Controversy's child

Priyanka Chopra, while competing to giggle with Karan over coffee on 'Koffee with Karan', thought that Shahid Kapoor was THE ultimate controversy's child she knows. Ok - we get it - love is blind - check.

However, on listening to her (and her endless giggling), I wondered who would be my pick for the tag - did not take long to figure that one out - it has to be Indira Gandhi - right from being thrown out of Shantiniketan for falling in love with a teacher at the age of 14 right upto her death in 1984 - hers was a life riddled with controversies and shrouded in mystery - she has to be THE controversy's child.

Dhobi ghat

Dhobi ghat - such a mundane name for such a different movie. Mumbai - shastriya sangeet - colors - awkward silences - moments - words - love - sea - photographs - desires - reality - all unrelated to one another - but so beautiful when all put together. The sheer beauty of the art of story telling takes over the fact of a lack of coherence in this one. Random - just like life.

:)

Happy.

Question...

...just how much is too much?

Awesome.

Roothi hui hai tu - ek pal mein maanegi
Dil se hamesha hai bacchi.
Aye zindagi tu bhi - mere hi jaisi hai -
Dikhti sayani - par hai kacchi.

Phoola muh leke - baithi kyun hai tu -
Ungli meri chal tham le -
Jahan main chalu - wahin tu chale
Jahan tu chale - wahin main chalu.

OST - Wake Up Sid (2009)

Invictus..

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

~ William Ernest Henley

I was thinking how a man could spend thirty years in prison, and come out and forgive the men who did it to him...

~ Francois Pienaar in the movie "Invictus"

I learnt something today - forgiveness - Mandela is truly an inspiration.

Awwwwww :)

Picture courtesy: NatGeo

Change

Change - like it - hate it - cant ignore it. It has always stayed with me - kept me on my toes - never really let me settle down. Friends changed - continents changed - houses changed - terms changed - people changed - you get the jist of it right? Do I like it - I still can't decide. Someone once told me - all the things you wish for are just outside your comfort zone - the thought stayed with me - and it makes me kinda look forward to the unpredictability of each day.

Of late - the unpredictability was getting a little too much to handle. Thats when I sat back - looked at everything around me - and figured - this is the story of my life - unique - different - special - offbeat - call it what you want - but this is the way it is going to be written down. Destiny - kismet - chance - fortune - call it what you want - some things are just not in my hand. What I can do - the way I see it - just sit back and enjoy the ride.

High time...

..I started living according to EST.

Uber cool..

Fedora hats!

Fact - not fiction.

Its for real - it's not a myth as I thought - an unwanted and unnecessary outcome of unrealistic romantic novels and regular dose of romantic movies - no sir - it's out there - in this real practical fast-paced world - true love - unconditional love. I saw it - today.

For a friend..

Ted: Okay, I'm going to say something out loud that I've been doing a pretty good job of not saying out loud lately. What you and Tony have, what I thought for a second you and I had, what I know that Marshall and Lily have, I want that. I do. I keep waiting for it to happen. I'm waiting for it to happen and I guess I'm just tired of waiting. And that is all I'm going to say on that subject.

Stella: You know how I talked my way out of a speeding ticket?

Ted: Really?

Stella: I was heading upstate with my parents, I was doing 90 on the country roads. I got pulled over. So this cop, gets out of his car, swaggers over and he says, 'Lady, I've been waiting for you all day.' And I said, 'Sorry Officer, I got here as fast as I could.'

Ted: For real?

Stella: No, it's just a joke. I know that you're tired of waiting. And you may have to wait a little while more but, she's on her way, Ted. And she's getting here as fast as she can.

3 day rule

Barney Stinson: Jesus waited THREE days to come back to life. It was perfect! If he had only waited ONE day, a lot of people wouldn't have even heard he died. They'd be all, "Hey Jesus, what up?" and Jesus would probably be like, "What up? I DIED yesterday!" and they'd be all, "Uhh, you look pretty alive to me, dude..." and then Jesus would have to explain how he was resurrected, and how it was a miracle, and the dude'd be like "Uhh okay, whatever you say, bro..." And he's not gonna come back on a SATURDAY. Everybody's busy, doing chores, workin' the loom, trimmin' the beard, NO. He waited the perfect number of days, THREE. Plus it's SUNDAY, so everyone's in church already, and they're all in there like "Oh no, Jesus is DEAD", and then BAM! He bursts in the back door, runnin' up the aisle, everyone's totally psyched, and FYI, that's when he invented the high five. That's why we wait three days to call a woman, because that's how long Jesus wants us to wait.... True story.

The right place – at the right time.

Kids – I have been telling you the story of how I met your mother – and while there’s many things to learn from this story – this may be the biggest. The great moments of your life may not necessarily be the things you do – they will also be the things that happen to you. Now I am not saying you can’t take action to affect the outcome of your life – you have to take action – and you will. But never forget - that on any day - you can step out the front door - and your whole life can change forever. You see the universe has a plan kids - and that plan is always in motion. A butterfly flaps its wings - and it starts to rain. It’s a scary thought - but it also kinda wonderful. All these little parts of the machine – constantly working – making sure that you end up exactly where you are supposed to be – exactly when you are supposed to be there. The right place – at the right time.

~ Ted Mosby in How I met your mother

I forgot....

...how much I love the smell of old musty books stacked away in a library. A rainy evening spent in Sanborn with Arabian nights for company - one word - awesome.

I recommend...

Review of Love Aaj Kal - Meera decoded. I love the way the post ends - "Love Aaj Kal is that rare romantic movie that is, well, romantic. A film with two of its women, who hate black coffee, yet for some goddamn reason gulp it down just so to remember their men is sure as hell romantic." Brilliant ending.

Makes me smile :)

A pleasant surprise for me on Rakhi - I am lucky to have such awesome people in my life - touch wood :)

Special :)

Deja Vu

Thought - was reminded of this again today.

Expensive!

Priscilla of Boston - tch tch - who said the best things in life are free! :P

Steady steady..

Yesterday, while I was traveling to Boston, I saw the cutest thing on Dartmouth coach – an old person was seated next to me and he looked pretty tired and sick and sleepy – his hand shivered – his leg was quivering. What caught my attention was his shivering hand – even while he was asleep – reminded me of my grandma. He woke up near Lebanon and was searching for his headphones. He had dropped them off earlier – I offered it to him. That broke the ice between us – he got talking with me – his wife chimed in – they were telling me stories about their life and times – was nice listening to it all.

What amazed me was the love with which his wife was taking care of him – I did not admire it because it was an act of kindness or greatness – it was an act of love. She took care of every little detail for him – he had trouble remembering certain things – she remembered it for him – she finished his sentences for him – she held his headphones for him because he kept losing his grip on them - they had their own jokes - which they kind of understood and I could only guess :) She looked really tired – maybe she had not slept properly – but her eyes twinkled while doing things for him – while filling in small details of the stories that he was telling me – her eyes had a sparkle every time he laughed – she loved him. I saw true love yesterday – first hand – yet again. These were two people who had spent more than 40 years with each other – and still could not get enough of each other – whose love only grew with years.

I want it in my life – someone I want to grow old with – someone who I know will love me on my bad hair days – when I become fat – when I crack the silliest joke and he will laugh with me no matter how lame the joke - when I wear spectacles – when I grow old and lose all my teeth – and he will still think am awesome. I don’t want crazy momentary highs of love – I want that steady glow of love – the glow which fills your life forever and assures you that you will never be alone again.

I respect...

...photographers - because they see when life is in full bloom - in various colors -they hear when life whispers - they let life cast it's spell on them - they capture the beauty of every mundane moment - mostly because they live life to it's fullest.

I have a new favorite :)

Pink oriental lilies

Pretty :)

Flowers in downtown Hanover

Photo courtesy: Harini Sridharan

Hahaha!

"There will be lots of 'REPUTATED' people there tonight" - the last I heard that word was reputed - hahahaha - the things you get to hear while walking across downtown!

Awwwww...

Mark: I don't think you're an idiot at all. I mean, there are elements of the ridiculous about you. Your mother's pretty interesting. And you really are an appallingly bad public speaker. And, you tend to let whatever's in your head come out of your mouth without much consideration of the consequences. I realize that when I met you at the Turkey Curry Buffet I was unforgiveably rude... and wearing a reindeer jumper. That my mother had given me the day before. But the thing is, what I'm trying to say, very inarticulately, is that, in fact, perhaps despite appearances, I like you. Very much.

Bridget: Apart from the smoking and the drinking and the verbal diarrhoea...

Mark: No, I mean I like you very much. Just as you are.

~ Bridget Jones' Diary (2001)

Divine

Photo courtesy: Harini Sridharan

Lilies

The best thing to happen to Hanover of late - lilies - loads of them - everywhere :)

Photo courtesy: Harini Sridharan

Freaking awesome!

The best part about today - I saw a full rainbow on one of my long walks - it was so beautiful and divine - freaking awesome! The one you see in the pic above is the closest to what I saw today - wish I had a camera at that moment - damn it!

PS: Eve teasing - very much present in US too - sad but true.

Happy 4th!

The blackboards usually listing the specials for the day in front of Boloco's and Dirt Cowboy read that yesterday. That's what the lady at the counter told me at the Co-op - with a warm smile. That reminds me - while walking out of Co-op - I ran into a lady tending to the flowers displayed near the entrance. Now, since I got here, I got to see so many flowers - both exotic and mundane - I don't know the names of more than half of them - though from my limited knowledge , I know that my favorites happen to be tulips and wild lilies - so anyways - I decided to ask this lady which ones she was so lovingly tending to - she told me those were petunias and then wished me a happy 4th. We got talking and I happened to mention to her that 4th of July here reminded me of 15th August back in India. She started telling me the history behind this day and how important this day was to each one of them. As we ended our conversation, she said that she was sure that all the Indians took their 15th August as seriously as Americans took their 4th of July. I nodded at that time and started my long walk back home - her statement got me thinking - did we actually take our independence day seriously - I don't think I can say an absolute undoubted yes to it - to most of us , including me, the day is just another holiday - when in school it meant that I would get sweets to eat - at work it meant another day when I could wake up late. Do I appreciate the efforts that went into making India an independent nation - yes - do I do soemthing to express my pride - no - should I be making an explicit attempt at showcasing my pride - I don't know. As I was thinking about all this and heading towards CVS - I happened to see a fireworks display - one after the other - brilliant colors filled the dark sky - most of the people walking with me on the street paused and just looked at the sky - in awe. The display lasted for almost 10 minutes - now - I was regretting the fact that I could not be in Boston to see the fireworks display - which my friend P so passionately recommended as a must-watch if I was anywhere close to Boston - but I got my fireworks time sitting here in the quiet town of Hanover - I got to enjoy my own little celebration - the sounds and colors reminded me of Diwali. So that was the lead-up to my first 4th here in US - my drumroll - you would get the drumroll joke if you happen to watch "How I met your mother" :) Well - as I get back to enjoying my long weekend - filled with long walks, poetry reading and "How I met your mother" - I wish everyone out there a happy 4th - or as they say back in India - happy independence day :)

Seriously?

I did not go back to listening to Michael Jackson until this week. I was wondering...if he was still around...would I have Liberian Girl playing on Youtube right now? Don't want to know the answer to that one.

I wish...

I really really wish I could visit London some day!

PS: Add Paris and Inverness to that list too! Hehehe :)

Pause

Some one please hit the "play" button - life's been on a pause of late!

I love...

...living in Hanover. I went for a morning walk today - sheer beauty surrounded me. I wish I had a camera to capture all of it - but some times a photo can't do justice to what the eye beholds. Cozy little houses - creepers on the walls of some - a mail box surrounded with pansies of all possible colors in front of another - wonder what's the story behind each house - how old each one is. Exotic flowers - I don't even know the names of most of them - roses - tulips - so many colors - subtle - bright - it was all there.

Music from my iPod accompanied me as I was lost in the beauty around me - and then it happened. A deer was watching me as I walked along - a thought struck me - I decided to give my idea a shot - I started walking towards the deer - it did not move - graceful - beautiful creature - soft eyes - tame - mild - subdued - in a pensive mood maybe - just at peace. I kept walking towards it - it just kept looking at me - an inquizitive look - wondering what I was upto. I reached out my hand and stroked it's head - it did not move away - just kept nibbling at the grass - I was thrilled beyond words - I touched a deer today - how many people get to say that - hardly a few :)

Finally!

I will own a Fossil today - finallyyyyyyyyyy :)

Next two on my list :)

Numb

Ever thought about this - how does it feel to not feel anything?

Ouch

Does it have to hurt this bad?

When photographs speak

Something about this photograph - every time I see it- it gives me a sense of comfort and belonging. I love looking at it - somehow reminds me of times spent with friends back in Hyderabad and Bangalore. At times life out here feels so surreal - this place - the people - something totally different from what I had back in India. I have been here for almost 10 months now - for me - this photograph - in a weird way - don't ask me how and why - summarises my times till date out here.

Craaaaaash

And that's how she fell.

Tranquil

I have never seen a river that I could not love. Moving water…has a fascinating vitality. It has power and grace and associations. It has a thousand colors and a thousand shapes, yet it follows laws so definite that the tiniest stream is an exact replica of a great river.

~ Roderick Haig-Brown

Picture courtesy: Niketha

Am glad

At times things don't go the way you want them to - am glad about that.

Whoa!

A Dartmouth Coach driver praising Arundhati Roy, Vandana Shiva and Shashi Tharoor for 10 minutes in front of Hanover Inn, while I listen to him patiently, with a heavy bag weighing me down by the minute. Happens. I am so glad that happens :)

Last week

I surprised myself. I realised who were the people who really mattered. I saw the lowest low. I experienced the highest high. I lived life - in a full circle. Last week.

Yaaaayyyyyy!

:)

:)

Bare foot!

Dilli-6

Title track of Dilli-6 - this song reminded me of this - Delhi calling.

Stay

I rise, looking through my morning eyes,

Surprised to find you by my side.

Rack my brain to try to remember your name

To find the words to tell you good-bye.

Morning dues.

Newborn day.

Midnight blue turned to gray.

Midnight blue burning gold.

A yellow moon is growing cold.

Track: Stay

Artist: Pink Floyd

I was around

First time an Indian won the Nobel Prize - first time the Wright brothers had a successful flight - first time man walked on the moon - first time an Indian won an individual Olympic medal - first time India won the World Cup at Lords - first time a lady became the Prime Minister of India - first time the wax statue of a living Indian was put up at Madame Tussaud's - I was not around.

Today United States got her first African American President - I was around.

Of late

Recently, I read a really beautiful love letter written by a friend of mine. It was a really touching one - he seemed to have poured his heart into the words out there. That letter got me thinking - do we ever really move on in life - can your past ever completely cease to haunt your present - are we just better off that way - is this a choice we don't get to make.

Too many questions - too few answers - some things are better best forgotten then.

Bad, bad server...no donut for you!!!

Orkut can never change I guess....tch tch.

At MIT

Need I say more? :)

Am in love :)

That's the cutest dog with the sweetest eyes ever - am in love :)

Good times

Lying on your back in the middle of the night - on a frozen pond - with a full moon and million stars for company - definitely good times :)

Boston

I think I'll go to Boston,
I think that I'm just tired -
I think I need a new town, to leave this all behind.
I think I need a sunrise, I'm tired of the sunset,
I hear it's nice in the summer, some snow would be nice.
Boston - where no one knows my name.

~ Boston (performed by Augustana)

More or less

Love is not blind - it sees more, not less. But because it sees more, it is willing to see less.

Confusing

3 months in the States - I still get confused with the doors around this place - do they open inwards - outwards - do they open at all - hope I figure it out before I leave college :)

To be used wisely

Words.

In the end

Life's been weird these days - never did confusions feel so good - so bad - at the same time. Never did living in the moment make so much sense in one moment - no sense in the other. Never did a feeling feel so right - so wrong - in one breath. Never did uncertainities scare me and excite me this much.

The wise ones call it flux - the much-needed change in life. From where I see it, I call it happiness - because I know that when it ends - it will all be worth it.

Man of the moment :)

A totally expected win - Obama rules :)

Who's it gonna be?

Google at it again! :) But yeah, wonder who's gonna win today - not too long before we figure that one out - I personally hope it's Obama :)

Woh pal

Memories - neat track. It's true -at times that's all you 're left with - at the end of it all - some memories and a few smiles :)

Whattae day!

Phew! It's been a long day! Lost my DD - only to find it again. Lost my ID card - only to find it again. Was almost desparate for a phone - a random stranger I met - out of sheer luck - offered me a landline phone temporarily - I could have jumped and danced and cried - I finally have a phone! So, all things turned out in my favour fabulously - amazing turn of events! God works in mysterious ways for sure. I know God is everywhere - but today I realised that He is actually watching over me - always - everywhere. Feels good to know that he comes along wherever I go - that am not alone - He is with me - life is beautiful :)

Am leaving

I am leaving today. For the US of A. I am leaving behind family - friends - life as I know it - for something I have not seen yet - wishing that it's all worth it. For once, I have no words - am absolutely clueless about what to write. I guess I will leave it at this - I will miss each and every moment I spent with everyone out here - thanks to one and all for all the love and beautiful memories - your good wishes go with me wherever I go :) It's not a goodbye then - only a break. Till we meet again :)

N this is how it ends..

Rocking :)

Saw a Hindi movie worth a watch after quite a long time. It was no Oscar winner nor was it a heart-breaking tale. It was simple - hilarious - sad - sweet - believable - it made you smile - it could be anyone's story - it rocked big time :)

Colours

That thing called jealousy

Its been a while since I felt it - quite long. So, I was really surprised and stunned when I felt it today. Almost guilty - a little shocked - all because I was jealous - and that too for a very silly reason. Is it wrong to feel jealous? Is it a sign of immaturity? Is it a virtue or a vice? Is it yet another expression of love or hatred? I dont know. All I know is that I used to think that I am quite mature as a person and try to see things and people as objectively and practically as possible but today I realised that I am still a kid in many ways - long way to go before I grow up - so good luck to me.

For June - from Joseph

Anna Scott: "For June who loved this garden. From Joseph who always sat beside her." Some people do spend their whole lives together.

Picture courtesy (actually I flicked it from her blog - but anything for Notting Hill :P) - Deepz
Movie: Notting Hill (1999)

I think

I think I talk too much at times - I should listen more often.

Smart!

Oliver: Hey what makes you so sure I went to prep school?
Jennifer: You look stupid and rich.
Oliver: Actually I'm smart and poor.
Jennifer: Uh-uh, I'm smart and poor.
Oliver: What makes you so smart?
Jennifer: I wouldn't go for coffee with you.
Oliver: Yeah well I wouldn't ask you.
Jennifer: Well, that's what makes you stupid.

~ Love Story (1970)

Magic

You can feel - love's around you,
Like the sky round the moon.
This is how love has found you -
Now you know what to do.

Song: When You Know
Artist: Shawn Colvin
OST: Serendipity (2001)

Beauty

Saw the most gorgeous sun rise early morning today while driving - life is simply beautiful :)

You ask

Questions – sometimes I have no answers to some of them. Such questions have been coming my way of late - from various people - which have taken me aback for a while – left me wondering.

Describe yourself in one word
I don't know – I would say I am stupid. I make mistakes and DO NOT learn from them. I repeat them - again and again. I am here writing about the fact that I repeat my mistakes and I am sure that I will still not learn and repeat some of my mistakes - so yea, stupid is the word.

Am I beautiful/ugly
What does one say when some one asks you such a question? All I can say is that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Beauty means different things to different people – it might be looks for some – intellect for some one else – sense of humour for yet another – so beauty can be perceived in a number of ways. Each person is beautiful in their own special way. You need to love yourself for what you are – whether some one thinks you are beautiful or not – frankly – how does it matter to you in any way?

How can you leave your parents and just run away to US – being a single child?
I admit I have been feeling pangs of guilt thinking about it – the fact that I am in some way ditching my parents’ big time and just leaving them alone here and running away. But on second thoughts, I would like to believe in my parents – believe the fact that they are strong, independent and smart people who can very well take care of themselves – I would not like to perceive them as weak, old, emotionally drained people. So yea, am sure they will be just fine even in my absence.

Why do your blogs and your emails read so different?
Frankly, I am not sure I understood the question right but my first reaction was – laughter. I don’t know – was it hinting at plagiarism – or double standards – or what – but I was laughing – big time. Well – my blog is what I think – I write what I think – simple. I don’t know if what I write is heavy serious stuff or total nonsense – but I write when something touches me or when I want to remember a particular incident or feeling. My emails – well – I talk – a lot at times – nothing at times – am moody – am unpredictable – like so many others. So when I write emails, I talk – and you don’t talk serious stuff and mind your P’s and Q’s in an email I guess – at least I don’t :)

Will you ever come back to India?
Of course – you can take the Indian out of India, but you can’t take the India out of an Indian – that’s so true. I will definitely be back – but if asked for a time frame – I will just count the spiders on the wall across me.

What will you miss the most about India as a country?
I have never been away from India so I have never got a chance to miss it. I might have an answer to that once I am away from India. But I will miss the people here more than any particular thing I think.

Define love.
Wonder why people think I might have an interesting answer to this question just because I read few books and write some stuff! Well, I once tried to define it here – but ended up nowhere . It remains a mystery to me – and I like it that way I guess. But yea, love changes you forever – for better or worse – that varies from person to person. Usually, love is always your strength – never your weakness. Any love which makes you weak is not love – its an addiction - a need. So, my definition of love is that - love is strength.

Why don’t you like Bottles&Chimney?
Am stumped! Yea, its true - I don’t like the place - all my friends love it - I don't - it’s a fact. I have my reasons - very logical and solid ones, but they are better left unsaid – so there.

Can you be friends with some one you love/loved?
Honestly, depends on how selfless your love can be – and its totally upto an individual – so there is no one-word answer for this. Ask me this question – I’d say yes – but from what I have been hearing, I realise that different people think differently about this subject.

All you need is love

If I am a traveller I need not to journey across the land.. If I am a voyager I need not to cross the vast ocean.. and if I am captain I need not to soar throughout the blue sky.. for I need not to go anywhere but beside you.. because when I'm with you.. I already see the world.

~ Mark Aaron A. Corrales

Is this what I am going to feel?

I woke up as the sun was reddening; and that was the one distinct time in my life, the strangest moment of all, when I didn't know who I was — I was far away from home, haunted and tired with travel, in a cheap hotel room I'd never seen, hearing the hiss of steam outside, and the creak of the old wood of the hotel, and footsteps upstairs, and all the sad sounds, and I looked at the cracked high ceiling and really didn't know who I was for about fifteen strange seconds. I wasn't scared; I was just somebody else, some stranger, and my whole life was a haunted life, the life of a ghost. I was halfway across America, at the dividing line between the East of my youth and the West of my future.

~ Jack Kerouac in 'On the Road'

Jobless!

A friend sent me this questionnaire - was fun - I had an awesome time filling it - hope u have fun reading it :)

1. You can whistle and steam can whistle, so why do you sing in the shower?

Coz steam won’t sing for me

2. The first time you had your shoes taken off - how surprised were you to see that you still had toes?

As surprised as I was when Mimoh’s first movie was a flop – totally expected.

3. Describe the sound of a moist waffle falling onto a hot griddle.

I don’t know – teeth chattering – me singing - mice giggling – dogs barking – frogs croaking.

4. Try making up the rules to a game where you tie knots in a yo-yo string just to see if you can get them out.

I don’t think am that jobless YET! I would rather play ludo.

5. You get to ride the big roller coaster three times in a row. What will keep your dad from taking a bite out of your candy apple?

Telling him that I saw our dog lick that candy apple.

6. Foxes are clever and tigers are cunning. So, what's your cat's safety school?
The Feline School of Sheer Nonsense.

7. Lionesses have no manes. How do they know when they're grown up?
I bunked all the biology classes in school – sorry!

8. Your bow is not broken but you've run out of arrows? How can you fake being a bard?
Bard is a poet right??? Jokes apart, is it Bard or Bart Simpson???

9. You forgot your mom's birthday!! What can you make out of super glue and olive pits?
A cake??

10. What's the best time you've ever had licking stamps?
Just after I watched Dead Poet’s society. Watching that movie was more boring than licking stamps I guess :)

11. If you could peer far enough into the night sky, you'd see a star in any direction you looked. When would you sleep?
Duh! When I close my eyes.

12. You have to dig a hole to China, where to you start?
From your ear

13. When you hesitate before hitting snooze on your alarm clock, are you being lazy?
No – am being abnormal.

14. You've written a hit musical! How will you avoid having fame go to your head?
By reminding myself that even Himesh Reshamiya has hit music to his credit even though he sucks!

15. The children are waiting! Please tell them the story about the bald frog with the wig.

Long long time ago - a frog was hungry – he ate his hair – he became bald. That’s how he was called the bald frog. The fish gifted him a wig – he ate his wig and the fish – and he ruled the pond happily ever after – the end.

16. You're trapped in a well with a goat and a slinky. Describe how you will escape.
Sing in my most “melodious” voice so that all the creatures in the well will throw me out of it within seconds. I am alive – am alive :P

17. If you were a pirate, how would you avoid laughing when saying poop deck?
Is it necessary to avoid laughing?

18. Your hand has been replaced by a rubber stamp. What does it say?
Mera bharat mahaan - am serious – dead serious.

19. Whoops! Your tongue is now a magnet. Whatever will you use for silverware?
I will eat with hands – good old Indian way :)

20. Your superpower is that you smell like dandelions whenever someone lies. How will you maintain your secret identity?
Always carry a porcupine with me coz porcupines stink!

21. Your pajamas have duckies on them. Why did you switch from choo-choos?
Coz I moved out of Lebanon and now wanna be accepted by the Iranians.

22. What's the earliest you've gotten up to watch cartoons and what did you see?
5 AM. The hindi news on Aaj Tak.


23. You've got to make contact with the alien leader. How will you tell when the conversation is finished?
When I feel like slapping the guy who arranged this meeting with the alien leader in the first place.

24. What reason do you have to believe the earth is flat?
I like to be referred to as a conservative grandma. Makes me feel very special.

25. Your people want to make a statue in your honor. What will it be made out of and what victory will it commemorate?
Cream and sugar – victory of the dog over the cat in my neighbourhood.

26. If mud is dirt plus water, what is clay?
Clay is fun timepass!

27. Which is easier to make a model airplane out of and why: a banana peel or a wet sock?
A banana peel - coz U get to eat the banana before u can start making the airplane with the peel.

28. What would you wear for camouflage if you were hiding in a gingerbread house?
Something brown – duh duh duh!

29. For your birthday, your aunt gave you a maple syrup dispenser shaped like a rooster. Please write her a thank-you note:
Dear aunt- thanks for your gift. Please don’t send me a gift next year – gift vouchers will do :)

30. You have a red jar of cedar chips. Why do moths miss the forest?
The moths did not tell me – how would I know then? Lemme guess - coz they died?

31. Radio wire is often used to make bird nests. What station do they listen to?
The voices in Bart Simpsons’s head?? I heard its awesome entertainment.

32. Why do you think honeydew is the money melon?
Coz apples are the king of the forest.

33. What did you dream when you ate a spider while sleeping?
I dreamt that Mimoh was the reigning superstar of Indian cinema.

34. You've rented a sky-writer to propose to your significant other, but it's completely overcast. What will you do?
Do the frog jump in the rain?? No? Sounds like fun right?

35. The hair from your last haircut ... what would it say about your new style?
Tra la la lalalala

36. How do you pronounce the 'g' in bologna?
The ‘g’ is silent right?

37. In the dream where you show up to school naked, why do you never go swimming?
Coz I prefer to keep things practical n realistic even in dreams - when did you ever swim to school????

38. If there's no I in team, why is there meat?
I think coz there is a mirror around somewhere :)

39. What spells can you cast with magic markers?
Let’s not hope for much here – “spell”ings are all you get out of magic markers.

40. When you've got water stuck in your ear, how do you get it out?
Put your head in an oven and wait for the water to evaporate.

Did I dazzle you?

I had a 1590 on my SAT, I got a 44 on my MCAT, and I have a 4.0 GPA from MIT. I thought I had my life mapped out, but then I remembered what my non linear equations professor once told me, always account for variable change... I let down my good friends, but as it turns out, they weren't too bad at simple math either. I scored the prettiest girl in school. I got beaten down by an old school Vegas thug who was having trouble excepting his retirement, but I worked out a deal with him that got him a nice pension... And I lied to my mother, but I confessed a lie and well, she still loved me... So my senior year of college I joined this team and I learned this new skill. I went to Vegas 17 times to use it. I made hundreds of thousands of dollars counting cards. And then I had it all stolen from me, twice... How's that for life experience professor? Did I dazzle you? Did I jump off the page?

~ Ben Campbell in 21 (2008)

Heal the world

That's what hunger does to millions of people - some where - every day.


Make this site or this site your home page and you can make a difference to someone's life. Do your bit in healing the world - everyday - it's just a click away.

"Great art picks up where nature ends"

Google tells me it's Marc Chagall's birth anniversary today. When you first hear it, his name does not strike a chord but ever seen Notting Hill? This post will definitely remind you of Chagall if you are a huge fan of Notting Hill - like me :) On an honest note, I never quite understood his art - his definition and usage of symbolism was a little weird according to me - using goats, cows, horses and what not - somehow he did not seem conventional or normal. But he once said - "In our life there is a single color, as on an artist's palette, which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the color of love." Yeah, he had his quirks - but he was weird, queer, wise man awrite :)

H-A-P-P-Y-N-E-S-S

It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking: How did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue. And maybe we can actually never have it, no matter what. How did he know that?

~Christopher Gardner in The Pursuit of happyness (2006)

Frankly speaking

Marriage - why don't some people understand the weight - true meaning - essence - of this word. Everyone is in a hurry to get married - but do they know what they are signing up for - I don't know. I have seen many friends get married in front of me and most of them are sad - bored - tired. No logic exists - no words can explain it - no silence can justify it - the suffocation of a marriage going bad.

Who can one blame - the wife - the husband - the parents. I don't understand arranged marriages - they somehow mostly don't work in today's world. Don't get me wrong - am not supporting love marriages blindly - but come on - you at least know what you are signing up for - if things go wrong or right, you are at least living the consequences of decisions made by you. In an arranged marriage - you live some one else's decision - is it fair - is it right - I don’t know.

One advice to any guy who would care to listen - treat your girls with respect - they are smart, intelligent girls - treat them well - if you can't make them smile - at least don't hurt them with your words and actions - when you marry a girl, she does not become your slave - get that into your head first. All adjustments are not to be done by the girl alone - learn to adjust for Pete’s sakes!

For girls - adjust with your guys - but not at the cost of your self-respect. It's wrong to take things lying down beyond a certain point. Respect him but don’t forget to respect yourself for what you are - don't let any guy tell you how you are supposed to live your life.

Yep - I have spoken my mind - I can only imagine the helplessness of the two partners involved - pray for them - talk to them. They have to help themselves out - to make things work.

Hilarious

Disclaimer: To maintain the flow of the post, I have forgotten modesty momentarily and have gone ahead and typed the kind adjectives used by friends for me - excueeeej me :)

Recently, a conversation went something like this -

G: Hey – wonder wot’s up with V man! He’s going to BITS, Pilani! Told ya – he’s one fundoo freak!

R: Serious! Cool man! We slog it out in Bhavan’s while he’s off to Pilani – man some people just have it all….sigh

G: Not all that bad man – almost all studs out of BITS have big heads – all snobs – snooty weirdos – show offs I tell ya.

R: Hmm….you are right. Maybe we are not in that bad a place in life after all. Look at us - look at Dollz - we are modest, down-to-earth people – we wouldn’t have been like that - if we were from say BITS or IIT – right?

Me: I am not so sure about that :)

R: Ya right! BTW, which college are you from anyways?

Me: (after a long pause and a grin) BITS, Pilani :)

Long silence followed by laughter – these are definitely good times I say :)

For the love of money?

“The moon belongs to everyone - the best things in life are free
The stars belong to everyone - they gleam there for you and me
And love can come to everyone - the best things in life are free”

The last time I heard those lines I had laughed at my friend who told them (rather sang them) to me and made him see how only money matters and is the very reason for our mere existence – I could not convince him then – neither could he convince me. Weirdly, I found myself quoting those very lines to another friend recently – I was trying to make him see how one could have good times with no money involved. Again – he could not convince me – neither could I convince him.

This whole turn of events made me wonder - when did I start thinking like that. Money still is very important to me – but is it my raison d'etre – am not sure. Money can buy me every happiness, which I have always dreamed about since forever – I can go to Scotland – I can buy my Mercedes - my Rado - my Vertu – I can shop at Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Prada, Guess outlets – I can stay at the Hilton & the Ritz – I can have several exotic meals at Le Jules Verne on Eiffel Tower – I could have everything that money could buy – but would those things just give me temporary thrill or could those things assure me permanent happiness – am not sure. If money was indeed the answer to all problems, is it true that fantastically rich people are never sad – do they have no problems – is life a party for them always - am not sure.

I don’t need money - to laugh over a joke – to enjoy the beauty of a scenic view – to act like a kid at times – to enjoy the rains – to share good time with friends – to draw different shapes with clouds in the sky – simple joys – small pleasures – genuine happiness. Don’t get me wrong – I definitely agree that money is the pre-requisite for a comfortable life – money cannot be ignored – money is definitely something – but is it everything – am not sure. Money is a means to achieve happiness – but do we mostly confuse it for happiness in itself – am not sure. Jonathan Swift definitely knew what he was talking about when he said that a wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart. Seriously, friends who know me are gonna be real surprised after reading this post – but yeah guys, some thoughts change as life catches up with you :)

“The moon belongs to everyone – the best things in life are free” – I think I understand today wot my friend was trying to explain to me back then. Well said dude – rather - well sung.

Vanakkam Chennai

I admit that 30 odd hours aren’t enough to know a city – but one does get a feel of the vibe of the place right? I visited Chennai this week and since then I have been thinking of what to write about the place - I thought about it all the way on the return flight- on my way back home – but still could not find the right words to describe the experience.

I had been to Chennai before - when it was Madras - but that was long back - had no memories from those times. This trip wasn’t something that I was looking forward to. It was an obligation – a necessity – to visit the place. When my flight landed at the airport, I braced myself for the supposed nightmare called Chennai. But, I was in for a surprise. The view that met me as soon I exited the airport was awesome – a huge hillock - covered with greens – set against a cloudy, sleepy evening sky. They say first impressions matter and boy was I impressed. I just stood there watching – taking in the beauty of the scene – till our cab arrived. The drive to the guesthouse was slow and rhythmic. I was registering the sights of the city as we sped along. People often tell me that this is a hot, dull and boring city – I met a different Chennai – this one was lively – fresh – exciting. Long rows of brightly-lit shops – coffee stands – people spilling onto roads – cars and buses honking – Tamil scrawled on walls and hoardings here and there – a lonely tree every now and then – the normal daily buzz of life was everywhere.

I was filled with awe the first time I saw IIT Chennai and Anna University. Both have beautiful campuses. Anna Univ. has few beautifully crafted buildings. I just walked around in silence. Just standing on the hallowed grounds of IIT was a surreal experience – honestly. People everywhere in Chennai give such warm and honest smiles to complete strangers. I was having a tough time conversing in Tamil but all people I met were amazingly patient and even the staunchest locals struggled to speak in English and even in Hindi just for my convenience – that was really sweet - we had a hearty laugh over the millions of mistakes I made while speaking in Tamil.

Chennai came across as a city of chruches – almost every busy road – every narrow lane – led to a quiet church – all calm and peaceful – distinct -in contrast with all the chaos surrounding it.

The long, never-ending Marina Beach remained to be checked out. The feel of silky sands on bare feet – gentle waves kissing the shores lazily every now and then – a bunch of excited kids playing cricket – long rows of beautifully coloured boats – nets lying tangled on the shores - fisher men and women at work – looking all busy and important – friends and families sharing good times. I felt all tiny and small standing on the shores and staring at the horizon across deep blue waters. My heart felt light – with happiness. I am sure that beach must have gifted beautiful memories to all who had ever been there.

I approached Chennai as a prejudiced stranger – I don’t know when I became friends with her. Chennai is filled with simple joys – enjoying dosai and a kappi early in the morning with a light drizzle for company – eating hot sambar rice with crisp appalams on a banana leaf - walking along Marina Beach – lazing around in Chennai Citi Centre – exploring Adyar – getting the feel of IIT – speaking in broken tamil and having a hearty laugh over my mistakes – meeting amazingly warm and friendly people – smiling back at shy, curious kids – the veshtis – the Kanjeevarams – I liked every bit of Chennai that I saw – I enjoyed every moment spent there.

Before I knew, I was back at the airport – staring at that beautiful hilly terrain once again. Back to where I started I guess – there was a difference now though – Chennai was no longer a stranger to me.

Maybe

She: It hurts

He: Yeah - it does

She: Wot hurts you dude?

He: Watching Vidya in Kismet Konnection. Sad!

She: Wot hurts - to love someone with all your heart knowing that your presence or absence makes no difference to him - knowing that he doesnt miss you even in the smallest way possible - knowing that you are not a part of his world - knowing that you are doing the most impractical thing on this planet and still doing it anyway - that hurts.

He: Ouch - that must actually hurt - is that why we are sitting in a temple right now?

She: Maybe

He: Well - think about this - isnt it better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all?

She: Easier said than done

He: Is that why we are sitting in a temple right now?

She: Maybe

Rules to love?

Typical weekend – typical plans – saw the movie 'Rules' with friends. It was fantastic – fabulous - awesome - wot a film! Milind Soman was super cool as usual – Meera Vasudevan as Radha was a real sweetheart – Tanuja really rocked it as the been-there-done-that super funky grandma. However the best thing about the movie was the theme – interesting – intriguing – hilarious – a formula to love – a set of rules to make someone love you.

The film made for an interesting chat afterwards – do such rules actually work in real life? Or does love know no rules? Can you modulate your behaviour to make some one fall for you? Then what are first impressions all about? Is the whole wooing and flattering ritual over-rated? Can you actually make love happen? Is it okay to fake an image in love? Is it justified to pretend just because you’re in love? Is it after all really true that all’s fair in love?

The questions ended as the coffee mugs emptied – all said and done – Rules was a really good watch – with some beautifully written songs like this one - rock on :)

Whattae song I say!

Heard this song after very long - lovely tune - beautiful lyrix - divine vocals - its been playing on repeat on my iPod all through this week - sheer bliss - pure ecstasy :)

Mere mann yeh bata de tu - kis or chala hai tu
Kya paya nahi tune - kya dhoondh raha hai tu

Jo hai ankahee - jo hai ansunee
Woh baat kya hai bata
Mitwa - kahe dhadkane tujhse kya
Mitwa - yeh khud se to na tu chhupa

Jeevan dagar mein - prem nagar mein
Aaya nazar mein jab se koi hai
Tu sochta hai - tu poochta hai
Jis ki kami thi kya yeh wohi hai
Haan yeh wohi hai - haan yeh wohi hai
Tu ek pyaasa aur yeh nadi hai
Kaahe nahi isko tu khul ke bataye

Jo hai ankahee - jo hai ansunee
Woh baat kya hai bata
Mitwa - kahe dhadkane tujhse kya
Mitwa - yeh khud se to na tu chhupa

Teri nigahen paa gayee raahein
Par tu yeh soche - jau na jau
Yeh zindagi jo - hai naachti to
Kyun bediyon mein hai tere paanv
Preet ki dhun par naach le pagal
Udta agar hai - udne de aanchal
Kaahe koi apne ko aise tarasaye

Jo hai ankahee - jo hai ansunee
Woh baat kya hai bata
Mitwa - kahe dhadkane tujhse kya
Mitwa - yeh khud se to na tu chhupa

Mere mann yeh bata de tu - kis or chala hai tu
Kya paya nahi tune - kya dhoondh raha hai tu

Song: Mitwa
OST: Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (2006)

Justice...finally

Bijal Joshi – I knew nothing about her - till today. She must have lived an ordinary happy life – like most of us do – but she had no clue about what her future held for her – a mind-numbing agony and a relieving death. She was killed in spirit on December 31, 2003 and she committed suicide on January 7, 2004. She was finally delivered justice today – details follow here

Every attempt possible was made to save the accused but finally amidst all that - truth prevailed. While the lifer for the five accused re-affirms one’s faith in the judicial system of this country, alongside I find it hard to ignore this recurring thought – for her family the wait lasted five years – agonizing, painful, suffocating five years – her family’s agony can only be imagined – can anything ever make up for that time lost - isn’t justice delayed justice denied? All I can do is whisper a silent prayer for all those Bijal’s, Aarushi’s & Jessica’s out there - who die a silent, untimely, cruel death – for no fault of their own - every day – every minute.

Nostalgia

I know this feeling from before....this isn't pain I am feeling - it's nostalgia.

~Ally McBeal

He said - she said

She: Just imagine - wot if I might actually get to be one of those lucky people.

He: Wot lucky people?

She: You know how some people are together because they feel they cant do better - or how some people are sad and miserable living alone all their lives - and then there is this tiny miniscule group of lucky people - who actually get to be with the ones they are madly in love with.

He: Have you ever considered just being in love - and leave the madly bit out of it?

Oil's not well

The government finally went ahead and did it – announced a hike. Sadly, it was not a salary hike – but a hike in fuel prices. It was always an imminent move given the steep rise in crude oil prices in the international markets in recent times. The only consensus about oil prices right now is that they are not about to come down any sooner in the near future. The first reaction of anyone to the hikes would be to scream "Not fair!" – but a closer look at the details helps one see the bigger picture.

Let’s face it – the losses being incurred by oil companies in India have been to the tune of Rs.2,00,000 odd crores. If the fuel prices in Indian markets were not hiked now, then the companies would have, sooner or later, run out of money to buy crude and then the country would have – literally - come to a halt. As a matter of fact, these hikes – if anything – are only providing only temporary and partial relief. We need to realise that even with these hikes in place, these companies are still making a loss.

Agreed that the price rise might boost inflation further, which is already rocketing upwards to new all-time highs - but inflation control is to be chiefly done through the proper channels and by the right institutions. One solution could be to let rupee have a steady rise against the dollar, which would counter the rising oil prices. Another option could be to harden interest rates – with a healthy GDP growth rate, this would actually be considered a calculated risk. Shifting focus from inflation solutions, let’s acknowledge the fact that the government at the Centre, on its part, has cut taxes on fuel and a few Left-ruled and Congress-ruled states are already following suit. Most factions are chipping in to deal with the problem – then why should the common man be left behind – this question surely deserves a thought.

Meanwhile, amidst all this turmoil, to watch political parties of the Opposition resort to good, old opportunism – is to watch a repeat telecast of the blatant misuse of democracy. The mindless and hasty strikes called by the Opposition do not – in any way – reflect remotely reasonable sensibilities. The strikes organised across few states is only for protesting against fuel hike – no party involved in these strikes has come forth with an alternative long-term solution to the crude oil crisis facing the nation currently. My question for these parties is that when the country imports oil, shouldn’t it pay the prevailing international price? Shouldn’t the nation as a whole bear the burden of price rise?

To cut a long story short, this "oil shock" – as some are calling it – is here to stay and we better get used to it. Let’s face this long-known, well-ignored fact atleast now –all’s not well – rather – oil’s not well.

Exquisite

Vincent Van Gogh – always a revelation. His works of art speak to you – you interpret them in a different way every time you look at them. Exquisite brush strokes – striking colour contrasts – weirdly haunting mundane images – amazing variety in portrayal of emotions, moods and influences through shapes, colors and objects.

Brian Eno once said that "I've always thought that art is a lie, an interesting lie. And I'll sort of listen to the "lie" and try to imagine the world which makes that lie true... what that world must be like, and what would have to happen for us to get from this world to that one." Van Gogh’s world intrigues me and I can never tire of imagining it.


Poetry surrounds us everywhere, but putting it on paper is not as easy as looking at it. ~Gogh

A good picture is equivalent to a good deed. ~Gogh

It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to. . . . The feeling for the things themselves, for reality, is more important than the feeling for pictures. ~Gogh

I dream my painting and then paint my dream. ~Gogh

Keep your love of nature, for that is the true way to understand art more and more. ~Gogh


I believe there is nothing more artistic than to love people. ~Gogh

When I have a terrible need of — shall I say the word — religion, then I go out and paint the stars. ~Gogh

Brian Eno also said that "Rationality is what we do to organize the world, to make it possible to predict. Art is the rehearsal for the inapplicability and failure of that process." I guess the world owes its success in some ways to the failures of Van Gogh.