Can I speak?? ..asks Bangalore

I am Bangalore - The garden city. Now more popularly known as the Silicon Valley of India.

Its been a long time since I wanted to speak my mind out. Better late than never.

I love people. People from everywhere.
Everyday I heard them cry from different parts of the country. They wanted to come to me. Cries from the capital - Delhi, the commercial hub - Mumbai, the pearl city - Hyderabad, Metros - Chennai & Kolkata, from God's own country - Kerala. Cries from everywhere. I sometimes wondered what made them like me so much. Is it because I give them a salubrious climate throughout the year? Or because there is greenery flourishing all around me.. Maybe its the colonial ambiance.. Or maybe simply because I make their life; because I make them feel at home.

Whatever be the reason, I welcomed them. All of them.

There were new job opportunities created. Every piece of land was converted into houses. It was getting crowded. My heart bled when all the trees where cut down. But I held on.. for they wanted a place to live.

I still hear those cries. There are more people who want to be here.
Now there are tall apartments all over me. Every house has two or three cars. The smoke from the vehicles is turning me black. Its choking me. But I hope they are happy.

What am I hearing now? Why are my people cursing me?? Crowded? Polluted?? Is it really you who is saying this? You know, I was never like this.. You know, who did it all!

More people coming in. I see that they fight a lot for me.. take transfers, quit jobs and finally land here. Then they start their complaints. They crib about traffic. But then I see them adding their own vehicle into it. I see them having fun. They get paid well. They live in peace without people prying into their lives. I see that everybody has friends here! But still they whine all the time.

I am fed up guys! There is a limit to patience, isn't there? And I don't have anything more to offer you. If you feel that every other place is a heaven, please don't trouble yourself here. But as you leave, I ask a favour from all of you. Please spread the word that Bangalore has changed. Its congested, polluted, corrupted and whatever you want to add.

But there are somethings that has still not changed in me. I can still be the home to anyone who wants one. I can still make your life, if you want me to. I still love you!

Nimma Swantha, Bengaluru

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I don't know what Bangalore actually wants to tell. But this definitely is what I want to tell. :)
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Man proposes.. God disposes..

I was reminded of this saying the last week.. when a castle I had build up in air crashed down. No serious damage to dreams. Just a small plan injured a little.

Two weeks back I was asked to be prepared to travel on 2nd of Nov.. and I prepared, with all excitement. I shopped like crazy.. I packed my bags.. I planned that I would take a week's vacation.. I checked the tickets.. Chose my airlines and the route I would take.. I found a replacement for myself at my house.. Everything was going on well..

The next day they said.. 'Oh sorry, that didn't work out. Lets wait for the next opportunity.'

I did not blame anyone. It had lots of elements to it that was out of anyone's hand. I knew it could not be helped. But all the same, I couldn't accept it.. my mind wouldn't accept it. Though the injury was small, I brooded over it.. made unnecessary fuss over it..

But now the wound has almost healed. I have decided to be a bit more ready for all the change in plans that I'll have to make in life. A little more flexibility, I definitely need.
Maybe I needed a gentle reminder like this..

Rat-a-too-eeeeee

Ratatouille releases in UK this Friday. But there was a screening of the same this Monday.

I am not at all crazy about animated movies, but I went for it all the same.
And I tell you, its one cute movie everybody must see! I never thought rats could look cute, but I guess the movie proves that 'Anyone can cook' and 'Anyone can look cute!' ;)



Do watch it! :)

Lucky Who?

She was in a sour mood. Her spirits touched an all time low. She didn't know what to do. She walked out from her classroom. She had not heard a single word that was uttered by the professor. She had been lost in thoughts. She had had a fight with her mom that morning.. Why? She was not able to figure it out. It was as if she didn't need a reason to. Her school would be over in another month. What after that? Her best friend was going to another college. What would she do? She was not even able to study.. Thats not all, she thought. There are so many things troubling me now.

A classmate of hers passed by her.. She called out.. 'Rads, wanna join us for a coffee?' She waved saying no. She thought.. How does she manage to be so happy? Why am I the person who is always sad.. always bothered? She looked at her walking away.. Lucky her!, she thought. She sat alone for some time. Tears trickled down her eyes slowly..



It was growing dark. It was raining too.. She walked towards her bike. Plugged on her earphones. Her MP3 player had run out of charge. She gave her bike a kick. Nothing is supposed to be right with me today, she murmered. She didn't pull out her earphones.. She felt it would shield her from the world. She started her bike. She felt like the saddest person in the universe..

He was standing near his window and smoking. He felt like running away from this world. He gazed outside.. He saw a girl speeding through the rain in her bike. She was listening to music. Oh look at her.. She looks so free.. So happy.. I wish I could be that way too.. Lucky her!

No Reds.. No Greens.. Only Blues!!

What is happening to me now?
I am quite busy at work these days. Not really great work. But then onsite and good work rarely go together. Do they?

Jale Pe Namak: Have loads of documentation work. A process document for everything I do, a technical document as a contribution to knowledge sharing activities, a BoK as a centre of excellence initiative.. And of course, everything here works with deadlines. I’m dead.

More: There are lots of problem at home (here, I mean). Ego clashes, emotional clashes, ‘you-name-it’ clashes. So far I have managed to play just the part of the audience. And I’ll try my best to avoid being a participant. But just to have such a disturbed environment is a torture. I am incapable of solving these issues since I don’t know what the issue is. Also I don’t really know the people who are involved, I don’t know how they think, I don’t know what they feel. But how indifferent can I be to what is going around me. I feel weird.

I want to go back to India. And I am pushing a lot for that. Sometimes I feel that I am going to land into more trouble if I get back there.. Be it in the work front or the personal front.. Nevertheless, I chant the ‘I wanna go back’ mantra all the time. When will that happen? What will happen after that? I don’t know.

In between all this I go for movies, eat-out, visit places, go for project parties, crack jokes, have fun.. But once these hungamas are over. I feel blank. Emotionless.
And I am sure every person around me here feels the same.. All eyes have the same vacant look.. Everybody is tired..

Am I slowly losing myself to this crazy world? Or have I just stepped into the real world?

Chak De India!

Hey, don't you roll your eyes and think, 'Writing about Chak De now?'! Unfortunately, Chak De got released in Ipswich only this Sunday and I watched it yesterday. Yes, I loved it! :)



I am not a Shahrukh fan. Everything he does looks like 'acting' to me. He is a good actor.. but he always reminds me that he is just acting, and in case he starts crying, God save me!
Even in this movie, I feel that Shahrukh has done a good job. Nothing to 'Ooh Aah' about. But his team rocks! Every single girl is so different from each other.. So simple.. And so real.. Such faces makes it easier to relate to.. You feel that its the girl next door who is going out and proving her mettle to the world and then you feel so happy, so proud.

The film brings to our notice a few things..
* It shows how a small mistake makes an Indian crowd make dangerous judgements!
* The way we Indians still see ourselves divided in the name of states.
* The fate of hockey in India
* The fate of women as sports players. In fact, women in any career face difficulties. But a career in sports makes it worse..

I know its just a movie, but the fact that its inspired from a true story makes it a lot more closer to the heart. Hope all of you liked it too!

1 + 4 + 0 + 8 = 13

As you would have guessed, watched the movie 1408. It had been a long time since I watched a scary movie, and this one made up for it quite well.




In this movie, Michael Enslin(John Cusack) is a writer who writes about the 'supposedly' haunted locations. He is a non-believer and hence, goes into such hotels, stays there overnight and reveals to the world that its all made up. But for once, he is trapped in room 1408 of hotel Dolphin. And we go as crazy as him in trying to get out from there!
If you are looking for some thrill, go watch it.

Destiny or Accident?

I have always thought a lot about life; its meaning.. its purpose.. Even as a child, I used to do that. Maybe because I grew up hearing Dad tell about life, 'karma', different 'janma's' and so on. A lot of them made sense to me, a lot of them did not. There were heated debates on God between my Dad and my cousins, long discussions about these with my sister. And all this got me thinking.

And there is one question I ask myself many times.. Is life destined to be or is it just an accident?

It surely feels better to think of life as a destiny. To think that I had to be born to my parents.. that I had to grow up the way I did.. that everything I do is already destined. Of course, that does not mean that I do not try to do anything from my side. I try.. try hard for the best.. but understand that only that will happen, that what is destined.

On the other side, its inspiring to say that I make my own destiny. Its true that a vision, determination and hard work can achieve almost anything.. But isn't there an element of uncertainty everywhere in life? Can I even claim a single thing about future with 100% surety? I am afraid not. I cannot even say that I'll publish this post, because at the end, I am not sure of my life the next moment. So, that says that life is not in my hands.

I just watched Forrest Gump. And liked it a lot. That got me into writing all this. And as he finally says, I guess life is a mixture of both.. destiny and accidents, miracles and coincidences, luck and hard work. Ain't it?

Whats in a birthday?

This is what I asked myself on my birthday this year.

Birthdays used to be sooo exciting years ago. Hey, I never used to sleep the previous night! There was no blowing of candles, no cutting of cakes. There were no balloons or ribbons in the house and nobody was invited for a party. There were not even flowers or gifts! But still there was more that enough reason for excitement.. new dress, chocolates and greeting cards! :)

A week before my birthday, I used to calculate and re-calculate how many chocolates I needed. Strength of the class + atleast 5 chocs each for my best buddies + principal + all teachers + few friends from other divisions + bus mates + bus driver + cleaner + relatives + neighbours + .. The list went on. My mom would somehow convince me on cutting short the list. The next discussion was on which chocolate to buy. After all the arguments, the chocolates would arrive. I would get them all out of the packet.. on to the floor. And then the counting began! I would get them into separate boxes.. One for bus.. One for class.. One for teachers.. Phew.. And go to sleep late at night to end up not sleeping at all!

But I wouldn't be a bit tired the next day. Would trot around proudly with my new dress. I would smile at all the blue-n-white uniforms around. I was the star of the day! Would sit in class, full of excitement, and when the teacher walked in, would go to her with this box. And then the whole class got up and sang 'Happy Birthday To you....' Oh, how wonderful it felt.

But whatever I say, I did feel special even on this birthday with all the wishes from my loved ones. Thanks a lot for them. You made my day!

When it got sunny..

The last weekend was the warmest weekend of the year in UK! The temperature touched 30C in London!! We'll give a 'So?' as a response, but people here may almost faint.. So, this is what happened that weekend..

We lazy bums(Yeah, I am slowly graduating into one) did not even get out of the house. But we had the window open and on the warm Saturday noon, I sat by the window gazing at the small green park below. There were small kids in swimsuits. Why swimsuits, I thought. Maybe to get more of the sun, I guessed. But no.. The action had not yet started. All of them suddenly rushed to their homes on all four sides of the park. Whats happening? It was suspense time for me. Then, there came the first one.. a short n stout boy holding a pail of water.. Whats going on?? Then came two girls with two inflated baths.. a small one and a big one. Now I was getting the picture and that got me all hooked up. This boy poured his first bucket of water into the bath.. Then came out all the little darlings.. with how much ever water they could carry.. One in a milk can.. Another in a mug and a teeny weeny girl, in a glass!!! Yes she made some 10 trips home and back, slowly tiptoeing, carrying water in a glass!! I really felt like helping them.. But then I thought, they were enjoying every bit of what they were doing..



I guess this snap gives you a picture of my view from the window.. ;)

After lots of trips to and from their homes.. with water carriers of different shapes and sizes, their baths were nowhere near full. Its then that the parents decided to help them. And guess what.. They fitted a hosepipe for them into the park. Hurraay!



As you can see, things were quite easy now.. They thanked their parents by spraying water all over them with the hose. And started filling their baths too.. And yes as the baths got full, they were very impatient.. And so was I.. And finally.. Bloooom!!



And I wished, I could dive from my window and fall into that bath too.. ;)

Dedicated to my girlfriends..

Now, before you say a 'WHAAAAT?', the girlfriend here means a female friend and nothing more.

As I was 'timepassing' yesterday(as usual), I came to know that yesterday(Aug-1) was girlfriend's day. Oh, was there a day like that? I tried to find out what one was supposed to do on this day.. Guys giving gifts to their girlfriends? Not that they need a special-day to do that.. But still, one day dedicated for gifts is not a bad idea, either. ;) But I found that it was a much more girly affair.. And the next minute, I sent an e-card wishing all my girlfriends..

As I was doing that, I realised that I was blessed with great girlfriends. I remembered the times I spent with each of them.. The fun times.. The fight times.. The senti times.. Now, as I sit miles away from them and type this, I know what exactly I am missing. I have quarreled with them, but the bond only got better every time..
I look back and see that they have been with me at every step of my life..
They have warned me when I walked on dangerous paths.. and when I didn't listen.. They just walked along holding my hand..
They laughed with me.. cried with me.. They were with me, all the time..




Girlfriend's day or not, I wish you all deep from my heart,
Thankyou for being my friend!!

TGIS!

.. That was not a typo.. I meant 'Thank God, Its Sunday' and this is precisely what I felt as this weekend ended.

I don't think many people will be able to understand what bothers me, because these things probably bother me alone! Crazy me.. Poor me.. Anyways, this is how my weekend went..

Friday evening.. Its 7.. I reach home.. Our house is the 'get-together' place.. So, roomies and friends are all there.. We chat.. Its 8.. We think of dinner.. "Shall we go out?" Some say Yes, some say No.. Nobody listens.. We chat again.. Its 9. Okay, we'll have dinner at home. But no rice.. Sad! We chat.. Its 9:30.. The shop closes at 10. Emergency!! Two people rush to buy rice.. Its 10.. We start cooking.. Its 11.. We eat. Okay, now we'll play cards. Sorry, I am an early to bed.. early to rise person. But I feel that I shouldn't act like a spoilsport at least on weekends and I agree to join.. Its 12.. Its 1.. We continue to play.. Its 2.. Its 3.. We sleep..

Saturday morning, 7 am.. I wake up.. Curse myself and try to sleep again. Twist and turn and think and somehow manage to be in bed till 9. Phew.. Not bad..

I get up. There are people sleeping all over the place! Shh.. I should not wake them up.. So I do everything very quietly.. Its 10.. I have tea.. Its 11.. I have bread&jam.. No, can't cook anything else. I'll end up making a lot of noise. Its 12.. I am getting bored to death! Its 1.. Oh, somebody has woken up. Relief!! And then one by one.. one by one.. We chat.. Its 2.. We chat.. Its 3.. They decide to make upma. Its 4.. We have upma.. This is breakfast for them.. Lunch for me.. but actually, the time for tea?? Err.. I am lost.. Guess that's an unnecessary worry..

The kitchen is strewn with soiled dishes.. The house is like a dorm with people still sleeping.. There are duvets(a soft quilt which is used as a thick blanket) everywhere.. on the floor.. sofa.. beds.. You can never be sure if a person is sleeping beneath that.. Its 6.. Somebody says, "Lets go for a movie!" Somebody suggests the movie.. "Transformers!!" Brilliant idea.. Okay we have shows at 7:30 pm, 8:30 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:30 pm. Decided! The 7:30 show.. Lets cook dinner first. Chicken!! Mmm...Wow! We chat.. Its 7:00.. We move to the kitchen.. One cuts, another re-cuts. "Hey, we cannot make it to the 7:30 show.. We'll go at 8:30." No issues.. One small kitchen. Many many cooks.. One making chicken.. One making rasam.. Its 8:30.. One making bhaingan bhartha.. One making raitha.. Its 9:00.. One making rice.. Its 9:30.. We have dinner.. It was yummyy.. Its 10:00.. We run.. Pant! Pant! Gasp! Gasp! But surprise!!! We reach in time for the 10:30 show!!

Reach back home at 1:30. We start playing cards.. The saga continues..

At the end of Sunday.. I feel sick beacuse I know I have not had proper food at proper time.. I feel sleep deprived.. I feel guiddy when I see the kitchen and the house.. I feel extremely guilty for having spent my time most uselessly.. But then I give a long sigh and say, TGIS! Atleast I can spend the whole week getting the house back into shape.. sleeping well, getting fresh and be prepared for the next weekend..

A part of history..

The place: British Telecom Office, Adastral Park, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich, UK
Okay, a brief description about Adastral Park. It is the BT campus extending over 110 acres in Martlesham Heath.

Time: 1:00 pm. We were having lunch with the usual share of gossip and masti.

Topic of discussion: Bombscare in Martlesham!

K: Arey yahaan ke log bhi na! Ek pipe ko dekh ke ghabraa gaye!
A: Haan bhey.. Do ghante road block kiyan in logon ne..
Me: But you can't blame them! There are lots of bombs around these days. They are only being careful..
K: Koi aisi waisi bomb nahin.. World War II ka bomb samjha in logon ne..
S: Nothing surprising in that.. This area was once very much involved in World War II
A: Yes, thats right. Our campus was once an airbase.. Haven't you seen the photos in our food-court?
Me: Oh, really? Thats interesting..

I then get back to my desk and do some googling.. And am pretty much impressed with what I find!

Initially, an experimental airfield was opened in Martlesham Heath. After the end of World War I it was renamed as the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) of the Royal Air Force.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, the A&AEE was removed to another site owing to the proximity of Martlesham Heath to the East Coast and its vulnerability to enemy attack. The airfield then took on a new role as a base for fighter squadrons defending Britain!!

At the end of hostilities, there was no longer a role for Martlesham Heath as an operational RAF airfield and no prospect of the A&AEE returning, but the site was again used for a number of experiments with planes and armaments. However, its use declined in the 1950s, and the airfield was closed in the early 1960s.

In 1968, the Post Office purchased part of the airfield and surrounding farmland and announced that they would be relocating their Research Department to Martlesham Heath. Then the separation of British Telecom from the Post Office and the privatisation of British Telcommunications plc happened. In the 1980s, the facility was renamed as BT Labs and was subsequently developed into a high tech business park called Adastral Park in the 1990s.

Courtesy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martlesham_Heath

Quite a happening place, this was!! Let me see what I can dig out from here before I come back!

See the world upside down!

I have always had this BIG appetite for adventure rides..

Years ago, when small exhibitions were put up in our town, I used to crave to be there for mainly two things.. The 'Giant Wheel' and the 'Chilly Bajji's'. (But the bajji's after the ride, please. Hee Hee.. )
I loved the feeling of getting to the top and then coming down in a Zzzing.. Ooooh.. How I screamed out in excitement! Those days are gone.. Now its the days of amusement parks.. I love the Veega Land of Cochin and even more, the Wonderla of Bangalore. Luckily, I got to go to The Pleasure Beach in Blackpool this Saturday. What more do I say? Yeah, I saw my world upside down and it was extremely exciting to see it that way!

I'll put up the videos of two of the many exciting rides that I loved..

Infusion


Bling


Howzzat?? Tempting, is it not?

I wait..

One day, I find a thousand reasons to smile..

Oh, the lovely blue of the sky,
The birds never sang sweeter, oh my!
The greenest grass strewn with the whitest blooms
Is this the world I always see in my dreams?

The wind is blowing my hair on my face
A stranger passes by, giving a pleasant gaze
The whole world looks happy today..
I begin to hum in joy, what a lovely day!

The next day, everything looks wrong..

The clouds are dark, with no hint of silver
It pours down heavily.. I start to shiver
No birds, no songs, not even a butterfly!
Just a scary cat giving a gloomy cry..

The wind looks fierce, it knocked my hat
Tears rolled out.. Got lost in the rain
Not a soul around, to lend me a smile..
I cry out loud, how I hate this world!

But I know, tomorrow is not going to be the same
And then I wait for another lovely day..

Gmail hobbling?

Ofcourse, I am a big fan of gmail. But since few weeks, it is giving me a biiggg headache.

Of late, I have been trying to keep all my personal mails flowing in-out via gmail only. But that has become such a herculian task that I keep thinking of switching to other email programs. I try to login and have to stare at the 'Loading' indication for ages. I then click on a mail and by the time it opens up I would have lost all my enthu to read it.

No, I don't use a slow connection and I have also seen that this is not happening to me alone. So what is happening? Is there something I can do to make things better?

Truth behind the Taj?

People have been talking a lot about the Taj these days. But this is nothing about the New Seven Wonders of the World.

I just happened to get a forward which says that TajMahal was an ancient Siva temple which was built even before the times of Shah Jahan. I thought it was one of those usual hoax mails. But out of curiosity, I did a little bit of googling and I felt that its a serious discussion which is still going on. Some data that were stated was interesting..

* How Taj Mahal was derived from 'Tejo Mahalaya'(Shiva's Palace)

* The writings of some visitors from Europe which indicates that Taj Mahal was there even before the time it was supposed to be built.

* The use of captured temples and mansions as a burial place for dead courtiers and royalty was a common practice among Muslim rulers


I don't know how to validate this information. But yes, I am extremely curious to know the truth. I wish I could open one of those 'supposedly' sealed rooms of the Taj Mahal, and have a peep inside. But curiosity killed the cat, did it not?



Courtesy: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A5220

Miles apart?

One of my teammate is leaving back to India today. He is a very young guy who is married and has a kid. A month after his baby was born, he had to leave for the UK. Another month later, his wife had to leave for the US. Their daughter was growing up in India. Almost a year after that, the father in him went crazy and decided to go back. Maybe the mother is flying back too. I wish them joyous moments of togetherness..

This is a very ordinary story these days, with the husband and wife living in different countries for long periods of time. There are those who have to undergo this because they don't have a choice. But its mostly those, who make a choice and decide to go, to make their future better. No, that is not wrong. I may do the same thing. Money is such a big necessity that you sacrifice many things for it. And a year of separation may not look like a big deal when you know that you can buy a house and live more happily after that.

But still it does not look right too.. What we lose is our 'time' together. And we may not be able to get it back another day with dollars or pounds. Today is what we have, tomorrow is never in our hands.. I pray that we never have to make such a choice.

I am sure all of you know this..

What is the difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain, and England?

But the fact is that I did not!
Yes, I am quite ignorant when it comes to general knowledge, I agree.

After coming here, I heard people using all these three names and I decided to find out the difference. When I searched and found this I am sure that many people are using it the wrong way, too. This is what I found.

The United Kingdom is a country that consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In fact, the official name of the country is "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland."
Great Britain is the name of the island northwest of France and east of Ireland that consists of three somewhat autonomous regions: England, Wales and Scotland.
Therefore, England is part of Great Britain, which is part of the United Kingdom. The U.K. includes England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are not countries but the United Kingdom is. The remaining portion of the island of Ireland (that which is not the U.K.'s Northern Ireland) is an independent country called the Republic of Ireland (Eire).

Courtesy: http://www.about.com/

This is what I have waited for!

Greater Hyd to be a 'fine' city10 Jul 2007, 0325 hrs IST,TNN

HYDERABAD: Greater Hyderabad will turn out to be a 'fine' city soon. From August 1 the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will impose a penalty of Rs 50 on those who litter roads and nalas.

The corporation has been imposing a fine on people for urinating in public places since Feb. 2007 and also for dumping bulk garbage by hotels and function halls in September 2006.

"From August 1 a fine would be imposed for littering, as people are throwing garbage on the roads instead of bins. This not only spoils our efforts to keep the city clean but also adds to the spread of diseases," GHMC additional commissioner (health and sanitation) R Rammohan Rao told 'TOI' on Monday.

The GHMC will also impose a fine on residents and shop owners who throw garbage into open nalas. "Door to door garbage collection scheme was introduced in 2005 to many colony associations, yet people throw garbage into the open nalas, resulting in blockage of drains," Rao said.

I have been yearning for something like this to happen and I am sure that a clean-India is not far away..

Why blame the politicians?

..when life itself is reduced to a game of politics.

Today, I had to hear more than my usual share of the politics-stories.

Right in the morning, my roomie told me sad stories about the politics in our house( I am sometimes oblivious to my surroundings) and in their team..

At work, my colleague told me about politics between our company and a vendor because of which they were not fixing issues for us.

And then the usual share of it from everywhere else..

Hmmm.. What do I say? Its nasty..
But its true that, where there are people, there is politics..
You may not always be able to keep yourself out of it, but the least you can do is forget it!

As John Kenneth Galbraith put it, Nothing is so admirable in politics as a short memory.

Learning on the way..

Recently, I realised(rather, someone made me realise) that 'travelling' is the 'best way to learning'. I am the kind of person who gets into a train or bus and starts snoring the next minute. Missing my destination, getting down two stops away and travelling back is also a very ordinary experience for me. :)

This Friday, things were different. The train in which I had to travel was so crowded that I couldn't find a seat. Finally I settled down on the floor in a place which was actually meant for wheelchair. So, till that space was not claimed by a wheelchair, I was safe. This arrangement was so uncomfortable that as hard as I tried, I couldn't sleep. And of course, I had no access to a window. To add to my woe, I neither had a book to read nor did my walkman phone have enough charge in it to let me listen to some music. So, there I was, left with the only option of looking at the people around for the 150 minutes journey ahead of me.

Interestingly, that place turned out to be the most happening place in the train. Right before me was the exit and also the loo. So anybody in that coach who wanted to get out or relieve themselves had to pass by me. Every minute I had a new face before me, a new person to explore.
Being a Friday evening, it was all the more amusing. I found many groggy men and women unsteadily finding their way to the loo. They bounced into each other every now and then. I could imagine them sitting at their seats, emptying one beer can after another. I observed everything, how they dressed, what all they ate, how they talked over phone, what kind of books they read.. I also realised that people from different countries were not necessarily very different. As I got down the train that day, I didn't mind having a back-ache. I felt enriched rather than weary..

I felt happy. I swore that I would not sleep in another journey.. I would keep my eyes open, my mind open.. As somebody said, a hopeful heart and an open mind are the best travelling companions.

My eyes well up..

.. with tears of joy. A moment to rejoice.
It marks the victory of love, sacrifice, tolerance, endurance and what not! Hats off to my friends who stood the unbelievable tests of time and who had their wedding bells ringing today. Anything hard-earned will be precious and I am sure they'll value their relationship throughout their life.
I am sad that I couldn't be there to witness that. But from the depths of my heart, I wish them all the happiness in the world!

My experiments with cooking

I remember with surprise that once upon a time, I hated cooking. I was in my high school then. Those days, relatives coming to visit us would ask my mom, "So, doesn't Anila help you in the kitchen?" My mom tried her best to hide my disinterest. She gave replies like.. "Actually, she knows a lot. But does not get time. She has lots to study, you see.." I then rushed to the scene with the truth and proclaimed proudly, "No, I don't know to cook one single thing!" I had innumerable fights with my mother over this. I thought it was unfair to want me to do all that. I believed that I was going to be rich and I would keep a cook. Even otherwise, I could eat from a restaurant. But not this!

But I guess some things can be learnt only the hard way. During my final year of engineering, I encountered a situation when mom was not at home for sometime and I had to cook for dad. Let me add that my dad is the worst critic a novice cook can ever have. Those days were hell for me. I used to get nightmares about how the dosa would come out bad the next day, of how Dad would get up from the table and walkaway.. I used to sit and cry thinking about all the chores for the day. Slowly I realised that cooking was not as difficult as I imagined it to be.. and I didn't dislike it anymore.

Then I started working and stayed in Bangalore with my friends. It was then that I became a confident cook. We even packed our lunch to office. But I never tried out anything new, I made everything the traditional way. I always tried to cook like my mom.. called her up many times to ask recipes. Tried to do everything in detail.. the frying, the grinding, without using shortcuts of any kind. After almost two years like that, I realised that sometimes, I was giving tips to my mom!

Now comes the latest phase.. I reach the UK. I venture confidently into the kitchen and find that I don't have a mixer to my service. Doomed! That has robbed me of 75% of the recipes I know. Meekly, I tell my roomies, "I don't know much if I don't have coconut and a mixer." They hardly paid any attention. "Are yaar, kuch bhi chalegaa.. Taste zaroori nahin hai.. Sirf survive karna hai yahaan." Okay! I definitely can do that much. Thats when I start with my experiments with cooking. I decided that I'll not make the same vegetable, the same way more than once. I'll do something different every time.. atleast a small change. That has given me a new zeal to cook.

Watch out for the results of my experiments with cooking!

The Inevitable

Somehow, we tend to believe that all bad things happen to others.. accidents, illnesses, deaths. But suddenly, it strikes very close to you and you realise that the victim was just someone like you. You realise that you are as close to death as anyone else. You realise that the journey from life to death can happen with the blink of an eye. You realise that you are a fool to plan for tomorrow without living today. You realise that you have been worrying too much about trifles in life. You decide to live better.

My colleague passed away in accident yesterday. Yes, it takes some shocks like this to understand the value of life. To understand that its a blessing in itself to be living.. to have your loved ones living..

Death is certain.. But, still we shudder at its thought. We try to avoid speaking of it, for fear of inviting it. Death is scary. That's because death is still a mystery, and anything mysterious is scary. Lets hope that death is not the end of life. Lets hope that its the beginning of a better one and let this help us in accepting the inevitable.

Weekend in an Island!

Had a beautiful weekend this time instead of the usual, lazy, frustrating ones. Yeah, after a lot of planning, we went to the Isle of Wight!

The Isle of Wight is an island, off the southern English coast. Its known both for its natural beauty and a rich history it boasts of. We didn't see much of the history part, but yes, I can vouch for the breathtaking beauty of the place.

One place we visited was the Alum Bay. It is at the westernmost point of the island. The bay is noted for its multi-coloured sand cliffs. It also gives a view of the Needles. Needles is actually five isolated sharp angular rock formations, jutting out of the water at the end of the cliff.
When we got there, the weather was not that great. But still we decided to take a chairlift down to the beach below.. Oh my, it was a wonderful ride! The trees below us, the blue sea before us, the multicolored cliff to our side, the wind blowing on our faces.. Yes, we felt on top of heaven! As we were walking dreamily on the pebbly shore, the God of weather decided to show some mercy on us. And lo, the clouds moved apart and it revealed the beautiful Needles!!! My friend managed to capture a glimpse of it!



Then we took an open bus Needles tour.. It was not less than a roller coaster ride!
Well, it was an extremely adventurous ride with wind blowing our caps off, we trying to catch them, meanwhile struggling to balance ourselves on the bus. We also had to defend ourselves from the tree tops that were ready to give us a whack or two anytime! It was real fun and the beauty around was a feast to the eyes.

Another place we visited was the Shanklin Chine. A chine, I understand, is a steep-sided river valley where the river flows through coastal cliffs to the sea. Formation of this chine has taken place over thousands of years and hence has a variety of rare plants, woodland and an enchanting waterfall. It was a pleasant walk in the midst of all the greenery and finally with an exit to the beach. A glimpse of the Chine..



All in all, it was a lovely weekend..

An Idle mind..

I feel very lonely(Dejected by the awareness of being alone??). No, this is not loneliness. I never felt I was alone.

Now I feel very blank(Devoid of thought or impression??). So, what was I feeling??

And now I feel insane(Very foolish)! I also feel helpless(Unable to help oneself; powerless or incompetent??)..

No, I feel very emotional(Readily affected with or stirred by emotion) these days. Can be more appropriately stated as emotionally vulnerable( Susceptible to emotional injury). Yes, every silly thing troubles me a lot these days.

Why have I suddenly become emotionally vulnerable? Maybe, I am feeling insecure(Not sure or certain; doubtful) Insecure about what? My future? But is there anyone whose future is secured??

Actually I am simply feeling bored(To fatigue with dullness) and as they say, an idle mind is ..
Err.. Or am I feeling like a devil??

Yes, I decided to write...

It has been sometime since I created a space on the web to pen my thoughts. But how much ever I tried, I could not write a single word!! But now.. I feel so lost, so confused and so lonely that I decided to write something..

Yes, I always felt that I was in a wonderland.. Every moment, life surprised me.. this world surprised me..

I am now in a brand new part of this wonderland, the United kingdom! When others were here, I felt they were pretty lucky. It looked stylish in their orkut profiles, So&So, London, United Kingdom and then some jhakaas photo along. But I always knew, things are never very rosy.. anywhere..
Now I sit and wonder, how different it is to be in a place which you feel, belongs to you.. To be among people, whom you feel care for you..

This moment, I am full of gratitude to all those who care for me.. And I know, this moment, has made me a better human being..