I miss you...

You have grown with me over the years now...
You were always bright and wavy...
I felt proud of you...
I felt on top when everyone told me how long you were...
I had to let you go yesterday...
I do feel sad to have parted with you...
I miss your wavy presence...
I will try to have some patience to have you grow again and have you with me as before...

I truly miss you...my quite a long hair that was cut yesterday.

I longed for this

Wake up late,especially after the water supply is stopped.
Take a luxurious bath and finish off the stored water.
Complain about the non availability of hot water for the bath.
Leave wet clothes lying in the bathroom hanger.
Complain about the lousy tv programmes when she is watching
Keep avoiding to do the household chore and just when confronted by amma, tell her that you were just about to do it.
Act crazily hungry even as the food is being served on the table.
Make comments like uppu illa, pulippu jaasthi on the food served.
Cling to the mobile phone with endless conversations and glued to the laptop for hours together.

The best part of being at home after a long time! and life is not complete without hearing amma's scoldings or screams.How I have longed for it!!

Money, Mastercard and helping your wife

There are some things that money cant buy, for everything else there is MASTERCARD.
Happen to glance through an ad in the newspaper which apparently said that
"if you have money and ofcourse, Mastercard, you can afford to help your wife less".
All you need to do is spend on Swiss chocolates, designer watches and some trendy and sleek portable MP3 player for your wife and ultimately you could do without helping your wife for a while, hmm lets say a month?

Wow, I say... and the cost of not needing to help your wife comes to Eighteen Thousand rupees only.

SID I dont mind to have these as our wedding gift from you.

Gone are the days, but not the memories

Schools reopening in June and we settling down in the desks
The excitement of meeting new admissions
The thrill of waiting to see the class teacher enter the room
Lining up for the morning assembly
Hurriedly copying the previous day's homework from a dear friend
Desperately waiting for a break
Chasing one another in the corridor
Lunch in the classroom, corridor,and many a times in between the classes
Rushing out of the classroom in the evening to catch the window seat in the van or the bus
Gang fights, groupism , conspiracies
Sports day, annual day celebrations and the month long preparations for the same
Exams, tension, combined study, last minute important questions check
The holidays that follow after the stressful exams
Wishing for two sundays in a week and hating Mondays

Hmmm, so much of fun and experience. Gone are the days, but not the memories.

Why we did not have pets at home

Me: Appa, yean pa namma aathula nai valakkavey illa?
Appa: Athaan, neeyum unga akkavum irukkeley

A few more reasons ....

My sister calls me eruma madu ( buffalo)
Paati calls me edi kazhuthai( donkey)
My friends call me patti, pothey ( meaning dog, buffalo respectively in malayalam)
One of my athai calls me chella kili ( sweet parrot)


May be because I am so fondly addressed, there wasnt any need to have a pet at home.



Ps: Names mentioned here are not imaginary, however, they are used in the most affectionate way.

Best of Luck

Time aachu innum kelambalaiya?

10 manikku exam, innum breakfast saapadala, traffic vera irukkum, seekiram kelambu

Black pen, pencil eraser sharpener ellam eduthu vechacha? Ellamey 2 vechukko, onnu seriya illatti kooda innonnu use pannikalam.

Question paper kaila vantha udaney, oru fast reading pannu, apparam, therinja questionsa mark pannu

Therinja questionsa first ezhuthu

Last 10 minutes papera check panna vechuko

Naan sonnathu ellam nyabagam vechuko, maranthudathey. Tension aagathey.


BEST OF LUCK APPA.

yes, the above conversation was between an 8 year old son and his father (my neighbour) who was appearing for the Bank officer promotion exam last week.

Smart n witty conversation

Spent a couple of days with SID's nephews and they simply bowled me over with some true witty conversation.

Kid1: Neenga office poganuma?Ingaye irunga
Me: Illa, innum 1 week poganum.
Kid1:Oh, appo 1 week apparam, ingaye iruppeengala?
Me:Officela relieve aanathukku apparam, naan enga veetukku poren
Kid1: Kerala va?
Me:Ya, enga amma veetukku poren
Kid1:Appo inimel inga vara maateengala?
Me:Jan 20th apparam inga thaan irukka poren.

By then, Kid2 also joins the conversation

Kid1:Atheppdi inga irupeenga? Neenga unga veetukku poiduveengaley
Kid2 to Kid 1: Avanga namma veetla thaan iruppanga.
Kid 1 to me: Neengalum mamavum unga veetukku thaaney poveenga

Kid 2 not letting me to talk,tells Kid1
Dei, illa da, avanga inga thaan iruppanga. Yeanna, thalaivan engayo anga thaan thalaiviyum irukkanum. So, mama inga iruntha avangalum inga thaan irukkanum, mama vera oorukku pona avangalum anga poganum

********************************

Yet another snippet....
We happened to discuss about the latest Diwali releases at home when the talk was about actor Prithviraj in some latest flick and later the talk automatically diverted towards the movie "Mozhi".

Kid 2 to me: Neenga mozhi cienma patheengala?
Me: Yes
Kid2: Athula prithviraj jothikava paakum pothu mani adikkum, light eriyum, athu mathiri ungalukkum mamakkum vanthucha?

********************************
Another one...
Me to Kid 2: Hey, unakku Singapore pidikkuma Australia pidikkuma ( They were in Singapore for a few years and are now relocating to Australia)
Kid2:2umey pidikkum
Me:Ethavathu onnu thaan sollanum
Kid2: Entha country currency perusu?
Me: Australian dollar is bigger than Singapore dollar in terms of value.

Without even the slightest hesitation,
Kid2: Appo, enakku Australia thaan pidikkum

(Kid1 & Kid2 respectively)


These kids I say......

Idli

What is it about the idli that I dont like it?Why the dislike for a simple staple food like idli? Is it because of the enormous preparation that comes along with it? - the soaking of rice, urad dhal, then grinding it and fermenting it, exhausting I say.Or is it beacuse of its bland taste?Or is it because its the food readily recommended when one is ill?Thats not all, theres more to it.That idli cant be cooked in anykind of a vessel, but in a particular idli thattu, the making of side accompaniments like sambar, chutney or molagapodi. And dont talk about cleaning the idli thattu, you need to soak it in water atleast for a couple of hours so that it is easy to clean .I know some households who follow the idli ritual every week, No, am sorry, they follow it atleast twice a week.I was so glad for the 2 years in Pune simply for the reason that I neednt go through the idly ritual at all and can happily indulge myself in roti subzi.Man porposes, and God disposes.I longed for this bland food.And that leads to the confession partof this post that......

Stuffing your face with hot idlis, molagapodi and subsequently wahsing it down with a glass of neer more or buttermilk is bliss.There is nothing like it.

Kadhal Muthi Pochu....

SHE: Hey, innikku en college friendsa ellam meet panninen. They kept asking me about you.
HE: Enna pathi enna sonna? Nallathu ethavathu sonniya?
SHE:Ei, naan evlo santhoshama sollindu irukken, nee kindal pannara?
HE: Seri, sollu, enna pathi enna sonna?
SHE: I told them that you are such a nice guy and that you are so loving and affectionate.
HE:Oh, so being nice is the most important criteria?
SHE: Athuvum thaan.
HE: Vera enna irukku? Hmmmm, do you like guys with a sense of humour?
SHE: Ya pidikkum, good sense of humour, but that is not all
HE:Ok, intelligence?
SHE: Ya, but vera qualitiesum irukkanum
HE: Appo, money, status,nalla velai?
SHE:Oru alavukku nalla velai, mathathellam onnum periya vishayam illa
HE: Hmmpphh, so what should a guy do to win a girl's heart?
SHE:You should know, because you have already won mine and strongly rooted in my heart!
HE:Love is bilss illa?
SHE: Love and Loving you is bliss!
HE: I Love you
SHE: I Love you too.

That thing which crawled

It took me a while to realize that the little grey thing moving on my notebook was not my imagination, but a scarily tiny creature. He looked so fragile. My first impulse was to blow him off the paper. But I stopped myself, for he was more interested in scrutinising what I was reading then. He walked a bit, then paused; walked,paused, and sometimes ran too. It looked as though he was searching for something in the vast forest of black lines on paper. A place to set up his home, maybe? He should have been disappointed.
He never quit, though. Just when he had finished travelling the entire length of the paper, he started again in the diagonally opposite direction. His tenacity fascinated me - what did he want?
Just then, I sneezed.
I opened my eyes. He was nowhere to be seen, the little crawly spider!

Diwali Dhamaka

Come Diwali, all you see around you is lot of pomp and colour. Apart from this,

Newspapers carry free hand outs with advertisements about the latest in shopping and various discounts.

Magazines and the cookery shows in the T.V. will crackle crisply with various recipes to be specially tried for Diwali, but the same when tried at home will shape up like some rare species.

T.V and the FM channels screaming with textile ads, jewellery ads, sweet shop ads.

And most importantly,the Dos and Donts exploding in every nook and corner.Oh ya, I very well know that I should not burst a cracker near a hospital.

Allright, these are some minor things and I am willing to overlook them. But there are a couple of things which I get highly pissed off about.

The T.V. channels , in the name of showing some “inthiya tholaikatchigalil muthal murayaga” movie, butchers the programme by long good trains masquerading as advertisements. I shall bow my head to anyone who has watched a full film or a complete programme telecast on a festival day. Infact, I am very sure that the number of times the T.V. audience hopping across channels on a festival day like this will be more than what they do all through the year.

The second thing that am wary of is the bakshanams that come from ethir veetu mami, pakkathu veet akka and so on. May be they all think one should have diabetes after Diwali. Oh, I am not being rude or insensitive to those who suffer from that affliction. People constantly feed you with sweets…there will be so many sweet boxes at home by the end of the day that the amount of sweets fed can actually feed an entire wedding

So what I am I going to do for this Diwali? I plan to wake up by 4 a.m. because that’s the time I can watch T.V without any ads butchering the programme.I wish to start off my day with peace. Secondly, I donot intend to stuff myself with all kind of bakshanams and sweets to match with the frequency of an ad shown on the T.V. Otherwise, who knows …any noise heard might not be that of crackers alone…

All said and done, Wish you a very Happy Diwali!

Before the journey...

SHE: I will be there around 2 in the afternoon.
HE: Ya come soon.
She reaches He's place
SHE: Hi, packing ellam aacha?
HE: illa da, last leg of the packing on.
After some help with the packing,
SHE:seri, naan kadaikku poittu varen.
HE: Ethukku?
SHE: I want to get you a shirt or a t shirt for diwali
HE:I already have so many, you have seen them no?
SHE: Ya so what? I want you to wear a new dress for diwali.
HE: Seri, get only one.
She happily indulges in shopping, comes home with 2 t shirts and hands them over to HE.
HE: Giving a very angry look, ethukku da 2 vaangina? nee nenaikkaratha thaan da pannuva. I told you to buy just one.
SHE: Its ok no, I just got 2 avlo thaan.
He draws a blank and then looks at the t shirts once again and says "oh, intha modela, supera irukku da" and keeps one inside the baggage and one for wearing it for the travel.
SHE tells herself: Oh, ya I know you will like it, athaan vaanginen.
************************************************************************************
SHE: I will miss you so much
HE: Ya , me too da
SHE: Been so used to these 5 months of seeing you every weekend, playing badminton, going out, the bike rides.
HE: Ya I know, enakkum thaan da.Anyways this is the last wait for us.Another 2 months only
SHE: Ya, hopefully.
SHE:Naanum kooda varatta?
HE: Enga?
SHE: USkku
HE: Innum 2 months thaan da, apparam nee koodavey irukkalam
HE: Be happy da, all that matters to me is your happiness.
SHE: Hmmm, ya, am happy, you also be happy.Good luck and happy journey
************************************************************************************

My dear HE, you precisely know what to say especially at a time when we are away from each other. Dont you?You are the best!

The last and final warning

Dear elevator guy

Hi
I know we have somehow been taking the elevator at the same time in the evening everyday for the past couple of weeks and that makes us...lift mates? may be?

I get off at the ground floor to take the shuttle bus, while I assume you take the elevator just to drop me..cos I havent seen you getting out of the elevator at the ground floor.Now before this starts to sound like a Bollywood romance in a lift, let me move on and clarify a few things.

Now, about our meeting which has been regularly happening for the past 2 weeks in the elevator-is by itself no big deal and nothing great. I just dont understand how an elevator can be this slow and this gives you all the time and excuse to stare at me. I am sure by now, you must be grasping why I am writing this letter.DONOT stare at me. I know people generally like to look/ observe others.Its fine, but your ogling, eye popping unbashed stare is uncalled for and hihgly irritating. And for Gods' sake, why do you ahve to continue staring till the moment I step out of the lift? I would rather appreciate discreet stares than something like your unwarranted and unfair stares which stays till the moment I step out of the elevator.

A random one -off act on the road or elsewhere is totally fine with me, but indulging in it every single day gets on my nerves.It is simply not happening.I cannot be continuing to ignore this for a long time unlike what I did the first 2 days of this irritating behaviour of yours.I did ignore the first two days, then stared back at you the third day you did it, thinking you would understand. I thought me realising about your ogling and staring back would embarass you, but I guess the weekend gave you a chance to get over the embarassment and here we are again on a bright Monday morning with you, staring away to glory.

By now, you should be aware of my features better than I would be.So here I give you three options.Its upto you to take them or face the wrath from me. The crux is I dont appreciate you appreciating(???) me or my beauty (???)
1.Stop that nasty behaviour or get to hear some cuss words from me. You know, I enjoy talking that ways.
2.This is my last and final civil warning and you better stop , else I would not mind planting a slap on you.
3. Get hold of another subject- if at all you would find a willing taker who loves to be stared at and just leave me alone.

So calm, peace!!!I do not want violence.Better behave and dont tell me I didnt warn you.

The window seat and the rain...

It was about 2 years ago. I dont remember now.

I met her on the train.She took the window seat, while I settled down next to her.The rhythm of the moving train coupled with the falling rain outside makes one to easily indulge in nostalgia. For some it could be feelings, for some it could be memories, and for some it could be pain.

The woman next to me was crying silently.What was she crying about, I wondered.Has she lost something...or someone? a romance shattered? or problems at home?I dont know. She wasnt even sobbing, just some silent tears flowing down her cheeks which she wiped away periodically.

Why are you crying woman, I wanted to ask her..Whatever it is, a lost job, a broken affair, obnoxious people, oh just whatever it is, it is just not worth it, I wanted to tell her.Gently remind her that there is so much goodness that life brings with it and whatever it is, it could be just some minor setback

And today, when I was in the train, I remembered this woman and how she silently cried and how I silently chided her, wanting to make her understand.But now,I find myself at the window seat and I know that if I meet her today, I would just rush to her, look into her eyes and tell her
' I know, I understand..completely...'

Navarathri

The arrival of Navarathri is always associated with pomp and splendour.It is that time of the year

when schools close for vaccation
when kids are at their playful mood
when the kolu bommais are taken from the paran and religiously cleaned
when every little furniture at home is made to be a part of the instant kolu stand
when mustard seeds and green gram is made to sprout to be used as a park/ garden for your kolu
when dhavanis and pattu pavaidais see some light out of the cupboard and the girls gracefully wearing them to invite people for the kolu
when one lady outdoes another in consciously picking up a novel gift to be given along with the vethalai pakku
when each variety of sundal is planned for each day
when the kids make a bee line to various houses just to get the sundal
when all of us eagerly await the Saraswati pooja.

Now with the Navarathri halfway through, my loot for the week is 4 coconuts, 6 kannadis, 6 multi colour combs,4 kumkumam and 4 manjal dabbas and 2 ever silver kinnams. I have nothing to complain about.

You know you have been blogging like mad

When you remember your blog mate's URL much easily than your own postal address

When all your conversation revolves around who visited your page, how many comments, who commented first and so on

When you refer a recipe blog to cook your daily food

When after every sad incident, you dont feel bad cos you can blog your way to glory about that sad incident and find solace in the blogging community

When you start wishing that your bed room paint colour matched with your blog template colour

When you associate someone being very hep and smart and hot based on their blog template

When you threaten your love to stop arguing with you by telling him/ her that you would publish all details about the discussion on the blog

When you start looking at people as bloggers, non- bloggers and anonymouses

When you religiously keep track of the visitor count

When all you can dream is about what post you will publish the next day

HE SHE pesindaaley ....

HE & SHE are engaged and very few days left for the wedding

SHE is trying to reach HE from morning, but HE for some reason has not been able to pick up the phone call

SHE: Hello
HE: Hey sollu
SHE: enna ithu, phone edukka ivlo neram? enna pannina inniku? naan kaarthala irunthu unakku try pannaren theriyuma?
HE: Oh sorry ma, phone eduthu pakka kooda time illa theriyuma. Officela neraya velai, 3 weeks leavela porathunala, ella workum seekiram mudikkanum.
SHE: Athu seri, unakku enna pathi nenachu paaka enga time irukkum.
HE: Hey appdi ellam onnum illa. innikku konjam busy avlo thaan. naan unna pathi thaan 24 hrsum nenachundu irukken theriyuma?
SHE: Hmm,innikku lunch saapdarachey enna nenachiya?
HE: Athu vanthu..vanthu..err...
SHE: Po, nee romba busy, athula enna pathi nenaikka kooda unakku time illa, aana naan innikku madhyanam vetha kuzhambu saapdarachey, unna pathi thaan nenachen
HE :Naan innikku verum bread thaan ma saapten, naanum vetha kuzhambu saaptu iruntha unna pathi nenachuruppen.
SHE: Ei, enna jokea?naan evlo seriousa sollindu irukken, nee ippdi pesara?enakku evlo kashtama irukku theriyuma un kooda pesama. innum 10 naal thaan namma kalyanathukku irukku, enakku evlo exciteda irukku theriyuma? antha excitementa un kooda share pannikalamnu phone pannina, nee romba busynu sollara.
HE: Illa ma, naan joke pannala, sorry.
SHE: Nee onnum pesatha, enakku kashtamavum irukku, excitedavum irukku
HE: Enna kozhappara?
SHE: Aamam, excited for the wedding and that I would start a new life with you, but sad for leaving my family, appa amma
HE: Hmmm
SHE: Enna hmm? yean varutha padara, athaan naan irukkenennu solla maatiya?
HE: Ayyo, illa ma, un kooda thaan naan eppovumey iruppen
SHE: Appo yean sollala?
HE: Sorry, ippo enna panna sollara?
SHE: Onnum illa, nee poi un velaya paaru
HE: Hey enna ippdi, neen sogama irukkum pothu naan mattum eppdi velaya pakkaratham?
SHE: Onnum vendaam, thideer karisanam enakku vendaam
HE: Nijamma thaan sollaren, seri , ok, evening beachkku poittu, desi sangeethala saapadalam.
SHE: How sweet, unakku en mela evlo ishtam
HE: Yean, unakku saapadu vaangi kudutha thaan un mela ishtama?
SHE: Ei
HE: Hey seri seri, naan cabinkku poren. evening meet pannalam
SHE: Po, micha sandaya evening vechukkalam
HE : $###@@@!!!!?

Disclaimer: This is purely imaginative and is not me and my HE.

Messaging...

I am forever amazed by the kind of things that people think up to forward both on SMS and emails.

• Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team are the true followers of Abdul Kalam: after all, they are the ones who made India a super power in 20-20.

• Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq thought he was sending the ball to no-man’s land. But he did not know that there is a malayalee in every corner of the world.

These two SMSes made rounds big time 2 weeks ago. And, I got this one today morning:

Vaakiyathai Maatri Amaikkavum:

• Vaasanai roja vaadi pogalama?

Answer: Va Saroja odi pogalama?

Manytimes, these SMSes have too many needless capital letters and flippant spelling for any word that could be mispelt.

Another thing that irks me so much is people sending SMSes as messages to be run as creepy scrolls on music channels, whose comperers speak a language that would in comparison make SMSes worthy of Nobel Prize for literature.How crappy it is to send a SMS to someone through a music channel? It is like writing a love letter addressing it “to whomsoever it may concern”

I very often see messages like I love my wife/ husband in the music channel. Something typically like :Murali: I love my wife

I don’t know who this Murali is, but if any of you know this guy, please take him to the nearest psychiatrist. I think it’s a terminal case in need of immediate attention. Why would a guy send a message to a music channel professing his love to his wife, who I presume should be sitting right next to him? Or even if the said wife is not sitting next to him, shouldn’t he be sending his love message to his wife’s mobile than to the music channel? Its so crappy, scary and daunting. Who among the million population is Murali telling that he loves his wife? And why through the music channel?

GOD knows what! But if you know this Murali, or happen to speak to him or see him, please tell him thanks on my behalf for loving his wife. We womenfolk are truly saved!

You know......

You know you have come of age and on your own when....

You got to cook food yourself three times a day.

There is no vegetable in the fridge and you suddenly remember that you only have to get it.

You have to cut onions yourself.

You have to get up to open the door for your maid servant in the morning.

You buy Harpic and actually use it every week.

You need to keep track of the money all by yourself.

You know work sucks when....

Your boss is out of station and you never knew it.

You spend most of the day with tea breaks and snack breaks.

Blogging and orkutting seems to be the order of the day.

But after all this, you know life still has something nice to offer when....

Your love calls you just to find out how you are doing and if you ate properly.

You hear your niece talking some kiddy talk over the phone and your sister narrating stories about her.

Every weekend, you have some or the other delicacy being sent from your wud be in law's place.

You can do what you want to, go out when you want to, after all, for there is no one at home and you stay alone.


Some things like these, ya just some things like these tell me that life is at its best for me.

SHE is upto....

She has always been scared of water
She dreaded water rides
He encouraged She to get over the fear for water
All that She keeps thinking about is heads down, hands straight, chin level water ....
She is getting familiar with gliding, kicking, arm action and the basic stuffs


Oh ya, She has enrolled for swimming classes and is enjoying it thoroughly.

Happiness is...

Finding an auto right as you step outside a place,

asking the driver " enakku intha edathukku ponum, evlo venum?"

and.......

the auto driver replying " nee thaan ma muthal savari, neeye ethavathu paathu potu kudu ma"

Whats new with HE?

HE has never been upto this...
HE hasnt been so excited lately...
HE hasnt been so careful like this....
HE hasnt been behind the wheels ....
HE hasnt done U-turns and Left turns off late...
HE has his eyes on the road.....
HE is getting familiar with basic driving tools like steering wheel, clutch, brake, accelerator....

Oh ya....
HE is attending driving classes and just started driving.

Superstitious about superstitions

I am superstitious about superstitions. Touchwood, they always evoke the best laughter.

I read somewhere that superstitions and sentiments come into play when one is not sure of oneself. It is no coincidence that Cricket, Films and Politics- all avocations in which the secret of success can just be that- a secret!

Superstitions are interesting human foibles and fetishes, adding a comic pinch to the humdrum of our lives. But when you wear your superstitious beliefs on your sleeve, there is no point in denying or trying to rationalise it.

One of my school friend ‘J’, never had any intellectual or rational pretensions. She had strange habits. She used to make a ponytail out of her hair on exam days, but on an ordinary day, she plaits her hair. I thought may be it was due to lack of time, she made a pony tail, but she associated pony tail with good luck. Talk about silly beliefs! And not just that, when the papers were corrected, marks called out. ‘J’ always has her fingers and toes crossed. She believed to get low marks if she did not cross her fingers and toes, and her belief worked for her.

I had another friend ‘D’ in college, who used to come clad in a pale grey shirt whenever there was a tough exam or a presentation to be made. And believe me, he wore the same pale grey shirt for every semester exam, even after it became too tight for him and was about to explode anytime. I was told by another common friend that ‘D’ wore the same shirt for his CAT entrance test and that ‘D’ claimed that, with that shirt he would have got into one of those Ivy league colleges. But my dear ‘D’, I don’t think you could have even got into that dress!

Most of the superstitions start as innocuous habits, but soon become unshakable shibboleths of our lives. Now, I want to end this post with a very catchy punchline on superstition. But I cant. Ouch, I have an important presentation to be made today and my lucky white salwar is not yet pressed..

To those who forwarded me mails...

Email ids have always been special, especially the first one that i created with Mailcity.And all those times I used to look forward to mails from friends and family and I got them too.Now, I only get some junk forwarded mails.So, I thought I will thank all my friends and other unkown people who have very religiously forwarded some crap, junk and chain letters to me

It is because of your kindness,

I gave up soft drinks after I found that they are good only for removing toilet stains.

I stopped drinking water from outside for fear that I will fall ill with the cat shit and urine in that water.

I stopped going to cinema theatres for fear of sitting on a needle infected with AIDS.

I made some 101 wishes before forwrading those Dalai Lama, Ganesha Sthuthi, Tirupatji Balaji etc.

I also very obediently sent that mail from Microsoft which said Bill gates is sharing his fortune with people forwarding that junk mail. And trust me, I got my account credited with some $3791, you know its unbelievable!

I stopped taking an auto/ cab late night for fear of being drugged, raped and robbed of my kidneys.

Everytime I get a message "Orkut is deleteing your account, so please send this message to everyone to avoid deletion", I have sent that message to all those in my friend and enemy list.

I smell like some sewage for I stopped using perfumes and deodorants for fear of getting cancer.

The so called free Nokia phone and the Ipod never reached me.

I donated a dozen times to that Emily account, a sick girl who is suffering from Luekamia for the past 5 years, poor girl she is still 5 years old for the last 6 years.

I have stopped wearing lipstick for fear of LEAD content.

I have stopped ordering anything online for fear of misuse of my credit card.

I never won any lottery because I was the 9999999th visitor to that particular website you referred me to.

Now, if you donot send this to some 367021845 people within 10 seconds, you will step on cow's shit on the road sharp @ 6.30 p.m. and your life will be doomed.

GOD, GIVE ME A BREAK!!!

Ps: This is my 50th post since I started blogging. Thank u for all ur patronage and support.

As luck will have it...

If you have a mobile and you leave it somewhere, it is carelessness, BUT if you put it in your handbag and is looted by someone, it is badluck

If you wear a slightly torn cloth without noticing it, it is carelessness, BUT if you are neatly dressed and your dress gets stuck in a nail and gets torn, it is bad luck

If you wear a ring in your finger and misplace it somewhere, it is carelessness, BUT if one or two stones from that ring fall off somewhere, then it is bad luck

If your friend gives you her valuable stuff and asks you to keep it with you to collect it later on and you forget it, it is carelessness, but if it gets lost when it is in your guardianship, it is bad luck.

Guess my poor friend "R" is terribly hit by bad luck, for all the above mentioned things happened to her.

The place to be

If you are sweating profusely inspite of some A/c breeze that you get

If you feel like puking left, right, center,

If there is traffic jam even on the foot path

If you are not even taking a step forward, but still end up at your destination

If you are groped, touched or hit here and there

If the smell around makes you dizzy and you feel your own sweat smells better than the smell around

If you are constantly nagged like " akka chudithar theikkanuma, 1 hourla asin style la thechu tharuvom ka"

If even at past 10 in the night, there are people and only people around

If all you can hear is about Saravana Stores, brammandamai and "eduthukko eduthukko annachi kadayil eduthukko"

If you want to buy cheap gold at cheap rates

If you come across sellers selling chudithars and t shirts for rs 60

If you are simply confused as to the shop you must visit and the clothes you must choose

If you are deepfried as a Chicken 65


Then you are in the shopping hub (???) of Chennai. Welcome to T.Nagar, the most busiest shopping place on earth!This is the place you got to be if you want to see how happy people are...cos anytime of the year, there is always a huge crowd here. And who said, people are not having enough money in hand? I beg to differ cos why else, everyone would have atleast one carry bag of annachi kadai, one carry bag of Pothys, and one carry bag of Jeychandran Textiles?You name it, you get it here.So, if you wish to experience out of the world shopping experience, THIS is the place to be!

HE vs SHE

SHE likes to wake up early, HE doesnt.

SHE doesnt know a bit about planning things, making lists. HE thrives on that and has mastered the art.

If something is scattered on the floor, SHE stops by, picks it up and puts it aside, HE just walks over it.

SHE has tremendous expectations on every posisble thing, HE says "expect the best, prepare for the worst".

SHE prefers the tv switched off while feeling sleepy, HE likes the tv on till he goes into the unconscious state.

SHE remembers and takes notice of his appearance, beard, moustache, all his clothes, HE doesnt recognise many of her's.

SHE adores real spicy food, HE can handle spicy food to the minimum level.

SHE feels the house has to look neat when guests come, HE feels there is no need to tidy the house for the sake of the guests and that the things can lie around as they are.

SHE prefers perfect match and fitting for dresses, HE never cares for the perfect fit or the colour.

SHE doesnt keep track of any important things like bank accounts, license, passport, HE is very organised about all this.

But...............................................
SHE loves HE madly
and
HE falls head over heels with SHE each time and E.V.E.R.ytime.

Train journey

Been on a trip to Kerala last weekend and it was an overnight train journey.I travelled by sleeper class to save some money!Trust me, sleeper class is the best place for some solid entertainment in the train.Its fun to watch people around you.I managed to crouch and sit on my seat when a family of 4 landed in the same cubicle as mine. There was a husband, wife , a baby and a 12 yr old girl.Its amazing to see the luggage people carry. Guess they had one whole bag for diapers alone, one bag for food and snacks, one water kettle, so on so forth. Travelling with kids is such a pain I say.As soon as they dumped all their luggages under the seats, the wife asked her husband loudly "why didnt you book tickets in the 3rd A/c?" making sure everyone around heard her.Her husband very religiously answered her saying the tickets werent available. Thought she would stop there, oh she didnt. She again loudly asked her already petrified husband why he did not book tickets in 2nd A/c and went onto describe about the A/c effect there, curtains, reading lights and how they could all get down at the destination without wearing the tired look.And after all this, she herself quietened down by saying" oh, 2nd A/c la waiting listaa".Guess the bragging gave her some happiness.

Then there was a newly married couple who held hands through out the journey.They sat closeby, ate in the same plate,ate the same chappathi by breaking it into small pieces, had water in the same glass.Thank God, they did not sleep in the same berth.
There were two old men sitting on the side berth who had a tough time with the 12 year old girl nagging them for a place there.Unable to bear the girl's tantrums, they went to sleep blissfully.

Travails like these make the train journey memorable, and so was mine too.

Show them the meaning...

Everyday is a new beginning. Every day throws some kind of a challenge.Subtle changes keep happening.And you may need to make some adjustments or accept some trade offs.Just like getting up early in the morning, cooking on your own, getting ready, hurrying up to office,stand in queue for the office van. Now, standing leaves one to sweat a little bit.Finally you manage to board the van only to sit near some really unpleasant smelling creatures.

God, you have always given me whatever I wanted from life.Now please get these unpleasant smelling ones to know the real meaning of DEODORANTS or PERFUMES.

To my teachers, with love

Did you complete the assignment?
Have you got the graph book today?
Meet me after the class is over.

Does these ring a bell?I am sure it does.Sitting in the classroom has been an enjoyable experience especially if the class was taken by one of my favourite teachers.I miss being a student now and I envy all those who go to school or college now to listen to such teachers who make it a memorable experience.Today being "TEACHERS DAY" ,I remember such teachers whom I love and admire and the difference they have brought into me.
I had respect for many teachers, but I am truly fond of a few.


Mrs.Lakshmi Ramesh
Tops the list of my favourite teachers.She is beauty personified and I have always seen a mother in her.Her smile would cheer up anyone and she would always make sure the whole class understood what was being taught. She had a unique way of teaching and her fondness for the subject was infectious.The way she taught would encompass every student and she talked to us like equals without any differntiation of the teacher and the taught..I used to be terribly upset when she was absent to school.There was something in her that reached beyond the curriculum and I am glad to say she is just a phone call away.Teacher, you are the best!

Mrs.Jeyalakshmi
It was because of this teacher, I had some fascination for the English language.Very simple and down to earth.She is no more and teacher, I really miss you.

Mrs.Marry Margrett
I was her pampered pet and her class was as though we were embarking on a picnic.Teacher, may be it is when you asked me to introduce myself to the class or when I carried notebooks and followed you to the staff room, I really donot know when you became by idol.I wish to see you some day.

I bow down to these teachers and all the other teachers who have emancipated me from the darkness of ignorance, taught me to be positive and to respect human values.Here I express my regards, respect and gratitude to all of you teachers. HAPPY TEACHERS DAY!!!

Why me?

You wait to cross a busy road, there are no pedestrians crossing .There is no break to the traffic and is at its peak.After about a solid 5 minutes, the road is relatively empty when you see an auto approaching along the same side.You think the auto will cross you and wait for it to pass you.But just when you think so,the auto comes close to you and stops right infront of you and the driver asks you " engamma ponum?" You just nod your head and say a no and move ahead to cross the road.But by this time, the traffic is at its peak again.
Kadavuley Why me?

I love weddings

I am not a social butterfly.I do enjoy people's company, but again not to a great extent.And looks like my social skills are put to test now with a series of kalyanams lined up.Gosh ! Looks like everyone is getting married.Happened to attend one a few days before and that set me thinking of the trends in today's kalyanams.

Its been raining here in Chennai for the past few days and inspite of that I see weddings in A/C kalyana mandapams.Guess thats to satisfy the maapillai veedu?And one horrible thing about A/C kalyana mandapams is that the homam, and the heavy kancheepuram sarees adorned by our ladies generate hell a lot of heat that you feel like getting out of the A/C hall for a few minutes atleast.

Something else that I look forward to in a kalyanam is the "SAAPAADU". I feel people come to a wedding to eat some good food. The other reason could be to see the bride and the groom and also pass some comments like " payyan nalla height", ponnu konjam colour kammi".And it is with the saapaadu that the wealth of the wedding is decided.All observation is on the payasam, rasam and thayir. The payasam has to be thick, rasam has to be adequately flavoured with perungayam, big pieces of thakkali and kothumalli, the thayir has to have the right consistency- not too watery and not too thick, not too bland and not too sour.If all these are perfect, then it is assumed that the wedding went on well.

Another purpose in attending a wedding is to meet all your relatives- the pattu mamis, the kittu mamas and the other clan and figure out what saree is each one wearing, who has the latest design necklace, yaaru yaaru ponnu/ payyan US/ UK la enga irukka, and some exchange of conversations like " oh Ram Colaradola irukkana, en ponnum anga thaan irukka, nee address kudu, naan avala poi paaka sollaren, appdiye Ram India vanthuttu porachey, konjam podi, oorkai kuduthu en ponnukkum kuduthu vidaren".

If there is one thing that annoys me , it is the light music or is it the jarring and screaming over the mic type of music. Your onnu vitta periyamma will not be able to hear you talking amidst that chaotic music.And what happens with the kutcheris is sometimes saddening too. Many times, people dont listen to these kutcheris.All that they are interested in is talking, talking real loud.

I love attending kalyanams now especially that I am engaged, else I need to go through the ordeal of "height enna?, enna padichurukka? etc etc".Trust me, weddings are the best place to spot the latest trends, styles, which colour is IN, which is NOT.And the best of all is you get a good deal of saathukudi, thengai, some ever silver kinnams, plastic dubbas, and so on after all for attending a wedding. Weddings are lovely I say.

Sweet nothings...over the years

YESTERDAY
***********
She: Hello
He: Hi baby, how are you?
She:I am good You?
He:Hmm..nalla irukken. Missing you
She: Me too. Wish we were able to see each other more often
He:Ya, but this is what we chose. Be happy.Love you so much
She: I love you too.Muahh
He: Was waiting to talk to you
She: I have been waitin for 6 p.m. so that you would call.Miss you terribly
He:Ya I know.Muah
She: Muah, love you sooooo much.
He: Me too da
She:When will I get to see you ?Its so long and am fed up of it
He: Pretty soon. ok? Love you.
She:I love you. Take care.Bye



TODAY
*******
She: Hello
He:Sollu da
She: You busy?
He: Illa, sollu
She:Onnum illa, chumma thaan panninen
He: Hmm.sollu.
She: I miss you, feel like seeing you
He: Did you enquire about the driving class?
She: Ya will enquire today.
He: Vera ethavathu pending irukka?
She: Illa.
He:Sollu
She: Will you call up appa amma today?
He: Ya I shall.
She:Vera enna?
He: Nothing much.
She: Ok, we will talk later. bye


TOMORROW
************
She: Hello
He: Enna?
She: Called to remind you about the cheque payment
He: Ok, I shall do it.Saaptiya?
She:Ya aachu. By the way, dont forget to get the things from the list that I gave you in the morning.
He: Hmm ok.
She: Ok, I will call you later if anything else is to be bought on your way to home. Bye

Welcome to the world of perverts

Happened to endure one kind of a street harassment today.Whatever you call that- eve teasing or street harassment.Nevertheless, I gave it back to that old scumbag who passed some lewd comments.Is there any girl who lives and has not been harassed outside her home? ( Baahh,it happens even in home)I dont think so.The earliest experience that I can remember very clearly was when I was 9 years old when a person well known to my family pinched me on my stomach. It dint strike me then as to what his intentions were, but that pinch did hurt me.I did not really know the inappropriateness in his actions, but I always avoided going near him.Welcome to the world of perverts!Another incident was when I was 10 years old where in I stayed at my relative's house as my appa had got a transfer at a not-so appropriate time. That was hell. I used to sleep with my aunt and all covered from head to toe with a bedsheet and inspite of that her son used to constantly lift the bedsheet in the middle of the night.To think of it all now, makes me plain sick.

Train incidents are many.Many a time, you would have been groped, pinched, slapped from behind or atleast touched .I am no exception.Once when I was travelling from Chennai to Kerala along with my parents.I was sleeping on a middle berth and wokeup with an uneasy feeling around 2 in the night. There was a guy on the opposite berth who on the pretext of getting down, everytime,brushed his hands against my chest.I am NOT ashamed to recall/ recount these instances. And then once when me and my friend went cycling near my flat on a lazy afternoon, a sort of lonely street, a guy on a motorbike stopped near us on the pretext of asking directions.While me and my friend concentrated on giving the directions, he groped my friend's breasts.And he sped away even before we could realise what had happened.

We girls never spoke about it to our parents.Instead of being outraged by all this, we felt embarassed and ashamed as though the sin was committed by the sinned and not the sinner.And the tales we heard from our friends during college were horrifying.Those times, we were blaming ourselves.And the girl power did help.And now, a guy pinching you on your butt gets back a knock in return. IT IS NOT OUR FAULT. Such perverts exist and thats a hard fact to digest.Incidents like these, always keep me suspicious about men.Trust me, telling your mom or your sister that your breasts were groped or you were pinched in your thighs is not easy.I am glad that I have gained the courage to talk about street harassment loud and clear, but then there are many who are traumatised.Atleast we have someone at home to tell things, what about the street children? Its time we gain courage, speak out, brave ourselves and give it back to the lechers.



Ps: This post doesnt apply to the nice men who would be hurt that women are suspicious about every man. For god's sake, dont be a whiner. This is just a personal experience and I just got it out of my closet. Kindly dont make an issue out of it.

Buses and the Brakes

The post about the van rides set me thinking about the thrill of the brakes.I avoid travelling by the public transport in Chennai and on the contrary, I long to do the same in Kerala.I did it this time when I went home.

The old lady was swept in the most undignified manner from the middle seat of the last row to my left at the centre of the bus.I helped the unfortunate lady to regain her balance and offered her my seat.Why did the driver not slow down inspite of knowing that we were approaching the bus stop?Carelessness?

Travelling by bus is an experience by itself.Most of the pleasure is due to the driver's driving ( sudden brakes??) skills.I went to school by the school bus during my11th &12th std.And our bus was manned by a rather attractive cheeky driver in his mid twenties.The bus would start with a dare-devil speed and brake suddenly, again accelerate and brake suddenly.While some rushed to reserve their seats, the others were left at the mercy of the big vehicle.Every sudden brake or a pause would bring forth some loud "Ooohhss and Aaaahhss" along with some squeals from all of us.

And we wondered why was this sudden braking so frequently done? The reason was a 12th std girl was given the honour of standing near the entrance at the driver's end.She was beauty personified, used to hold the vertical handle with her oh so delicate hand and she exchanged occassional glances with the driver at whose hands lay the fate of the bus.With every brake,they would exchange a glance or two, the driver grinning and she would plaster a sweet smile.We could easily sense the growing attraction between the two.But the sudden brakes totally disappeared after she left school to join college.No chaos in the bus.The thrill of brakes disappeared that even now, whenever I travel by a bus and there is a sudden brake, I cant help but reminicse the unspoken love tale of the driver and that beautiful girl and wondeing about what would have happened if they had just talked! For in the entire period of their silent communication, they never once spoke to each other.

Our van driver

Its been a year and a half since I started working and believe me each day is an adventure on its own. Thanks to the van driver who is Schumis cousin twice removed!Though he doesnt look even the slightest like Schumi,he more than makes up for it when it comes to driving (Racing??)

He is a man with a mission, ya, the misson to get us to office on time.Nothing ever stops him except for the life saving dance that too if its performed in the middle of the road by atleast a group of five people.And if he is not in a great mood, he even forgets to pick us up once in a while. But if he is in a decent mood,we are thrown upto the ceiling by atleast three speed breakers.So you can as well imagine about his bad mood!Another thing that we have been in awe with him is how is it that he manages to get out some loud symphony with the horn!

Guess me and my other colleagues are lucky to have found someone so sincere and dedicated to the cause of racing and dropping us to office on time inspite of the road construction chaos thats happening enroute.Here I raise a toast for him.May he race in peace!!!

Changing Times

Gone are the days when the mamis in every household exchanged horoscopes between each other. Earlier days, exchanging horoscopes in common weddings or functions was the prime thing. But now,thats all replaced by the dot coms where you can find, browse, email or chat at your own privacy.One of my neighbour mami had visited us today with a horoscope and she wanted to check with my mom if there is any suitable match for that boy's horoscope.My parents are actively involved in this match making, they do this social service of getting the horoscopes of prospective bride / groom and exchange it between friends and famil members who would also be looking for one.Coming from a family where hand me downs was so common- be it clothes, books or toys, the same was applied to horoscopes as well. If "A"s horoscope dint match for "X", it was automatically handed down to the next best person .My neighbour mamis visit set me thinking how things have changed on the matrimonial side.

After a while, I was just thinking if the traditional approach of exchanging horoscopes still exist?Whomsoever I talk to , brag only about the matrimonial sites.And I always find the handing me down method the best, that ways the source is relaibale than what you see in the dot coms right?

Another thing is,the penn paarkum padalam was always filled with fun and anxiety.There would be one huge pattalam for the penn paarkum padalam.Fun for the kids and the thathas and mamas who get to eat the hot pakodas and sweets.Little more fun with the teen aged girls/ boys who would keep giggling at the bride/ groom, anxiety for both the parents.The revelation from the groom that " ponnu pidichurukku"would mean huge relief to the bride's parents and you could actually hear comments like " its a match made in heaven"and "that the girl is so lucky to get into a particular family", while a negative answer would spark off comments like " nee yean intha azhuthu vadiyara saree kattinda? innum konjam nanna make up potturukkalam"and so on.

Guess those times have changed now..and now the prospective bride/ groom meet in a much social atmosphere, sans the huge pattalam, pakodas, kesari and the gupshup from the relatives.Who knows what more are we going to witness with the changing times?

Life is Beautiful

Waking up early in the morning around 10

Not having a need to have bath in the mornings necessarily

Having the breakfast served piping hot (even at 10 a.m.) & having the breakfast served right in the living room while watching tv

Not having the need to wash your own plate/ vessels

Watching tv till its time for lunch

Hogging the lunch

Browsing the net with the facility being available 24*7

Sleeping

Enjoying a cup of tea with some deep fried snack

Have a bath cos its almost the end of the day

Visit the nearby temple and friends

watch tv

Have dinner

Browse the net

Off to sleep

And in between all this rigorous schedule,get spoiled by being pampered big time cos you would be visiting home after 8 months, meet people who come to visit me at home, gossip big time about anything under the sun and finally off to sleep after too much of tv and eating

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL I SAY!!!

First Salary Token Gifts

Talk of the first salary and am sure its close to everyones heart ( I still remember how excited I was on checking my account for the first ever salary and trust me, I hadnt seen so much money in life then)You feel elated on getting the first ever salary credited.Another thing is it takes inordinate amount of mind space.Ask me how

Its been a tradition in our family that when you start working, you got to show your love and affection to your family members by getting them first salary presents.That being said, amma suggested one small token for each family- I mean one for chithappa family, one for athai family, and so on.My sister did the same when she went to US and came back with one token present to each family and so did my cousins.Its my turn and I have been merrily whiling away doing this for more than a year.But all of a sudden, I realised my responsibility

I love shopping and so this kind of a task only adds to my happiness.
But I sulk big time in buying something for men.Cant think of anything beyond shirts/ t shirts.And given the complexities in buying a useful yet in your budget and likely to get your appreciation gift, I decided that I would get something for the ladies clan.Its easy to buy gifts for women especially if you are a woman yourself.Also, there are as expected, some in the family who have everything and some who appreciate nothing and ofcourse there are some who say " ethukku gift ellam, nee ippdi snehama irukkarathey porum".So, how about a mobile phone for my the eldest mama who doesnt have one?- but he wudnt find it so exciting or an investment & trading book for the chithappa who freaks out with the share market?but he says he knows things and that books neednt help him or a book of crosswords for my athai who is an expert in it?-but she wud solve it in a days time.Pheeewww!! So,I am finally settling down to buy gifts for the ladies clan. How I wish I had thought of this idea in the beginning itself!

Keeping in touch

I am a little concerned about all those who have no time for friends/ relatives.I wish I did not say that, but then I have numerous examples or instances at home and abroad who do not even communicate to cousins, chithis, chithappas, mama mamis. They are such people who would say a mere Hi if you happen to bump into them in Yahoo messenger or Orkut and sometimes, they conveniently ignore even that.My immediate or first cousins wud recognise me ( ofcourse with the modern emails, orkut and stuff), but I am sure their kids will not even be able to recognise me if we ever bump into each other. I have my cousins who have not turned up to India for more than 5 years.Their kids havent even seen their roots


But on the contrary,my parents are in touch with all their cousins ( first, second and so on), their relatives through the traditional ( time tested??) means of communication like letters, phone calls. So what do I infer? When we are exposed to internet, emails, messengers which are fast, dependable and free and are still not able to keep in regular touch with our folks, but the parents can with the time tested methods.That only shows that distance is never an issue. It is the inclination to keep in touch that matters. I still sit and write letters to my grandma who has immense pleasure in reading letters. You speak to her over the phone, she isnt as happy as she gets my hand written letter.Many a times, I come to know of the happenings in the family only when amma tells me- be it my cousins engagement/ wedding,or he / she getting a promotion at office.I am not advocating one to write letters.But this could be a timely reminder for us to keep in touch with the loved ones before we realise its too late.

Knock Knock ..to Reality

The whole of India has taken to Reality Shows.Every T.V. channel airs one such reality show.Hindi channels were the pioneers in reality shows in India, and after sensing the popularity and the TRP ratings shoot up, most of the other language T.V. channels have followed suit. And these shows keeps me thinking very often. A huge lot of people come for the prelims, the judges screen them and select a few, while ousting many with the judges telling them that they dont match up to the expectations.And if you think the show ends here, you are wrong. The camera catches the ousted particpants, crying, howling, screaming, bitching about the judges and what not...May be this is the reason, why these reality shows are so popular amongst the janta.

Now this amuses me so much. If we could easily decide the fate of an aspiring individual who wants to become a singer or a dancer or a comedian by mere SMS'es and votes, why dont we use the same, yes, the same system for a few more things?

• For the state elections ? This will easen the whole hazardous process that the EC is put through!
• In companies, what if a CEO wants to fire someone? Am sure this system would come handy then. Or may be, everyone votes for the CEO himself
• What if we could choose which actor should play a particular role in a particular movie? That ways, we could get rid of the Sathyarajs, Sibirajs,S.J.Suryas, Vijaykanths and the like.
• Cricket, to choose the players of the team. I am sure had this system been in place a few months before, Ganguly could have saved himself. Poor guy, he had to go through the whole hungama.
  

Comeon, lets give the phone operators some more chance to mint some money. Take your mobile, SMS your vote to save these souls. May be VIJAYAKANTH or SATHYARAJ or your very own CEO. Send your votes to 8888 and save a soul.

LOVE is...

HE: Hellooo
ME: Enakku konjam velai irukku, namma apparam pesalama?
HE:Seri ok, naan apparam pannaren
ME: Illa, enakku inniku pesara mood illa
HE:Yean enna aachu?
ME: Onnum illa
HE: Is something bothering you?
ME:Ya, something is bothering me, aana ennannu thaan theriyala
HE:Ennada ithu?
ME: Paathiya, nee aluthukkara, I know you are fed up of me
HE:Appdi ellam onnum illa
ME: Illa, appdi thaan
HE: Why do you assume things?
ME: Ya, I always assume things, I am only so bad
HE: Ippo ennada pannanum?
ME:Onnum panna vendaam, am ok now.
HE: Sure?
ME: Ya am ok now, aana en mela kovam illa la?
HE: Enakku kovam ellam onnum illa da. Nee ok na, naan ok.
ME:Nijamma?
HE: Nijamma da.Ayyo yean da oru vishayatha ivlo complicate pannara?
ME:Seri ok, lets hang up now. You take care. Bye!



LOVE is driving SID nuts and make him totally clueless like, in the above conversation. Oh ya, the above conversation was between me and Sid.

My North Indian Friend

I got a call from one of my friend( actually speaking one of the avoided brigade of friends) after almost 6-7 months.I was surprised on getting her call cos we werent the best of friends and we have spoken to each other only a few times.She started talking on a very apologetic note.Oh ya, she wanted my help. She is from U.P and was placed in an IT company in Chennai and she needed my help in finding her an accomodation in the city.Adyar, Thiruvanmiyur was her first choice.I gave her some assurance on finding her a suitable accomodation and called a couple of my friends & relatives to put them on the job of finding her a good place.

After about 2 weeks, we found her a place in Indra nagar. She was happy.I was happy too cos I was of some help to her.PEACE!!!

She used to call me every week ( guess it was some form of gratitude) which later was reduced to mails, and further dwindled to mere SMS'es.When during the calls stage, she was happy being here, during mails, she wasnt so, and during SMS'es, it went downhill .Every SMS from her was only about her sufferings of a North Indian in CHINNAI ( dont you know most of the North Indians say CHINNAI instead of CHENNAI). Once or twice, I tried cajoling her that things wud be allright. But it got worse later that everytime I got an SMs from her, I flinched.Everytime she talks, she said more or less of these:

*Chinnai is alaways hot yaar
*Why do the men here have to gape on seeing a girl in some teeny weeny t shirt?
*People dont speak Hindi
*Auto fellows charge a bomb
*Only idli, dosa and sambar
* No Atta made rotis here, all rotis made of maida
*No asli Punjabi khaana
*No night life

I have always had a feeling that North Indians dread coming to south. To them,. South is MADRAS and all South Indians are Madrasis.Why is it that invariably, most of the North Indians crib on coming to South? I have lived in Pune, and gelled well with the place. My family was in Delhi for a few years and we thoroughly enjoyed those 3-4 years there.My friend asked me why people dont speak Hindi. May be they dont want to, I said.We speak Tamil and English.I dont think I can communicate to an autowala in Delhi in english as I can do it here in Chennai.And what did you tell me? Only idli dosas? You guys thrive in Aloo.I had to have only aloo parathas, aloo sabji when I was in the North.I had to struggle in finding one good place where I could have some typical South Indian food.These kind of conversation only makes me all protective of the place I live in.No offence meant here, but guess we should learn to respect the place we live in.When in Rome, be a Roman. Try learning something from the place you live in so that you could live anywhere in the world.Stop making an upheaval about such trivial things.Every place has its uniquness. And this post wudnt be complete without me saying that I love Madras and everything that makes it up.

Clean All

I was damn busy, Appa wanted some proof receipts of the LIC premium paid.I had to take out a file in which these receipts were filed.I take the file, run through to find out the receipts, there is paper and clutter all around, my mobile phone rings and in a hurry to reach out to my phone, I accidentally kicked the glass of bournvita that was kept and the spilled bournvita very rightly flows on all the whole lot of papers scattered.I reach up to my phone and it happens to be a wrong number.I am damn irritated, and I decide to give up.Just then, there was a lightning thought that I could indeed use this as a chance to sort out the papers and trash the unwanted papers, bills,etc.I patiently did that and waahh, my file now has only relevant stuff and no rubbish.


But, now that I sorted out all the clutter, I dont want this to happen again.I only wish that I be more regular in sorting and disposing the unwanted stuff than wait for a situation like this!

These kids I say...

Kids say the darnest things and take you by surprise.

Since I live in an apartment, anything/anyone coming to my house is strictly scrutinised by one of my flat mate and more precisely their 4 year old son.This little boy wud follow the visitors to my house so religiously just to see what they talk and what they eat at my home. Nothing/ no one can come to my place without his knowledge. So did my A/c. I purchased an A/c this April and as expected, this boy was right there when the A/c was delivered at my home.He came in and sat along with me, kept saying that he would stay with me to see how the A/c wud function. He kept comparing the A/c at their house with mine. Mine is a split A/c while theirs is a window A/c.Now goes the conversation we had

BOY: unga aathula periya A/c. enga aathula chinna A/c
ME: aamaam. aana ellam onnum thaan ( me thinking not to discriminate bwn things)
BOY: periya A/c na romba jillunnu irukkuma?
ME: aamaam
BOY: nee ellamey perusa thaan vanguviya?
ME: appdi onnum illiye
BOY: A/c um perusu, tv um perusu, bedum perusu
ME: not knowing what to say, tried diverting him to something else and offered him some fruits to eat
BOY: enakku fruits pidikkathu
ME: trying to advise him, fruits healthukku nallathu, konjam saapdu
BOY: enakku pidikkathunu sollrenla
ME: pidikkathunnu ethayumey solla koodathu. konjam saapdu

Here comes the dialogue totally unexpected

BOY: nee nalla sambathikkara, periya a/c, periya tv, periya bed ellam vechurukka, yean ippdi fruits saapda sollra? pizza, laysnu ethavathu enakku vaangi tharalamla?

Who has got the better of this conversation?
He took me by surprise totally. I did not speak a word after this, and dropped him back at his home.

Murungakkai

I have never had a fancy eating MURUNGAKKAI. Infact, I have been annoyed with this vegetable quite many times.Ask me why?I started detesting sambhar because of the murungakkai added in it.I always prefer vetha kuzhambu to sambar cos vetha kuzhambu can be made even without any vegetables, but by adding some manathakkali vethal.But for sambhar, you need to add vendaikkai or murungakkai. My appa has always felt murungakkai does better justice to the sambhar and that left amma with adding lots of murungakkai to it.I had no qualms with vendaikkai cos as the cliche goes, I was told "vendaikkai is the vegetable which helps me improve my mathematical abilities"( anyways that dint help me in becoming one mathsla puli).But I happily stuck to vendaikkai and disowned murungakkai.

But it wasnt that easy to ignore this vegetable.I agree it has a nice flavour, tastes nice, but many times it gets stuck in your thorat. Sometimes I wonder if people took some special training to chew the murungakkai. I am sure even a cow if competing with our men would loose its race in chewing a murungakkai.How is it that our people manage to chew it so violently?.I always associate eating murungakkai with embarassament. Another thing was washing the plates after my appa/ chithappa or the guests ate. I dreaded doing this especially when there was the violently chewed murungakkai in the plates and I had to trash them before washing the plates.And then on, I close my eyes before trashing the chewed murungakkai and also wash my hands with soap after I trash.

No longer committed

Oh, how do I write this? I am finding it difficult to express myself. It was 4 yrs since I was committed, and ya it was immediately after my schooling.Amma never liked this relationship of mine.So it was but obvious that she dint approve of it.But I dint want to listen to her cos we had a good understanding. Just like in any relationship, we too dint get along all that well initially, but as years rolled by, we were thick n thin.We were seen together most of the times.I started spending most of my weekdays and sometimes my weekends with my love.we got along pretty well. Inspite of ammas repeated pleads, sometimes shoutings, I continued with my relationship, ignoring all that she said. This continued for a while until amma cudnt take it further. And she just threw my old, worn out school uniform out of my cupboard and later handed it over to my maid servant asking her to take it away. This time, she happily ignored my crying, pleads and shoutings .

Children who aren’t allowed to stay young

Are kids being treated as kids? I am afraid they are not. Being a child prodigy is no longer a blessing. These kind of things only spawn huge expectations Invariably, kids are expected to perform exceptionally well-each time, and every time. The talent of a child needs to be nurtured, but it is often seen that children with exceptional skills/quality become a victim of parental pressure or fall into the trap of expectations. Parents have very high expectations and want to fulfill their dreams through their children. Parents become nervous if their children do not fulfill such dreams. And its not just parental pressure, but peer pressure also pushes a child to perform exceptionally well.

One of my flatmate says that she should join a particular course / class, just because her friends have also joined the very same class. And the sad part is that her mom approves of her attitude.

Wont expecting the child to do well everytime become a burden for the kid? This often makes me wonder if being super talented is more a bane than a boon. And the recent news about a 15 year old boy performing a C section clearly shows that he is a victim of parental pressure or rather too much pressure to outperform others of his age. Similarly, the news of a 5 year old Budhia creating a record(??) by running 65 kms gave me jitters. Now, the poor kid is being expected to do more. I am so cross with such parents who want their kids to be over achievers. Why should the parents be so obsessed with making their child do some exceptional stunt like recalling the country name by the mere look of the country’s flag or use computers at the age of 1 or 2? Why should every little thing be treated as an opportunity to outperform than just taking it as an opportunity to learn? My parents never tried forcing things on me, or kept preaching that I should use every opportunity to outperform someone.

Why cant we just treat the kids AS kids? Their inherent and inborn talents and genuine abilities should not be suppressed. The children should be let to decide what they want to do or what they want to become, with the parents efficiently guiding them towards that.

I am glad that all these ring an alarm in me. If I could have one wish for my child, it would be that he is a happy person always and am ok if he is not successful, but all am concerned is that he is at peace with himself.

Birthdays

I wud make no mistake on this. It feels really bad to get old.I never felt this way when I was in my teens. Even my 18-20 age birthdays seemed to be fine.But now, after a couple of years of my 20th brithday mark( U thought I wud reveal my age here?)I feel a little bad to face the peak of adulthood.I can no longer do things much to my will, anything I do is flung back to me with a comment" poruppa nadanthukko, innum 6 maasathula kalyanam".

Some signs to tell you that you are getting old

When anyone and everyone talks to you only about getting married, but not stop there and talk further about family, kids, responsibility et all

When all your friends start telling you " enjoy to the fullest now,you wud never get these days back" - as though there is no tomorrow

When you get mails from classmates / batchmates sharing the news of their marriage & kids

When the kids are told to address you as aunty instead of akka

When young cousins talk about some new mobile technology, new hang out places, new restaurants and you just blink


Every year, I excitingly wait for my birthday, but the day comes, I start feeling that this day should never end.But it always happens that I get a year older at the end of the very same day.Sometimes, I even dream of people giving me sympathetic looks as though I have lost all my charm.Its impossible to stop thinking like this and sometimes, such kind of dreams become an integral part of your sleep. Hhhhhmmmmmmmm....





And now, just 3 days after my birthday, I again eagerly wait for the next one.

My daddy strongest!!!

"It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was." - Anne Sexton "

There could be no other time if not now, for me to write this. ( I know this post is a day late, but better late than never!)

For all the pamperings that you have showered on me

For all the hardships that you went through inorder to get me to whatever I am today

For all the games we played, outings that we have had

For being so unselfish, generous and always giving

For all the things that you have got me even before I asked for it

For calling me subbudu( I loved the name just cos u called me so appa)

For trusting me completely and giving me all the freedom to do/ talk what I want

For letting me make my own choices



Appa, I love u for all this and much more. I still remember, how everytime you happen to go for an eat out, but dont eat there, instead pack it up and bring it home for me all the way. I have not seen you buying a new dress for yourself, they were so rare.You dont take leave, no new shoes and you dont waste anything. Save and squirrel every little thing and spend it on your kids.I am so proud of being your daughter. I wish to be as nice, gentle, unselfish, generous,sacrificing as you are appa.

Happy Fathers Day appa

Subbudu

As I grew up ...along with her

@ the age of 3, I wondered who the other human being who is growing up with me in the same house

@ the age of 6, I hated her, thought she was my competitor

@ the age of 10, I missed her occasionally for she was away from home for her schooling

@ the age of 11, I fought with her for every little thing - including as to who gets the most roasted part of the potato fry my amma makes

@ the age of 12, I realised that she is indeed my blood and loved her too.I started going by whatever she told me -right from going out, to the dress selection , to the hairstyle I shud have

@ the age of 13, missed her terribly when her work kept her away from home

@ the age of 14,I gave her a huge list of things I wanted when she returned from Singapore & Malaysia and she dint make even the slightest fuss to get all that I wanted

@ the age of 16, I used to be glued to the comp just to recieve her mails updating us all about her day to day life in the USA and I used to take immense pride in showing her US snaps to my friends

@ the age of 17, I hated to be alone, when she got married. I still curse that video photographer who took some videos of me crying at the wedding hall when she got married.

@ the age of 18, I felt so nice when she was the first to send me a beautiful mail about my milestone of attaining 18 years.

A few years have rolled by after all these that are mentioned above, and how do I feel now?
Though we still argue over somethings, I feel so blessed that I have such a wonderful SISTER. She has only given me more and more.


My dear "B", I truly look up to you.