most important color endowed with life-giving powers and thus placed red ochre into graves of their deceased. This explains funds of skeletons embedded in up to 10 kg of red powdered ochre. Neolithic cave painters ascribed magic powers to the color red. The word "magic" ("Zauber" in German) translates to "taufr" in Old Norse and is related to the Anglo-Saxon "teafor" meaning "red ochre". It can be stipulated that they painted animals in red ochre or iron oxide to conjure their fertility. Protective powers of the color red against evil influence were common belief. Objects, animals and trees were covered in red paint, warriors painted their axes and spear-catapults red to endow the weapons with magic powers. Some of the Australian aborigines abide by this custom up to the present times. Neolithic hunters and germanic warriors used to paint their weapons and even themselves in blood of slain animals. Roman gladiators drank blood of their dying adversaries to take over their strength. In other cultures, the newly born were bathed in blood of particularly strong and good looking animals.Red painted amulettes or red gems, such as ruby or garnet, were used as charms against the "evil eye". Wearing a red ruby was supposed to bring about invincibility. Red bed-clothes were customary in Germany up to the Middle Ages as protection against the "red illnesses", such as fever, rashes or even miscarriages

Wisdom

2005-03-14T23:21:00.000-08:00

Not by silence does someone confused & unknowing turn into a sage. but whoever--wise, as if holding the scales, taking the excellent-- rejects evil deeds; he is a sage, that's how he's a sage. Whoever can weigh both sides of the world: that's how he's called a sage. -Dhammapada, 19, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Wisdom .. oh how it deserts you when you need it the most... trying to wind up this workplace duties since I am shifting apperentice location... and off I walk to a new dimension of words and technology.... So its another new beginning and another end to the existing... but it feels good to get into something new.. something different.. hopefully will contain meaningful experiences... and lots of fun... along with the job... ****************************************************** I think I seriously lack in conversational skills.. or must be totally out of frequency with this person ... he is a nice chap but I seriously did not have inclination nor the time to figure him out ... Remember the expensive jacket guy.. he sees me and comes across to me.. A: hi ! Me: Hiya.. (with a wary but welcoming smile... was not in a mood for wise cracks... specially the "expensive" kind since I was in the middle of serious writing) A: so whats up ?? Me: Nothing much ( ok the ceiling was definitely up otherwise he he ) A : what are your plans for the weekend ?? Me: Nothing much.. A: are you sure? arent you going anywhere special.. I am sure you will go at least somewhere.. outside Bangalore... somewhere near if not far... Me: ( WHOA MAMA !! he surely kept himself updated ) No I am just chilling out.. .( my mental feet were tapping in full rhythm in impatience waiting for this conversation to end.. ) A: hmmmm ( for want of better stuff to say) so suddenly why are you looking so bright so why are you wearing so many accessories ? Why ? Why ? Do tell... something special.. eh ?? Me: ( totally fed up with the conversation by now.. my patience had just about run out I reply gritting my teeth into a feral smile... ) BECAUSE I AM A WOMAN.. DUH UH !!!???? ( definitely not wanting to go into details about why and how I take care of my appearance with a male whom I did not know from Adam.... ??? Good lord ... help me.. is it a crime to look smart and funky ?? ) A: he he he ( sheepishly) you have to give me a treat ... Me: WHY BECAUSE I AM A WOMAN ?? ( gnashing my teeth in the form of a funny smile ...now I am feeling like a cave woman with a bat.. waiting to hit him with it ) A: he he he he that is funny.. okay anyway... will see you later.. Me: (With relief and an inncocent smile ) Sure .. will catch you later dude !!! Beat that !! Now was he trying to compliment me or was he just trying to make conversation.. or maybe he caught me at a real bad time.... Oh whatever !!! ?? And then say women are complicated... I tell you men are more complicated then women sometimes.. Or maybe I just intimidate them... now thats an *evirl thought* buhahahahaha !! .... ********************************************************** PS: Maddie !!! Thanks for the beautiful album... it just rocks !!!

Old and New

2005-03-10T22:23:00.000-08:00

We have always heard this adage of old being gold. .. what do you do with the OLD ?

I have seen my dad lovingly clingling to old clothes which were so comfortable... inspite of mama getting him new stuff.. ( today the old clothes have been given away.. to someone who will have better use for it )
His first flowers which he planted were tended to most lovingly... every morning... ( today the flowers have been razed to the ground by the new owner of our old home)
Mama keeping her old tea set lovingly... her old sarees which was almost torn right behind the closet never mind if it was right at one corner but it was there for her to go back to... when she wanted... ( today she only has the teacup which she still uses it.. rest have been lost or broken as time passed on)
An old engagement ring which she parted with real heavy heart to me... she wanted it for the memory but I wanted it because it was the only link I could have with her when I left home... she gave it to me anyways.. since she knew how important it was to me... to have her with me... ( today it serves me well and I am planning to give it back to her... I know she will be a happy mama )
So easy to burn those old love letters and photographs just so I could erase the memories of how I stepped into being a wise woman... and trying to understand the confused emotion of love which I usually chaffed at but which bit me anyways... ( today this has helped me in not making the same mistake again.. )
Dolls which kept me company .. with tiny dresses stacked neatly together for me to go back to and jump back into my childhood ... ( today they adorn my shelf back at my parents home longing for attention I am sure)
Comics... Amar Chitra Katha, Marvel, Archies, Diamond, comics which brightened my days and gave me lot of wisdom, humor, the meaning of a hero... and what a hero should have been ... stories which I would not have otherwise learnt ... so easily... ( today they are with someone else who I hope will love reading them .. )
Old black and white photographs... when photography was a developing art and science.. ( today they adorn old forgotten walls... yellowing with age .. and then getting colored )
Old friends with whom we created personal history.. old relatives with whom we shared family history ( today it all depends on whether anyone has the "bandwidth" or the "usage" of a "friend")
Old jewellery items which were the fashion statement of the year.. ( today it is junk jewellery or punk jewellery )
Old theatres which would give a nostalgic feeling when watching a movie.. ( today it is being giving in to hi tech shopping malls which are more lucrative.. business)
Old houses with sprawling lawns ... ( today you will see a state of the art building housing expensive flats... forget the lawn.. who needs it ?? )

All that remains is memories... just memories... Is it that easy to let go ???? Or are we rushing in to some vague destination without any strategy or environmental sense ???

Some PHOTOS for you here... I worked on the template tooo... yipeeeee...

Also worked on my travellogs blog template... he ha !! I think I am addicted to this !!

Frustrated but still hanging on.....

2005-03-09T03:59:00.000-08:00

at the fact that my taggie died... yet again... back to my old taggie I suppose...
by the fact that I am not able to view HALOSCAN commenting system from my PC.. is it something to do with Websense or something.... EGAD help me... sorry my blogger friends for not being able to comment but I am reading your blogs ... and leaving comments on the tag.. till I figure out where the problem is ... Sorry Candy, Fairy, Blues, Ashi, Shub, and all the writers who make my day !! I hope to figure this silly problem soon...
at my long 70 mm dreams of which I cannot make sense of... can be a pain... I was walking through a shopping street last night and the lane was never ending and I did not buy a thing !!! ... DUH figure that out !!!

As you can see I am in a major ranting mood... so I prefer to say AUMMMMMMMM !!!! and rest my mind in peace... SIGH !!! AUMMMMMMMM !!!! BRUMMMMMM.. !!! AUMMMM !!! come on mind where art thou !!! ... concentrate !!!! till I find my wandering mind...

Heavy Duty Knopfler

2005-03-07T22:13:00.000-08:00

That was what it was... splendid show... with great music... but too short thats what everybody thought.. We could have had the show for some 15 more minutes... but i guess thats the way it was.. Started dot at 7:30 and finished at 9:45. Though he sang some numbers which I had not heard.. they were cool.. the rest of the crowd thought so too.. some did not like the soulful numbers.. He changed guitars like drinking from different glasses of water.. :) Was great seeing him play the famous Black metal guitar... heard at the show... from one woman to her new boyfriend ... who was trying to groove to a slow number with her... just next to us... By the way we were swinging ourselves to the beat... suddenly Woman: Stop it .. what are you doing Stop it ... Man: I am trying to hold you... Woman: if you cannot hold me decently why do you bother... Man: What Happened I am just Holding you.. come on... Woman: You are POKING me.. all over... ???? Man: (At a loss but not to be beaten) and what of your hair poking me all over my face... ( that too at his bearded face.. now he did not know whether it was his hair poking him or his girl's hair) Me in my man's arms Closing my eyes trying to groove to the music.. but could not help gurgling it out... with my back to them.. giving a conspiratorial look at my tall husband... hahahaha !!!! I pity the man !!! Poor guy... but before I could laugh ,... I became enthused in rocking to the Sultan's of Swing !!! Knopfler's improvisation.. was the highlight of the show.. I think they were great.. Not like Bryan Adam's improvisation of A Night to Remember.. That was so ghastly !! :( NOTE: Rock Shows shows should make a special thing for short people like us.. I felt like a dwarf... and all hulks were trying to hog my place.. this is the only time I was defeated by my weight... I had to knock on their huge shoulders to let them know that I could not see and some out of their enthusiasm almost stepped on my mini foot with their giant ones... EEEP ... And it seems I was not the only one.. there were other short gals facing the same problem.. hehee !.. Though my six foot man rocky offered me to pick me up.. I was too embarassed... Sheesh.. next time.. baby... How come Bangalore is producing so many tall guys all at one go ? There were very few back in the other rock shows... SIGH !! It was after much adjusting that I got two gaps in between heads to have a look at the Screen... SIGH !! BUT ON THE WHOLE IT WAS FUN !!!!!

Trouble comes in Threes

2005-03-06T23:13:00.000-08:00

Just when I was wondering what the third jhatka would be like... it just had to pop up on a Friday evening giving us the scare of our life.. Had an old bugger running at full speed towards us after the traffic signal turned green and got himself hit pretty bad by the side of the car. Predictably there was chaos, bleeding forhead and the vultures trying to prey in at making money the best way they could. Waylaid the auto rickshaw fellas who were on the verge of mobbing us.. put him in the car and took him to the hospital... Shaking at the thought that he could have been killed, angry with the thought how people invite their own death just by crossing the road... Rocks and myself drove .. dreading the cops, etc.. if the blame would be put on us, etc... HOSMAT was where we took him .. paid for all his treatment... medicines... got interrogated by the police who after getting to know that we were from Bangalore... and that the patient was not from Bangalore.. did not bother much... ( I guess we were lucky but it was kind of sad how it was not given that much of importance.. ) My broken Kannada helped too.. Thank god for that ability to convince them in Kannada that it was not out fault ... Anyway, biker friends rushed in to help with the situation... this is one time where we were not pressed from any side for money.. Sat at the hospital for hours till everything was clear.. and made sure that the person responsible.. for the victim.. workwise...came and picked him up.. A harrowing experience.. I was wondering how can we help not hitting someone who comes straight at you blindly that too when the traffic lights are green.. What if he died ? there were so many What ifs but alls well that ends well.. here I am ... just thankful that I am able to write about this experience sitting at my desk !!! *************************************************** Watched Bewafa.. the movie is stupid but Askshay Kumar is getting hunkier and hunkier day by day. SIGH F1 was very interesting.. Loved the way Narain is being accepted by the crowd there... Everyone had something good to say about him and that says a lot. The first free practice had Narain going cool... it was just luck I think that Fisichella won the most points since by the time he raced the track was dry.. It was definitely not Schumacher's day... felt bad for him but Barrichello more than mad up for it :) Coulthard is making up for lost time I guess.. Red Bull is the new team he is working with... Lazed out whole of Sunday doing nothing.. hehehe !! feeling good today... after an eventful weekend :) Knopfler here we come !!!

I AM .....

2005-03-03T22:53:00.000-08:00

Aghast at the budget Building castles in the air Cautious to make my next move Delighted after a good shot of vodka..... Effective as a nut without bolt... now Feeling Woozy ... due to a persistent cold... Going for it .. yes I am ... Knopfler rocks Having a BAD cold Itching to get a Tattoo.. any suggestions where in bangalore can I get a good tattoo done ? Jinxed when it comes to winning tickets Konked out .... where is my burying hole... Lured by the wild wild wild India again... Moving apprentice location Nothing without my normal self.. I am feeling absolutely lightheaded... God help me !! Over all the questions and answers Pushing for a good break.. which I can see at the end of the tunnel Queen when it comes to putting my foot in the mouth... . Riding to Thekkady, Periyar, etc yipeeeeeeeee !!! Still but with lot of ripples on the inner side... Touched by the office boy who have just loaned me a Vicks Act 500 seeing my condition. Under lot of pressure... what else is new for anyone ? Vowing to lay off ... fatty food .. ( it never works ) Wondering how so many places are exisiting quietly without being discovered... X-rayed by the unprecedented heat... GAAAHHH !!! Yapping a lot... Zonked anyways...

sunset, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

Having said all that here is my write up on Wild Valley Farm ride that we did last weekend. I recommend this place to all my friends who like nature and wild life... and for all who want to get away from the city life and just chill out doing nothing... :) but lots of things :) .. For pics... you can CLICK HERE And HERE

Technical writing bleeps

2005-02-24T23:50:00.000-08:00

I was just browsing through some resources as usual.. for documentation and I came across some old stuff.. which made me smile !! Reassures me that I am not the only one having questions in mind some wierd times... LOL ******************************************* Missing User Instruction Hans Springer received an email quoting an American article in German language. I found it very nice indeed. Here is the result of a translation back from German into English, showing the effect of inadequate user instruction: In the American "Meat & Poultry" magazine an editor quoted the following history from "Feathers", the publication organ of the California Poultry Industrial Company: The American FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) possesses equipment unique in the world for testing the stability of airplane windshields. Like a catapult this equipment shoots a dead chicken at a speed similar to that of a flying airplane to the windshield to be examined. The theory behind is that the airplane windshield, if it withstands the impact of this chicken also withstands a collision with a bird during flight. Railway engineers were highly interested in this procedure and wanted to test the windshield of a newly developed high-speed locomotive. They borrowed the FAA catapult, loaded it with a chicken and fired. The ballistic chicken smashed the windshield, pierced the driver's seat, destroyed one instrument panel and finally stuck in the rear wall of the operator's cabin. The railway-people were shocked and asked the FAA to examine the test arrangement whether everything had been implemented correctly. FAA engineers examined everything carefully and recommended: "USE A THAWED CHICKEN!" ********************************************* Biggest Lies Tech Writers Hear ( I have taken the instances which I have faced myself.. in my career) :) :) I'll return this to you, with my comments, by the end of the week? On Monday: We need it by Friday (after doing a little digging, you discover that they've known about this project for 6 weeks, but are only getting around to telling you now. More digging reveals that they can really wait until next week). Nobody reads the manuals, anyway! Code will be frozen 12 weeks before your document is due. There's plenty of time in the schedule for these changes. I don't really have an opinion on how you labelled those controls. One space, two spaces. It doesn't matter to me. We're ordering you a faster computer and a 21" monitor tomorrow. We've never had any complaints about our documentation. We're very committed here to producing top of the line documentation. What do you mean you need to know the product name now? Can't you just do a search and replace right before you go to the printer? Nobody expects you to take notes or write up the minutes if you attend our development meetings. The style guide covers every possible situation. The manual is the first thing that the user goes to after installing the product. Our readers always notice and care deeply if there are two spaces after a period, if bullets are square instead of round, and if the font is Verdana instead of Arial. The product's so intuitive, it practically writes the manual itself. You don't need to know anything about a computer except how to turn it on and work the word processor. The work is simple. Just write down what the thing does and how to do it. Oh, there's just one major feature change and some bug fixes. We are an equal opportunity employer. Communication is our priority. The software is frozen. And this is what I heard from one of the interviews I attended in a large scale company.. To be a technical writer you do not need to know English... ******************************* To compliment or not to compliment Me to A in office ( on finding his jacket really cool) : .Smart Jacket dude !! Its really looking cool... !! where did you get this jacket ? ( the last Q was merely conversational.. ) A ( after hesitating for a sec).. Its very expensive ( very importantly) Me: HUH .. Now was my way of complimenting wrong or was it not clear... A simple Thank you would have been enough.. SIGH.. !! Its like asking someone where are you off to with a vague smile... ? and that person thinks that I am trying to dig the dirtiest secret out of him or something.. and tries to be as secretive as possible .. making me feel as if I have asked about some raunchy date or something... YEESH cant somebody talk just for the sake of talking sometimes.. when you are just passing by or just trying to fill an awkward silence.. for me its just a moment which I will forget anyway to be honest !! Is it so difficult to differentiate between just a simple question and an interested question and give a simple answer... maybe I need to just keep shut... but being a Gemini.. that is impossible.. since I have to talk or I shall truly disappear... .. maybe I need to change my tactics... maybe ... this .. maybe that... or maybe I need to resort to stupid questions .. hehe !! Oh man why bother... I have better things to do...

YEhawwwwwwwwwww

2005-02-23T21:34:00.000-08:00

And you can fly High as a kite if you want to Faster than light if you want to Speeding through the universe Thinking is the best way to travel It�s all a dream Light passing by on the screen And there�s you and I on the beam Speeding through the universe Thinking is the best way to travel We ride the waves Distance is gone, will we find out? How life bean, will be find out? Speeding through the universe Thinking is the best way to travel And you can fly High as a kite if you want to Faster than light if you want to Speeding through the universe Thinking is the best way to travel Weekend is here well almost and its time to pack our bags and head out again... This time its a new place which has opened up which is known as Wild Valley farm. Will be back with pics and stories.. seems to be an interesting place.. lots to do and hopefully lots to click... yehawwwwwwwwww

one thirty in the afternoon

2005-02-23T01:55:00.000-08:00

and its mid day in a mid week.. .... blurb blurb... snooze... zzzzz nothing but a lull on my mind... thoughts scattered like floating micro chips.. learning.. testing .. again feeling... enligtenment comes with brainstorming... mind is a void right now all I can think of is a still pond where my thoughts take me into a Utopia of my own .. creating.. learning.. testing.. feeling... all you get is a thin line on which you have to walk upon...

*************************************************** Just had my ride write up posted here finally. .. you could check this out by clicking this link here. For riders in Bangalore or people who like to drive around this a nice getaway.. and it can be done within a day too so choose your pick and take a break... best time to visit is obviously when the rains have just ended.. its a nice ride either ways ... and you can see I am totally bored at this time...

Couldnt get enough, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

Just to show my support... "Free Mojtaba and Arash Day" ( though I am two days late) :(

Flog the bloggers or blog the floggers

2005-02-21T20:57:00.000-08:00

Bloggers make headlines in TOI.. seems that the freedom of expression is being questioned about ... though they have given some vague examples.. would not know how far it is true... Blogging is personal but some organizations do encourage blogging calling it by different names or management yada yada !! Now that it has been a household name altogether, blogging is being frowned upon... bloggers have the risk of losing their jobs because of some personal write ups that they had made against the "software" company.. which the "management" did not like... Here it must be again realised that blogging has its own undefined rule.. If you are going to write general... there is no harm is letting your identity known to the masses.. If you are cribbing then you got to definitely go anonymous or blog from home and keep it as anonymous as possible.. and as if bloggers did not know that... Whatever said and done .. blogging again makes news.. Publicity or is it just a bite back funda of TOI.. :) God only knows ( by the way this movie is cool :) ) ************************************************************ From a pamphlet I got yesterday JUISSE LAND CHOKLATE ICE CREAM BLACK CURRENT MASH MELONE CHOCALATE FUDGE COCONUTE ICE CREAM CARROTE JUISSE PAPPAY PINAPLE JUISSE STRA BERY COKETALE JUISSE WATER MELONE I intend no offense to the Mallu population but I just could not help it.. this was from a new Mallu fruit vendor ... who was passing his JUISSY ... menu !!

Marathoning

2005-02-20T21:02:00.000-08:00

This weekend we decided we would dedicate it to movies.. and nothing else.. we had to catch up on lots of movies.. Incredibles was something which I was looking out for since a long time but finally got the chance to watch it... if you like animation, this is another treat for your eyes.. and it has lot of humor and chutzpah thrown in.. good character build up.. great stroyline.. something unusual... it was fun !! Ray One heck of a movie though it came out in the papers as one of the sobfest( god knows why Times of India is bent on badmouthing good movies) . I thought that this movie was very well made and dealt with the life story of Ray Charles Robinson with great sentivity. If you are a music lover, you must watch this movie. After seeing this movie.. I felt happy that Ray Charles proved to the world an himself that though the music scene is full of vices.. here and there but if you have the will you can come out of it instead of making it a tragedy like other famous rockers and singers.. very inspiring I must say.. Jamie Fox has outdone himself in this movie..... this is highly reccomended if you are a music lover.. National Treasure SIGH I did not find the movie.. that different.. Put in a mixture of Tomb Raiders, Con Air, Broken Arrow, Alien, Jumanji, and you get National Treasure.. nothing new nothing great.. just another movie... you could watch without thinking.. too much !! Kisna okay this movie is almost laughable.. great storyilne but weak handling.. bad character placement... some good songs... and UGHHHH ... not worth going to a theatre to watch it.. watch it at home and be done with it !! :) Thats it for now... planning for a trip this weekend .. so am looking forward to that.. hope to get more pics of this beautiful place.. :) Had lunch at Mc Donalds.. dont how what all the hype is all about.. it is just another American Ishtyle joint... SIGH... next on the line is The Aviator and Million Dollar Baby and hope you all had a great weekend... I had a good one ...

Observed

2005-02-18T04:14:00.000-08:00

Looking for comfort

mewww, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

Found this lonely kitten in Ranganthittu.. was a sick one but came to me in a pat purring for comfort... thought that the cat need some scratching... below the neck... purrrrrrrrrrr.... a fellow biker clicked this .. I am usually the one behind the lens.. this is one time I am in it :) ... Girl power.... Two children fighting for superiority.. sister who is the elder one pushes.. the little bro and tries to push her back.. but cannot due to his size... sister pushes back.. shouts at him... bro runs to a nearby cycle which was parked.. and pushes it down.. sister gets angrier .. hits bro... bro runs helter skelter till he spies another cycle standing and pushes that down too... sister... shouts but backs off.. bro ... a big smile of glee... All this happens in a fraction of a second just as I was driving past my lane... goes to say... fraction of a second can make you the alpha male or the alpha female... in your vicinity... Laloo Prasad Yadav Thats the name of the &^@$%# movie I watched ... its a bad remake of A fish called Wanda.. and unless you want to see the real Laloo along with the jokers.. in the screen.. STAY AWAY from it ... Love

the lone thinker, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

needs lot of work and patience... SIGH ... dunno why but all the posts I have been reading with reference to love has been disappointing to say the least... Rocks proves it in his quest for the unreachable ....that is attain balance with me .... LOLOL (What is he looking for... this man o'mine.. I tell you what.. he was looking for... tadpoles... hahha !! dont ask me why?? ) LEOs here LEOs there.. I am being hunted :)

A rottweiler pup, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

My new friend, Leo...... which I made... I think he is a Rottweiler but am not for sure he is ... he is a bundle of contradictions.. he looks his most serious when he is up to something.. he likes to think he is cute ... he is so adorably ugly heheh that I could hug him tight... he greets me with a bark from the terrace next to mine.. while I do my rounds.. he patiently waits till I come across him and looks at me with eagerness... heres to you Leo for making my mornings .. more interesting.... ( to think of it... This dog is a LEO, my husband is a LEO, my Father is a LEO ... waaahhhhhhh !!! am I dreaming or do I need help.. talk of coincidences... )

We didnt start the fire it was always burning

2005-02-15T22:38:00.000-08:00

The future, according to some scientists, will be exactly like the past, only far more expensive. John Sladek George Bush, Tony Blair, Arafat, Princess Diana, Vladimir Putin, Bin laden, Sadaam Hussain, Colin Powell, Musharraf... Bees Gees, Deep Purple, Scorpions, Roger Waters Euro here dollar there .. rupee as is was is there... Columbia, Kalpana, yet another loss we bear.. terrorism on the loose, "ecstasy" the high of the year.. Mars project, Enron bust, Indo pak talks, Michael Jackson on the wall PC Virus, pilgrimages killed, suicide bombers on the prowl.. Ununtrium, Ununpentium,30 human embryos cloned, children at the mercy of priests... Train explosion, car bombs, hijacks, lost souls... We didn't start the fire It was always burning Since the world's been turning We didn't start the fire No we didn't light it and try as we might we cannot seem to fight it... Spy planes, leaked secrets, prison abuse, fake wars, North Korea, South Korea, Israel, Palestine... Sonia gandhi, Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh and we go round and round.. Tehelka, Best bakery, false witness and scams all over.. Afghanistan and Iraq is built, on the graves of the lost souls. US rejoices, Pak still burns, Europe copes, India remains.. Greenland melts, Antarctic blooms, deserts have rain, earth quakes, .. Weather blasts, globe warms, hurricane, tornado, tsunami.. We didn't start the fire It was always burning Since the world's been turning We didn't start the fire No we didn't light it and try as we might we cannot seem to fight it... Microsoft sued, Linux enters, Google rocks, IE sinks, Silicon age, Silicon crime, goobye to the old world charm.... Aspirin gets rejuvenated.. economy booms real estate flourishes, the poor still are as poor as can be... Egypt revisited, mysteries unvieled, lessons to be learnt, but we always fail DNA's, Forensic, AIDs still gives away.. Hubble space, Saturn rings, all look out but fail to look in ... discoveries, controversies, when will it all end ? We didn't start the fire It was always burning Since the world's been turning We didn't start the fire No we didn't light it and try as we might we cannot seem to fight it... Harry Potter, Lord of the rings, Star wars, all roll well Amrish Puri, Mehmood, Norah Jones, Anushka's tunes.. Nepal homicide, Tibet still in the trap, Kargil continues, Uncle Sam deigns to muse... Chennai, Pondicherry, Andamans, Thailand, did we ever think it will be ?? bombs here bombs there assasinations rampant.. code red for the world but no one seems to be on the line.. We didn't start the fire But when we are gone Will it still burn on, and on, and on, and on...

Twisted Tuesday

2005-02-15T01:43:00.000-08:00

V day gone and some tension has been released... he he !! in the midst of attending an office dinner ( that too veg ... ) and then hurrying to pick a gift for my man.. it was a day which came and gone but not without its moments.. picking up a gift for friends is a quick thing but picking the right gift for your man takes a while when the choices slowly get tighter year by year... but anyway thinking about it is fun.. after much thinking I got this brillant idea to gift him an original Zippo lighter, which is usually almost every man's desire to covet it and flaunt it. Add to that a huge card which proclaimed my "love" and "lust" for him in 101 ways.. LOLOL and a poster which had all the alcohol bottles that was possible.. only one of which we had tasted.. The next thing was to hide it or rather display it in strategic places where his eyes would go.. he he !! aint I the romantic one !! SIGH... my V day was made.. looking the expression of joy in his eyes and then him reading the card slowly ... ( 101 sentences... SHEESH but BLUSH) he yacked at the funny lines and sighed at the groovy lines... watching him fiddle this way and that with the lighter... made me laugh when he started reading the bottles projected in the poster... and his expression of disappointment that he had had only one brand out of all of them... made my day... hahah .!! men .. they are so predictable sometimes and adorable too... Thats what we are "crazy baruas"... and I love my Barua to nuts .... he he !!

Inside Orange county, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

some left over shots which you can check out when you have the time and the inclination !!! this is about the time when we went to Coorg and ended up again visting this place.. this time we decided we will burn a hole and stay there even if it is for a night.. hehe *************************************** PS: I really do not know who is deleting comments.. Haloscan is hibernating and so are my comments.. have put YACCS commenting box.. please use that.. blogger is also behaving spookily without me knowing about it.. its deleting comments .. GAWK !!!

Monday with a moooooo !!!

2005-02-13T20:31:00.000-08:00

And here is another monday welcoming me with its spring sunshine !! Valentine's day has got the city going pink and red with mush.. there was a time when Valentine's day was just another day and today its hyped up to a peak where everyone is in the mood to wish everyone.. well as long as the spirit is good it makes a fine day.. Watched Black ... needless to say I liked it a lot.. and well its a well made movie.. with the lightings and the colors.. just the right spotlight for the characters.. it has the right bit of everything... The little girl outdid herself. However, the last scene reminded me of Khamoshi.. (we could have done without the last scene where the girl goes on and on establishing and reestablishing the fact that well being blind and deaf is not a shortcoming and nothing is impossible.. blah blah blah..) some scenes reminded me of the movie Svengali.. rest was cool ... Also watched Page 3... now this is a movie I found where they showed stuff which is nothing new.. ... in a way it made the Bollywood film industry look like really sad.. Granted most of it could be true.. well who cares... would the display of the trend or the happenings in the industry be resuced in any way.. what is there is there ... and well the only thing I liked about the movie is the concept that you got to be in the system to change the system... Alexander.... hmmm I must say that this movie was a jumble of history here and there.. I think I liked Troy better. Nothing much to say here .... did not find the movie worth my while.. rest was a weekend where I got to catch up on my sleep.. SIGH.. it is bliss to sleep without dreams... And it seems that this is skin season... what with films like Sheesha, Tezaab, Ab Bas, etc,etc doing the rounds... how much or how little is enough... why is it still so sensational... Think thunk think think think thunk... what shall I get for my hubby ?? think thunk think thunk...

Middle finger

2005-02-09T00:36:00.000-08:00

Felt like showing the middle finger of my hands and toes to the bus drivers of two buses which blocked my way... along with one tempo, one car 5 bicycles, 3 autos... from all directions.. realised that I could not do much about it and to add to it everyone was trying to be the first one to go... ahead.. good heavens... everyone is in a hurry and we are all late... HUH ... give me a break... serves me right to start late... reminds me of a fwd a friend sent ...

Driving in India For the benefit of people visiting India and daring to drive on Indian roads, I offer a few hints for survival. This is applicable to everyplace in India except Bihar, where life outside a vehicle is only marginally safer. Indian Road rules broadly operate within the domain of Karma where you do your best and leave the results to your insurance company. So here are the driving hints:
Do we drive on the left or right of the road? The answer is "both". Basically you start on the left side of the road, unless it is occupied. In that case, go to the right, unless that is also occupied. Then proceed by occupying the next available gap, as in chess. ( just as it was proved today)
Just trust your instincts, ascertain the direction, and proceed. Most drivers don't drive, but just aim their vehicles in the intended direction. Don't you get discouraged or underestimate yourself. Except for a belief in reincarnation, the other drivers are not in any better position. (that bloody tempo was just bent of going straight without bothering about poor ol me on his path...)
Don't stop at pedestrian crossings just because some fool wants to cross the road. You may do so only if you enjoy being bumped in the back. Pedestrians have been strictly instructed to cross only when traffic is moving slowly or has come to a dead stop because some minister is in town. Still, some idiot may try to wade across, but then, let us not talk ill of the dead. (specially the hand showing car sttopping, saree picking and running pedesterian)
Blowing your horn is not a sign of protest as in some countries where we honk to express joy, romance or just bare lust (two brisk blasts). Here, it may be to show your resentment, frustration, or just to mobilize a dozing cow in the middle of the bazaar. (tell me about it.. sometimes I have to beep just to remove a confused grazing cow in the middle of the road)
Keep informative books in the glove compartment. You may read them during traffic jams, while awaiting the chief minister's motorcade, or waiting for the rain waters to recede. ( I listen to music or meditate.. helps me keep calm .. ;)
Night driving on Indian roads can be an exhilarating experience. The roads do not have shoulders, only occasional boulders. ( and twisted parts of dividers)
Truck Drivers are the James Bonds of India and are licensed to kill. Often you may encounter a single powerful beam of light about six feet above the ground. This is not a super motorbike, but a truck approaching you with a single light on; usually the left one. It could be the right one, but never get too close to Investigate. You may end up proving your point posthumously. ( hate them lights)
During the daytime, trucks are more visible, except that the drivers will never signal. Often you will observe that the cleaner who sits next to the driver, will project his hand and wave hysterically. (sometimes its to slow.. sometimes its to indicate.. sometimes.. just for the heck of it .. god is it a puppet show or something...its your lucky guess)
Occasionally you might see what looks like a UFO with blinking colored lights and weird sounds emanating from within. This is an illuminated bus, full of happy pilgrims singing bhajans. These pilgrims go at breakneck speed, seeking contact with the Almighty and often meeting with success. ( may god enlighten them)
Driving in residential areas has been prevented by providing a "speed breaker" which is two for each house. This mound, incidentally, covers the water and drainage pipes for that residence and is left untarred for easy identification by the corporation authorities, should they want to recover the pipe for year-end accounting. (what about new humps that appear out of the blue)
Good Luck !

Had a nightmare of driving a Maruti 800 ( where was my jeep ?? ) across a desert for no good reason.. as I am trying to control the car in the shifting I am wondering what circumstances forced me to drive this in a desert.. that too with a stranger with a peaceful smile... maybe someone was trying my patience or was it a message that no matter how much I try I cannot go ahead given the circumstances.. SIGH... and what else is new ?? Aero show is the talk of the town.... last time was not that impressive.. maybe this time will be a good one.. they seem to be having new airplanes... Here are a few shots of the flowers growing in the backward of our home in Assam.. I took some time out to capture some of them in macro .... some roses, some marigold, etc.. after a bout of rain.. Click here to view the album... And the rest the same old wednesday.. without much to weed about ...

Do we need some more ??

2005-02-08T03:58:00.000-08:00

As the Chinese population get ready to celebrate the new year.. I was somewhat surprised at reading this... and I was thinking to myself.. do we need some more bad news added to all that is happening all over..

This Chinese lunar year is the Year of the Rooster . The element is wood. The last time we experienced a Year of the Wood Rooster was 60 years ago, between February 13, 1945, and February 1, 1946. Forecasting that tumultuous time, the French seer Nostradamus, centuries earlier, composed warnings of the times ahead in verse. That last Year of the Wood Rooster was definitely a year of Biblical proportions, a time in history when the forces of light battled and conquered the forces of darkness and death, and many powers were shifted. The unfathomable horrors of the concentration camps were unveiled. World War II came to an end as Hitler and his evil Third Reich were taken out of power and destroyed. The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Three days later, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. There is a very old adage that history repeats itself in cycles, a fact of which I�m sure Nostradamus himself was well aware. If this Chinese lunar year manifests itself anything like it did back in 1945, the Year of the Wood Rooster is sure to not only change the course of history, but shape the course of the future as well. Read On

And the same newsletter has an interesting theory about beating the bad effects of a planet in your horoscope without spending much money.. I found that humorous and practical given the fact that astrology makes one blind sometimes and the mass is taken for a ride in the name of bad effect of the planets and "parihar" to remove it !!

Saturn is lonely and feels unloved. Having grown up listening to jeers and taunts (because Saturn walks with a limp and is ugly to look at), he cries out in anguish, �And if you prick us, do we not bleed?� Nothing, therefore, would please him more than empathy. Saturn rules isolation, asceticism and old age. One could try to chip away at his crustiness by a voluntary visit to an old-age home every week (or every fortnight or every month, but at regular pre-determined intervals since Saturn loves discipline). Read on for more....

And its a wonderful evening !!! :)

Birds everywhere

2005-02-06T22:20:00.000-08:00

This weekend I was curtain shopping when I entered this shop known as Pet Planet... got attracted by the vibrantly colored birds kept outside... I could not imagine they had so many birds inside the shop along with fish... when I went inside.. Big fish, small fish, big birds... like the huge white parrots with cute crown on their head, a multicolored macaw.. ... I was like stupefied.. Never seen so many species of birds at one shot... Mini doves, african parrots, love birds, etc etc .. They had good user friendly cages which you could clean and feed easily... There were some up to the date aquariums made of fibre.. etc .. Prices of the birds ranged from 30,000 a pair to 600/- a pair.. EGAD Fish price was decent.. Am thinking of keeping a few goldfish.. but birds are also a good idea only that I do not like seeing them in cages... better to be content with my sparrows... ******************************************** Watched Dil Maange More... hmmm... fully faltu but I think it was ok.. Zoya Khan needs more punch in her acting skills me thinks... :) Watched Aitraaz... Have fallen in love with The gela gela gela song sequence... ********************************************* Missed watching Sting... but heck hope we get another opportunity... WAAAH !!! Overheard a doc talking to another while taking my cousin in law to the doc .. DOC A: You know yesterday na .. itna bhir tha... woh STING ka concert tha.. DOC B: oh that must have been good DOC A: with a sigh.. I lost my mobile in the crowd... DOC B : really.. so how was the concert DOC A : It was OK (GAWK STING and just OK ) DOC B: Same reaction as I was having inside my mind... Why . he rocks man !! DOC A : Yaar tu na !! you will not get it .. he is not like Enrique Iglesias... Me in my mind: ARRRRRGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH where oh where does this comparison come to the fore... STING and Enrique are two different genres.. Yeeesh !!! Guess he has been introduced to the music scene very recently... My cousin in law who is a great fan of Enrique looked at me and later jumped with joy,.... I was like ... feeling ancient.. LOLOLOL !!! ************************************************ I think I like the Subs in Subway... if you have the time... do try the Paneer tikka Sub and the Chicken teriyaki Sub.. they rock... :) and Monday is rocking !!

Viola !!!!

2005-02-04T05:26:00.000-08:00

And I have another template.... Ta daaaaa ( Mr Bean style) !!! Points to Note : I have not checked it for usability in Firefox or Mozilla... have not become that much of a geek as of now... ( EGAD).. hopefully I shall mature into that sometime in the distant future.. when the whim strikes me ..I sure wish I could do that now.. but seriously do not have the time... My template is my choice and is not up for discussion like a certain blogger with sour grapes had to say... about Indians having bad taste in choosing blogs like mine and others... Ahem... I was not aware that my previous template was nominated for the best designed blogs in the Indibloggies award. ( I am honored though..) I change templates as per my moods and my whims.... and not to be under particularly overly intelligent and critical dude's sour grapish observations..... excuse me... for the rant and the GRRRR and just as he is free to voice his oh so precise complaint.. I also have the right to voice my irk... And last but not least .. have a great weekend !! Thank you all that have visited my blog and have been supportive during my time of loss.. your kind words have brought peace... you all rock...

Another day begins

2005-02-01T02:43:00.000-08:00

So many things have happened ... in these two weeks... I am yet to contain eveything that I have absorbed... After all the practice with the orchestra and the jing bang... I missed the singing event due to the unexpected death news... so I have no strings story to recount... Death has been ironically responsible for me travelling a circle around India... from Bangalore to Delhi and then to Assam and from there to Kolkatta and then back to Bangalore via Hyderabad... and the unscheduled travelling which was reflected in my daily horoscope was an understatement of the year... Indian Airlines have improved on the flight pursers... and the food. sevice is definitely better... I would recommend Indian airlines as the airline to fly around... Jet Airways is still the most expensive having the worst of services... available.. You will get and eclectically sick combination of food when you are swimming in the clouds with your ears unfortunately half blocked with pain and popping horrendously...

Chicken machurian with Raita... ( who invented Raita with Chinese food ?? ) Chicken Makhani with rice and vegetables with Sauce.... ( was in intentional or was it just fluke that the side dishes got swapped) You will be served tea by a handsome purser only to realise that you have not been given a cup and if you have been accidentally provided with a teacup there is no milk, sugar or the stirrer which usually comes along with the food tray...

The only redeeming factor of Jet Airways is that there is somewhat a continuous connection to Bangalore from Assam even though it is via Kolkata and then Hyderabad. So what if it was almost 5 hours late.... The popping function in my ears had a field day making me absolutely deaf as a wombat ( if there is one)... for two days.. BRRRR... and I am still short of hearing to a certain extent... To explain to people how your loved one died each and every time is as painful as dying a small death everytime... What might be sympathy for the mass may be just a tiring period for the grieving family on one side and on the other side... it is a welcome relief from breaking down just because you have so many things to attend too... that you forget your loss for a brief period of time... Rituals though sometimes incomprehensible.. makes a lot of sense when it is implemented... The best part about death is that it brings a lot of people together and makes you realise that one is not alone.. specially at the end of a wintry day when a bonfire is lit and close relatives and friends huddle around the fire talking and bonding with each other... I think this is the ultimate way of building a strong community... of good will and good thoughts.... When I compare the tragic loss to the loss of the people and families in the recent disaster ... mine seems like a drop in the ocean.... Far away in the hills the disaster of Tsunami did not make any sense... since they have to cope with internal fallouts of their own... as long as it does not affect them they are not bothered.. ignorance is truly bliss for them... Bombing and Bandhs and Assam are words that you need to remember to associate with each other always. Life is not normal without long powercuts... planting bombs.. and closing shop... sad but true.... I need a break... maybe a good ride... just by ourselves...

Reality definitely bites

2005-01-30T21:39:00.000-08:00

When someone close passes on, one can only feel the emptiness and the overwhlming sense of a physical presence gone.. even though his spiritual presence still reassures us that .. he is there with us... After all the death in the family ... it was seeming that the universe was preparing us for a close blow and slowly but surely a soul was preparing to leave this sphere of existence... My father in law has passed on... cannot express the loss but can only pray that he is at peace... Words are flowing right and left but I am here ... just longing for a place by myself... by the still lake of thoughts .. which is running very deep....

when the carpet is pulled off your feet

2005-01-13T03:56:00.000-08:00

Again another instance of change being the only constant in life.. Within a few minutes of a great speech you are left thinking without any solid ground beneath your feet.. A jolt of reality ??? yeah it is and now for what next ??? before the hole is dug .. before I am swamped in ... before the

When one plate is not enough

2005-01-10T23:36:00.000-08:00

After a great romping session in the wild with birds, dogs, cats, in Ranganthittu (See pics here) where we met a lot of birds like painted stork, spoon bill, storks, cormorants ( I hope I got that name right), snake bird, crocodiles, crows who dont feel scared of you at all.... ........ a cool chilling mountain experience along with a good vodka session at Hotel East End in Madekeri, walking down to admire Abbi Falls, a spiritual visit again to the Buddhist temple.. in Bylekuppe (See pics Here),I am all set to bring to completion of the Paint2Win competion event I was part of organizing today... ... Will be singing professionally after a year which is a long time for me... this time it will not be any medley composed by me or any filmi song or a ghazal or a folk tune... this time it will be a song composed by a friend who has done up the music and the lyrics in a beautiful manner.... Best time to practice... while driving.. I thought I would best utilise the time then...even though i look totally crazed... opening my mouth and wording something to the driver who is facing me... the function is on Saturday and I am already having butterflies in my stomach... Brrr... what if I miss a beat.. what if I miss a tune... what if the music is too loud for the song... what if I cannot complement the other singers... eeeeshhhh !! ! I remember when I used to sing for the school audience.. or act in a play.. I used to remove my lenses so that I could not see the audience.. without my lenses I am blind as a confused bat.. and it gave me the illusion that I was performing before no one.. .he he !!! As I have been giving performances ... I became more sure of myself... but that little fluttering in my stomach refuses to go... and this time my lenses trick will not work... for a singer it is very important if the audience appreciates what is sung ... and it is also the talent of the singer to capture the audience with the beat and its rythm.. I always felt great once I knew the trick of having the audience dance to my tune... But many a times when I was a child .. I did not know how to sing the right song for the right time... and it felt flat... and made me face audience with blank expressions and talking to themselves.. thus making me miss many beats... SIGH ... I guess one learns like that... Now depending on the crowd, it is imperative that one chooses the right song which suits the mood and the time... Dont know why.. but all the sessions are coming back to me ...as I prepare myself to go on stage once again !!! In between organising the event, making sure that I look beautiful as I run about and during the event... (Sheesh), making sure my song is perfect ... ( SIGH ).. running for practice sessions ... completing my work at office... making sure that my guests at home do not feel neglected... uploading photos.. trying to blog... complete wrapping some 20 gifts.. with ribbons... writing in hand some 200 certificates... I am feeling totally totalled... ..

As the year starts ...

2005-01-06T22:15:00.000-08:00

The first week of the year is passing by pretty peacefully.. what else is new ?? Work - crazy and illogical but fun as usual ... Boss - as cranky as ever but somewhat sober this time.. Home - peaceful and hope this continues... Travel - got loads of plans.. weekend we will be on the road again... yehawwww !! oh yeah... definitely on... hoping to cover new miles by bike... some plans are already on this month... Mumbai, more of Kerela, Leh, Tawang, Sikkim, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Uttranchal, Dalhousie, etc etc .. as the year passes by... Parents - as far as ever ... sure miss them a lot.. hoping to make a looooong visit this time Friends - got in touch with most of them I know ... through new year wishes.. sending cards is the best way to keep in touch... its always nice to touch base.. had to say good bye to some.. bittersweet feelings.. but all a part of growing year by year.. you gain some and you lose some... Blog - hmmm thinking of another template... hehehehe maybe get my own domain and arrange stuff accordingly... but I dont think its time yet.. Nature - is as beautiful as ever inspite of the destruction it leaves behind... renewal and reconstruction is going to be the theme this year I guess.. nature's way of telling us that its time to focus on things more important than building weapons and showing who is more powerful Hobbies - already in the process of learning new stuff like sketching, some more language, glass painting, some gardening ( something which I never took to most probably because I had my dad who was crazy about flowers and had one of the most beautiful gardens in Shillong.. got sick of watching and taking care of it ... SIGH.. but hope to renew my interest) , getting back to professional singing... read more books.. Animals - keep pets if possible or let more pets adopt me... Bike - Get a Std 500 for myself or modify the existing one while Rocks rides the 500.. more interested in the 500 since it will have electric start.. and riding solo with the group... he he Jeep - My another absolute passion .... hoping to join the Great Escape event this time Motherhood - Something to think about .. definitely if I am blessed.. :) Rocks - he rocks ... hoping to make new memories.. Spiritual - learn and attune myself more to the vibration of the earth that is to come.. be well balanced... and yes service to the ones that need help.. be more tolerant and lose less temper.. Temperament - Be more ... accomodating.. as the days go by my level of calmness just seems to be disappearing.. Health - remain fit as a fiddle and avoid illnesses...with long names ;) and of course... lose the inches that I have gained the past year... Responsibilities - getting ready for a major one... and hope that I am successful in completeing my duty with love and respect and lot of care and patience towards my ailing Father inlaw.. Amen !! Life - Does not get better .... and it goes on... Pet Peeve I dont know which is worse... a guy who is yawning while delegating work or a guy who burps in your face ... or a guy who keeps yawning while talking on the phone... and specially when he is the one who is calling me ....

New Year beckons you to new beginnings...

2005-01-03T01:36:00.000-08:00

As the new year has dawns on us.... we wake up to new resolutions and new beginnings... reinforcing the stronger aspects of our lives and giving us a new reason to carry on .. Weekend found us driving to a lake in Bethmangala ... which was devoid of any water.. but the land itself was beautiful.. so what if there was no water... The ride/drive was organised by the International Federation of Motorcycle Rotarians... ( I guess thats the name) and it had all senior guys experiencing the pleasure of the ride.. and we Baruas .. typically are ready to go for any ride.. so out we went... :) Karnataka is amazingly beautiful in the winter mornings.. and the landscape though startk has a beauty of its own and the sun shines through the nook and corners of the rocky mountains.... of Kolar... here are a few shots from that place On the way we entered the Koti Linga temple which houses more than Thousand Shiv lingas.. and it was a sight to see.. I think this is the only place in the world which had so many Shiva Lingas arranged in the fashion it was.. Here are a few shots !! Anyway as I was wandering clicking away to glory.. I came across a deadly guy who was a walking talking GIVE ME RED ad... LOL...which had me arrested and I could not help but see red everywhere... I had to take a shot of that brillantly dressed fella.. who in turn suspected me of the dirty deed of stealing a shot... and almost caught me red handed...but I managed to escape by pretending to click another shot and giving him a snooty look.... Sheeesh !! you have to see it to believe it... Ahem !! I am sure all my friends have celebrated new year in the best way possible and I hope you had great fun. I wish you all the good things in this new year and may all of you achieve what you have set to achieve this year... As for me.. its just another day towards building a better life and moving on with my dreams.. As I was pondering over whether to keep a fish as a pet, in comes my neighbor with whom I have a helping understanding.. as in you help and I help types... she asks me to look after her gold fish which really looked cute.. except that it was being pestered by the five tiny fishes with angry pecks who thought that it served the giant fish right to eat their food.. LOLOL.. I guess its strength and bravery in numbers.. kind of case... something new to start the new year with... fishyyyyyy... tale !!! he he he Thanks a lot for reading my previous post and responding to it through comments or through helping accordingly.. I have personally gone to the centre for delivery of the supplies. Prakruti Mudra delivers the supplies to the effected areas every alternate day with the help of our friends in Bangalore and they are doing well.. it was really great seeing the helping hands of so many ... They are going to Cuddalore, Nagapatnam, KanyaKumari, etc. As per their feedback,

clothes are more than enough everywhere... people have the option of choosing from brands... :). STOP donating old clothes... ready made food is not welcome.. Uncooked food items like rice or dal is more helpful to them... Medicines are very much needed.. especially for children.. Please donate Bottled Water and Old vessels.. as much as you can. Vessels are something which is hard to find now.. Bleaching powder and Phenyl bottles are needed. The more the better.
Immediate medicines required are as follows. Paracetmol Brufane Amoxycillin Ranidin (stomach pain, vomit) Antacids ORS powder Tetramycin eyedrops Multivitamins Norfloxacin (diarrhoea) Dichloromine Derephyllin Tabs T.NORINS-TZ for adult (diarrhoea) NEGAMAT suspension syrup for child (diarrhoea) You could reach it to
Prakruthi Mudrana, 51, 29th cross, 9th main, Banashakari 2nd stage, Bangalore -70 (Next to GK Kalyan mantapa, Monotype) Contact persons; Usha: 92431 02232, Uvaraj -9448371389, Deepu-9448367627 Do get in touch with them as soon as possible if you think you can help them.
Thanks a lot...

Pet expressions are very speaking and it says a lot of things if you are into animals and love animals... as I was just going about my daily routine... last week, I got to capture some beautiful shots of stray dogs which I feed and the birds which I talk too... LOLOL here are some shots from a section which I call Animal Expressions... call me crazy but all these make life worth living..

Tsunami ...Appeal for help from Bangaloreans... every little bit counts..

2004-12-29T03:02:00.000-08:00

Hi, Some of our friends are visiting the Tsunami affected sites in coming days. First batch is starting tomorrow morning and some of us would be going in every alternate days. We appeal to all of you to donate blankets, old clothes, aluminum or stainless steel vessels and kerosene stoves.. You can drop it to the address given below. If it is difficult to bring to the office, we can come over to your place and collect the same. The time is short but this can be your effort to reach out. If your friends or contacts can arrange for a large collection of more than 10 carton boxes, please call any of these numbers for information so we can arrange for the donations to be collected at their venue though it would be a blessing if you can arrange for the material to reach the address given below. Contact persons: Venki - 98867 36109 361degrees@gmail.com Raja - 98863 92521 rajam@axes-mach01.usa.alcatel.com Gokul - 98862 18112 gokulb@axes-mach01.usa.alcatel.com Senthil - 98454 12042 senthilr@axes-mach01.usa.alcatel.com Amith - 98866 36539 amiths@axes-mach01.usa.alcatel.com Address to reach donations: Prakruti Mudrana No. 51, 9th Main, 29th Cross, Banashankari 2nd Stage, Near GK Kalyanamantap Landmark - Monotype Bangalore. Contact Person - Sashi Kumar/ Uvaraj Phone: 26713894/ 93412 12691 / 94483 71389 Anoop Ravi K.R. Wipro Technologies Office : +91-80-30291352 Cell : +91-9845068166 VoIP: 808-3116 (You can also contact Anoop if you would like to volunteer your services and go and help the people in need )

NOTE : Please do not make appeals for cash collections for the above effort. Only donations in kind will be accepted. We will not be responsible for any cash collections made. Click here to see how seconds can change history... To know more about Tsunami Aid and Volunteers in and around India... you can visit this very helpful blog on Tsunami Aid.

If you would like to send cheques anyway, you could do so to the following agencies: You will also get Tax Exemption under Section 80G.
Indian Red Cross Society, 1, Red Cross Road, New Delhi - 110001 Phone: (011) 23716441, 237162342. Times FoundationTimes House 7, BahadhurShah Zafar marg New Delhi 110002 Click here for more info on Times Foundation and its Relief Aid. You can also donate your cheques to the Prime Minister's relief fund and send the cheque or the Draft to the Prime Minister's Office, South Block, New Delhi-110001. Cheque/DD to: Prime Minister's National Relief Fund Address: Prime Minister's Office, South Block, New Delhi-110001. You will not be charged any commission on the draft in favour of PMNRF. The contributions will give you 100% deduction from taxable income under section 80 (G) of the Income Tax Act.
For Indians abroad you can also donate to Redcross.. online... and to Americare thanks for your help.
You can also pay online through this link.. courtesy, The Hindu.
For some more information on Tsunami aids through blogs click here.... Update: Folks in Bangalore can drop cash contributions at the kiosk setup at ITPL, Whitefield Road. Details of the stall Venue : Tech Park MallTime : 12 noon to 4:00 PM Date : 29-31 December, 2004 Contributions will be sent to organisations working for the cause. For more donation options, try http://www.formbuddy.com/helpnow/ List of medicines that you can buy and give to the voluteers... Medicine for Children -CHLORINE TABLETS -SEPTRON SYRUP AND TABLETS -FLAGY SYRUP AND TABLETS -PARACETAMOL SYRUP AND TABLETS (125,250) -ASTHALIN SYRUP -MEBENDEZOL TABLETS -COUGH SYRUP -BRUFEN TABLETS -METRONIDAZOL LIQUID -LOPRAMIDE -POXYCYLIN TABLETS -AMIPICILLIN TABLETS -SOPHRAMYCIN OINTMENT -NASIVION NOSE DROPS -ORS PACKETS -CALAMINE LOTION Medicine for ADULTS -AMOXYCYLINE 250 MG -ANTI-HISTAMINE -PARACETEMOL 500 MG -T.LOPRAMIDE (TABLET) -BRUFEN TABLET -BETADYNE TABLET -DEREPHYLENE TABLET -T.SEPTRON TABLET -(METRONIDAZOL) METROGYL FLAGYL TABLETS -DOXYCYLINE ADULTS I think if we can donate bottled water it would be of great help since the affected areas need clean water to drink. Please try and arrange for first aid bandages and gauzes which will be of great help for the victims. WARNING !! There is a warning in all leading online-dailies of another impending Tsunami attack by 12 noon especially in costal regions of Tamil Nadu andKerala. Please be guarded. Lets hope that this does not happen...
For friends wanting to directly reach Chennai, this would be a helpful link for more information.

Disaster coming hand in hand with Celebrations

2004-12-26T20:43:00.000-08:00

Just another irony of life or is it something we need to seriously think about.. ?? Sunday morning, when all were just getting over with the partying, Sumatra experienced a major earthquake which resulted in tsunami's all around the coastal areas nearby such as Sri Lanka, South Eastern Coast of Karnataka, Thailand, etc... heres looking at the timelime of the disaster...

On one side we were celebrating the holy day of Christmas and on the other hand we had disaster of gigantic proportions hit us in the form of a Tsunami.. Just when my family came from visiting the Andaman and Nicobar islands, we were shocked to hear that parts of Andaman and Nicobar were washed away.. My thoughts are also with the fishermen and the village in Mahabalipuram where we stayed. I hope there homes are safe. The fishing village in Pondicherry which we passed often when we were there have been strongly affected.. and the death toll is rising.. even as I write this... I hope my friends in Chennai are safe... the images shown in the television were not very encouraging to say the least.. one can only imagine what a havoc it must have caused.. If you want to know how the Tsunami happened... you can read this

In geological terms, what has happened? Sumatra, or north-western Indonesia, is right on a plate boundary. The earth's surface is made up of lots of different tectonic plates and they are all moving around. The plate that has the Indian Ocean on it is moving roughly north-east and colliding with Sumatra. And as that collision takes place, the Indian Ocean plate gets subducted underneath Sumatra, and as that plate is subducted it breaks up and that is what causes the earthquake. Read More...

Is this another symptom of the much discussed pole shift that we are supposed to experience..?

The magnetic field of Earth is weakening, since a strong point estimated to be 2,000 years ago. Deep earthquakes which rose almost exponentially between 1985 and 1995 have locked down the plates of Earth, such that quakes in one plate ricochet to another place, and this process and be charted from quake statistics. The weather on Earth has gone from being a bit wild to breaking records regularly to being so bizarre that broken records are never mentioned anymore. More volcanoes are active on Earth than at any time in the memory of man. And though the oceans are heating from the bottom up, and glaciers are retreating at an astonishing pace. The Earth�s rotation is slowing, such that the full moon seems now to come early. But is it just the Earth that is affected by the movement of Planet X toward the solar system, after its long stay at essentially the mid-point between its two foci?.... Read more..

Heres hoping that the missing souls do come back.. and I pray for the the souls those who have passed over...

Things to do !!

2004-12-23T00:05:00.000-08:00

Stuff happening or happening stuff !!! If you are a music lover try checking out the Jazz Programme at Chowdaiah Memorial Hall today ... call up 9886008954 or collect the tickets from Cafe Coffee day !! If you are wondering where to go for dinner for Christmas Eve and Christmas feast you can book your tables at Sue's Food Place... where she will be spreading out a neat buffet ... make sure you are hungry before you go there.. coz there is lots to eat.. for booking you can call 080-25252494. If you are a couple it would cost you 750/- and if you are alone it would cost you 400/- . And take it from me... its worth all the money.. The feast is on for New Years Eve too. :) and that is where I am going to get my Roast Turkey and Duck hehehe !! Madhu is also putting up a seven course meal for this week.. for more information you can check this out ... the menu seems to be scrumptious.... And in both cases there are ample choices on the vegetarian menu too.. !! If you are feeling generous you could also drop in some new clothes and toys for the poor kids in the churches or orphanages.. a nice way to end your year isnt it ?? Parting Thought Tis a shame how witness and evidence can be tampered with ... just goes to show how even justice is a mockery... is it a wonder why the law is taken into one's hands or is not cared for.. ??

Seasons Greetings

2004-12-22T01:29:00.000-08:00

good wishes, good mood, good thoughts... Everyone suddenly starts spreading cheer and good will around which is nice ... it would really help if this was the case all year round... Either way the mood is infectious... at work there is an air of festivity not because of the holiday but because all the peering eyes will be out on a holiday.. mine included... to let us do our work in peace.. so what if they have given us a looooooong list of tasks to be completed... my traveling plans also seem to be cancelled due to unavailability of tickets ,... maybe can make it on my own wheels for the new year... it is so much better to travel on our own. So Christmas will be spent feasting on different feasts like roast turkey and duck which seems like a good option.. add to that some nice wine and my holiday is made... dhinchak !! So Hyderabad I shall see you some days later... hopefully will be welcoming the new year there... if everything works out... As the year is ending I am trying to tie up my loose financial ends which will be a great boon to start a new year with... nothing better than to start my year with a fat insurance policy.. and some good savings promises... for more and more traveling... yipeeeeeeeee ...

Live in the moment...

2004-12-19T21:41:00.000-08:00

Memories are not painful if you do not have to deal with the past.... This quote was etched in my thoughts after watching the beautiful movie.. Before Sunset.. If you are the romantic sorts who likes a dialog oriented movie, this movie is a must. The whole movie is based on one meeting and on lost chances and how one gets one more chance to bring together the missing pieces.. This movie is the sequel to Before Sunrise... I finally caught my sparrows TIPLIS and TIPLAS in my lens... hehehe !! they have baby sparrows now ,... and the eldest one had her first flight today... reminded me of Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Richard Bach. Thats the papa sparrow... chirping away to glory... I call him TIPLAS... his is always showing his fluffy self... and is a good papa trying to provide for the family Now this is the mama sparrow.. TIPLIS.. She is the shy one.. had to call her out many times before she decided to wait and talk to me in her chirps... I have been trying to catch them so often as they come to my window sill but today I got lucky or rather they deigned to pose for me !!! These shots are digital zooms so maybe they are not clear.. but I hope you can see the cute couple who have adopted me as their pet... heheh !! I am a goner for them... Well as for the other stuff its holiday season and I am missing Rocks .. had plans to drive aroudn Kerela and some other parts of the country but that has taken a back seat.. But yes I am planning to travel to Hyderabad with my aunt and uncle so looking really forward to the trip.. Hope to come back with lots of pics... and good experiences... and lots of good hogging.. I am looking forward to have some good biryanis.. yum yum... Planning to visit Ramoji Film city.. and see what the hoo haa is all about... my friends have lots to say about this place... Neels... hope to meet you and thanks for the help... you are a gem !!! Any feedback from my blogger friends would be welcome...

Dowry Speculations....

2004-12-16T02:09:00.000-08:00

As I was having lunch with a colleaugue who is also a good friend... we were discussing his impending marriage... he was very happy and it seemed it was not because he would be getting a girl to spend his life with. His whole future will be taken care of by the dowry that he will be getting... when asked how much he would be getting .. he shyly says ... they are giving me 30 lakhs.. cash GAWK... I was like... DOUBLE GAWK...

Ok and he is a guy who is just starting off his career and typically getting married early.. but just thinking back in perspective as to how much they are willing to give their daughters away with... he shyly said to me that his family gave 20 lakhs for his sister ... so his family's account will be kind of balanced... Smart Aye ?? Then he went on ... Oh you know the other pal got some 50 lakhs.. 30 lakhs is nothing yaar..( NOTHING.. How can he say NOTHING !!!) .. that is what fades from my thoughts ... and I was wondering in my mind... what I would do with that kind of immediate money... Travel the world... Open a company of my own.. Buy a Bose Home theatre.. Buy a land and make my dream house... Have a kennel of dogs... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzz...... Suddenly I am rocked with the hot !#$&&!!# pizza burning my palatte and am rudely awakened from my ruminations... serves me right for building castles with somebody else's money .. LOLOLOL Anyways... I was thinking it would be so easy to spend all that dough... and I am reminded every now and then ... how good I am at emptying my bank balance... SIGH... Back to my world of savings... spendings.. savings.. spendings... = zilch... as I call myself... pound wise pound foolish... I cant help think back to my wedding where my dad spent an indecent amount of money and bought all things necessary for my inlaws house. ( which is rotting with disuse) .. instead of giving them to me ( yeah right as if I had any say)... I still cannot understand why he had to spend so much.. when the money did not come to anybody's use... and he says... it was all for me... I do not see a ME anywhere there.. go figure... cant help wondering what a waste all that money went to... and for what.... something in the disguise of something disgusting called providing for the daughter so that the people who know you will nod with approval of giving away your only daughter with so much useless pomp and show... SIGH ... Then again my friend's dad was very smart... I call this intelligence..he gave her the cash all that was necessary and made her save it in her account.. with the help of which she has built a pretty nest for herself.. which is reasonably good use of the money... My point is... well at first there is no great need to exchange all that money.. but if one is doing so.. one has to invest it wisely .. instead of bothering about what people would say.. but I guess the society functions like that so I have reached a moot point.. Ladies, if you are getting married make sure you wisely deal with your Stree Dhan... and build a better future over what has been given to you... Am I sounding wierd ? well I guess it is the influence of the lunch discussion and a very bad cold that I am laden with... which is not making me think straight...

Living and not just existing

2004-12-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

Just when you thought that well things have settled down enough for a hot cup of tea.. in comes another challenge.. this seems to be the month for challenges... that again enhances the fact that I have to live and not just exist. Work wise ... the "peering eyes" are acting up again for no damn reason. I have this one "peering eye" whose communication skills are lacking to the zilch.. either he does not understand english or has a very short memory... either way... I hope the Almighty blesses him with both qualities in due course of time.. Got a pack of Faery card pack to work with. This helps in working with the elementals of the elements and the elements themsleves. It has always been my desire to understand the elements better.. When it comes to cards, the media has made a joke out of it. In the channel Zoom they have this lady going dramatically about life's problems and how this tarot lady solves it.. Seems so much like a farce. ... and the sad thing is that people are lapping it up.. Living alone is pretty ok even if I am missing my man.. but it is doing good to talk to myself and reflect on what needs to be done... with myself.. as in look ahead.. but not as in going loony :) new year is dawning on us.. I was thinking to myself that I was never one to make a resolution .. or a promise.. coz i never kept them... i would prefer to look at it as commitment to some goal and go forward... has a long term meaning to it which works fine for me... Tomorrow I am having visitors from the eastern part of the country which will gladden my heart.. yes I am looking forward to meeting them... Watched Rakht.... do not think it is worth a review. Brrrr !!! Just when I was stopped thinking about the earthquake possibilities in Assam, my mom calls and tells me that there was a bomb blast in the city very near our home.. this again stresses the fact how unpredictable our comfortable existence might be.. and this occured just some kms away from where we live in Beltola. I think Shillong was a much better place even with all the insurgencies... dont know.. never could identify with Guahati..

Two killed in city blastBy A Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, Dec 13: Two constables were killed and three persons were injured in a bomb explosion in front of the Hatigaon police outpost this evening. The explosives, suspected to be a bomb, were hidden inside an abandoned scooter. The dead have been identified as Pranab Bhatta, constable and Akbar Ali, home guard. The injured have been admitted to the GMCH. The incident occurred around 7-15 pm after some police personnel of the Hatigaon outpost brought the scooter that had been left abandoned near a pharmacy, towards the outpost. After some time the blast occurred, killing the duo on the spot. Police said the exact nature of the explosives was yet to be ascertained. The hand behind the blast was also being examined, police said. The whole area was immediately cordoned off and senior police officials rushed to the spot. Meanwhile, the AASU has condemned the blast, saying the Government has totally failed to maintain law and order even in the State capital. Read more

Monday Mumbles

2004-12-12T22:07:00.000-08:00

Here comes another Monday again.. Just when I thought that I would cozy up in a corner on the weekend with movies like Before Sunset, etc., I promptly get an insistent invitation from friends who kindly decided not to leave me on my own ... for whatever puposes.. sometimes its difficult convincing friends that one likes to be on one's own sometimes... but all said and done it was fun... . Point of concern Assam has had a red alert issued by the government my folks toldme the other day. There are major possibilities of an earthquake.. lot of people were awake from 3:00 to 6:00 am in the morning.. day before . Shillong has been experiencing quakes everyday.. earthquakes in Shillong is very common that way.. but hopefully nothing major is about to happen.. people in the east are however expecting a big one like the one which happened 50 years back. If this is true then people out there need to be more aware....

Planets forecast earthquake in Assam: GeologistDecember 04, 2004 19:40 IST Planetary configurations suggest the possibility of an earthquake measuring up to five or six in the Richter scale in Assam on December 12, a Madras University geologist told an international conference on natural hazards in Hyderabad on Saturday. N Venkatanathan said a theory developed by his group indicates that the epicentre of the quake, which may occur around 0600 IST, would be 26.91 degrees north latitude and 94.49 east longitude with an error of one degree -- about 100 km west-southwest of Dibrugarh. More news reports.... Read more

One for the day !! My friend U planning to take me out for lunch.. on friday.. she insists that she wants to take me out.. I politely try to refuse but nothing doing... she is a dear friend so what the heck !! Now U is a very patient sort totally opposite to yours truly.. but when she is driving,... she kind of loses it and becomes a different personality altogether.. you can hear all teh cuss words in the dictionary which kinda makes me go GAWK... ( thinking to myself ... I think I am more tolerant on the road) we decide to meet next to Hotel Chandrika from where she will pick me up. U comes and sees some police there and is forced to move down the road... U calls me : Pallavi, I am on Cunningham Road. Where do I meet you ? I could not stop in the planned point so tell me where to meet you. Me: (Thinking fast) meet me where you parked last.. when you came to meet me.. U: Okay.... and she switches off.. I start walking down the road ... where I ask her to come ... on walking quite a distance.. i see no sign of her... I call her up on her cell and ask her... where she is ? U: okay Pallavi I am in Cunnigham road but I do not know where.. its in the beginning of the road.. and I see some bank and some office in front of me.... . Me: (Flabbergasted) but you told me that you will be meeting me here... where you parked the last time... ( my temper slowly boiling.. at having to walk quite a distance for nuts). U: well I thought this would be easier.. so come and meet me here.... wherever I am . Me: ( finding it irritating and slowly losing my fast draining patience) now how do I know where you are.. cunnigham road has lot of beginnings and lots of banks and offices.. ( I had lost my appetite by now). U: With a suffering SIGH ( as if it was my fault) ok I shall come and pick you up at your office.. Me: I say OK ... feeling really not upto going anywhere.. walked 20 minutes back to square 1 and then find her ... Question : how can one confuse oneself so ? and well how does one find someone.. if that someone gives direction as SOME office and SOME bank.. Suffice it to say that I shall be very careful the next time I go for lunch with U.. SIGH !!! . and as if it is not enough.. she puts me on edge when I am with her.. sitting next to her in the car... the moment someone honks... she is ready to get out of her car and beat the hell out of that person... SIGH !! . Moral of the story : Stay away from fussy and cussy friends... if you are not in control of the situation.. LOL .