JUST ABOUT ANYTHIN'

Five Months

2011-01-29T01:26:00.001+05:30

Whoa ! And i have finally opened this dead page after ages , only to realize its been over a year that i have written here ....

Well , didn't really have an internet enabled computer at my disposal ... No regrets whatsoever ! I didn't even find the need of it ... :) Was in a totally different world altogether - Training at Infosys, Mysore !!!

People say its hell ... Well , 'twas quite grilling at the fag end of it .... But otherwise - The Time Of My Life !! :) ..

Its real fun sometimes to be out of home and live the way you wish. Surrounded by your best buddies in an awesome campus like Infy,Mys .... wonderful rooms to stay in .... landlines in every room ..... food courts to hang around and hog .... late nights studying in the labs or perhaps singing our way to glory till 3:30 am ... waking up friends in the morning .... running to the gec before it struck 9am ..... hunting for cycles and umbrellas which you never get when you absolutely need .... oh and the tension before the score page appears after an online exam... the weekends we so longed for just to go to the city where shops closed down by 7 anyway . . . and other mad things we've done out there ... . And how nice it was when there was no one to keep reminding you," listen beta , come back home in time "

We friends became more of a family and i didn't even realize how five months flew by. . .Omg those were F I V E whole months !!
The best part of life there was the time i spent with friends , and the worst part was parting ways with them when we got our postings at different places. Its so horrible isn't it , to say bye to someone you love very much ? But i guess thats something we all need to face ... but am so glad i got to live this 5-month-long-wonderful-experience out there :)
Truly, those were the days my friend ...

we thought they'd never end ....

Lets Choose To Live On

2010-01-15T00:45:00.004+05:30

I've always imagined myself on the death bed, seeing a long black tunnel , trying to answer myself " am almost gone now , but was my being on earth, of any use at all? " ... And then I shoo off such thoughts reassuring that I'll do the most I can before I face that stage. . . I'll help the poor and the needy and something worth to call what i lived, 'life' ...don't we all strive to do some noble deed? Really good, if you and I can contribute to better the world around us. Isn't it?

One such deed, feasible by most of us is blood donation.... What better way to serve humanity than to save a life with your own blood? If you've never tried it before, I hope you just give it one try to know how nice it feels to give life. Thank God for the Sankalp and NSS guys who have promoted this cause in our college.

Once again, I see myself on the death bed, with the long black tunnel swiftly moving behind me and with a fixed gaze at its end point, I ask “am I done here forever? If I just had one more chance to do more good.... "
This is when I realized that I didn't want myself buried or burnt to ashes just like that, when I still had scope to Live On... That's when I decided that I'd donate my eyes (and the good news is that the eye power doesn't really matter !) Isn't it so extremely tempting to use a part of your body (that is anyway useless) to show someone the world that he has yet only heard of?

Thanks to advancements in medical science, even Organ Donation is possible now. Internal organs like the kidneys, heart, liver, pancreas, intestines and the lungs can be donated. The skin, bone and bone marrow are others. Some of these can be harvested only when the person is clinically alive. Hence, it’s performed only when one is declared brain dead (A condition when the brain irreversibly stops working, but the heart continues to beat and pump blood for 1-2 days when kept under ventilators). When one is legally dead and has not even a fraction of a percentage to get back his life, what's the harm in giving a second chance of life to some other dying soul? God forbid, but that dying soul may be you or me someday...never know.

Organ donation though not so prevalent in India, is surely coming up with the support of many Hospitals and Organizations. All we have to do is to just want to do it. I hope we can bring in as many generous hearts as possible into this fold .Lets Donate Life!! Then, even during the hardest moment of grief for a family, one hard decision we inspire them to take, would change so many lives...

What are we to lose if we choose to Live On, even once we're gone?

Que Sera Sera

2009-11-30T18:34:00.003+05:30

And now this has become one of the most commonly asked questions " is the world actually gonna end in dec 2012 ? "
We sure have heard a variety of contradictory answers to it ... the movies , the news articles , religious teachings , prophecies ...

Coming to what I think about it, 'Its not really worth thinking about it . What difference does it make anyway, as long as you have lived your life to the max until the end? '

So basically this is my simple policy -
make the most of the present,
and do all the good you can today,
cuz whats in store for tomorrow,
you can never say.

Hmmm.. n now this so reminds me of the beautiful and the oh-so-melodious song ,
Que sera sera
whatever will be , will be
the future's not ours to see
Que sera sera .....

the 2 sides of a coin - the good n the bad

2009-09-13T23:01:00.000+05:30

All this while, uncle Ashok was known to be an annoying character. He'd speak to a person like one would to a big gathering ..seriously, this guy's voice box had an attached loud speaker . He was single 'n hence relied on every other acquaintance for moral support ... n even more he expected all to lend him their ears... He'd recite even the dumbest incident so enthusiastically with the body language of a public speaker or a dramatist... All this kinda annoyed the people around him n many avoided him in fact.
But when anyone needed any help, he'd be the first person to come forward.

So basically, this is what one would say if asked about uncle Ashok.

Sadly , today he collapsed in front of his house gate n died of a heart attack. I had been to his house some time ago, n this is the terrible part - to see a dead body, but luckily it was in the morgue.
But what point i wanna stress on is that apart from the weepin n stuff, people were speakin about how helpful he was n how he'd go out of his way to help others. Even those who weren't so fine with him ,spoke only good about him n that too very genuinely. His sister who has not spoken for long to him due to a fight , came only now to see him(well , atleast that much )

Why does this happen?
Why do we often magnify a person's negative traits and ignore the good?
'n what's the uses in realizing that he was a gem only after hez no more ?
Oh yea! n every dead person becomes good! So true, hez actually always been good!We jus didn' wanna see it!

Its as simple as this...like the 2 sides of a coin, every individual has his positive n negative side too, the good n the bad... it depends on what we wanna see in him.
'n so, instead of complaining abt petty things all along , we better realize that we too got our own defects. I think life would be a lot better if we recognize the good side in a person n like him for that.

once an acquaintance...

2009-08-29T15:10:00.010+05:30

Was jus reading ashu's blog about how it all started off with - as simple a thing as chatting ... Its jus about the thing i was gonna write next , when ashu already did the work for me ...
Don't you think that blog post so relates to most of us somewhere ... ?

I could never have imagined that cyberspace would have any sort of impact on a strong(or not i dunno) me ... thought it was crazy to find a friend online n was dead against this whole concept... but only until it happened to me... got to know so many hi-bye friends really well out here... n also made some wonderful friends online, whom i would never have met otherwise :)

one bad thing though,it may jus go too far that you get addicted to them, n should you not catch them online for a few days, u miss them!!...fell victim to the trap too , only until i got my head back on my shoulders...(precisely what made me write on these lines today)...

Otherwise, i seriously think ,cyberspace is not so bad an idea , as long as u r diligent n got discernment...and as long as you like it n have fun anyway....So, you never know things might jus sync right enough to get one of your best friends here,or perhaps more than that .hehe ;)

an acquaintance a year ago but a great friend now :)

The Gravest Deed

2009-08-23T12:35:00.008+05:30

am quite sure you'd agree with me that, no reason can be good or bad enough to commit suicide .... sickening!! .... n consider this!! an entire family doing this grave act together.... eeeerrrrrr.angers me totally!!

jus abt a week ago , it so occurred that a couple ruthlessly threw their 2 lil kids (one being my school junior) into the well n later they too jumped in n sacrificed their lives for a reason am not interested in comprehending... n i hope they didn' feel courageous while doin so...cowards!!

nothing new these days , i know ... but don't u think its utter foolishness and immaturity???
i strongly believe that we ought to strive to live, n to the maxxx... to overcome every hurdle and never give up! Thats the very goal of life!

resent n pity those who think they are the only people in the world , gifted with life's biggest problems and also those who lack that essential belief that they will find a way out ... but instead, they circle down to a big conclusion - end it all in one go!!! ... the gravest deed indeed...

such things are really depressing n upsetting ... why can't man realize that life and death is in God's hands alone.If faced wid a problem, he'll surely make a way even when there seems to be no way . He works in ways we cannot see (oh thats a beautiful hymn actually...) ... n so how can one lose hope in God's Providence ???

HE PROVIDES

I smell freedom atlast !!

2009-07-06T10:30:00.002+05:30

Finally my study chair gets some rest!! Gosh! sitting long hours to mug tiny strings of numbers n characters from huge books is absolutely crazy!! aaaaaaaaaaaah!so now am done with the 6th sem :) n I so hope that the blessed vtu evaluators don't correct our answer scripts funnily!

Jus went for a nice long morning walk .Feels really good. It strips off the lethargy!

The fresh 6:30am air you get to breathe... the green lake around which you walk n the rowers practising their profession so whole heartedly... the friends and acquantainces you get to meet on your way... the tar roads you get to see,which are otherwise iced with vehicles... the early morning sky with rays emanating from a corner... the old smiley couple helping each other to walk...
wowwwwwwwwww! Everything was so perfect and am all energetic now!
Amidst all the frustration of studies n exams, I once again realized that life is beautiful indeed :)

A Woman i've known

2009-06-16T15:19:00.008+05:30

Come June 14th , and all memories of my granny(late Mrs Queenie Mascaranhas) replay before me . How I wish we could celebrate her 80th birthday this year. We last celebrated her 75th one ,the same year in which she later expired of some illness .

Mamma,as i fondly called her, was a woman of metal. Born as the eldest daughter into a poor family ,in a village in Chikmagalur, she bore the responsibility of all her 6 siblings. I remember her saying that she earned just Rs5 per month, those efforts which went in helping settle each of her siblings' lives ,who are now well to do in Canada or chicago or france or wherever .

But Mamma, simple as she was, remained in the village and married a planter who died soon leaving behind their 2 children and around 1 acre of coffee plantation in the care of Mamma's hands.
All at the age of 30, unexperienced as she was , how was she to manage it all? She was the 24*7-in-the-kitchen home maker types.

But they so rightly say ,God gives the strength and courage when you require it. She not only brought up her children single handed, but also worked very hard to expand the estate to a 40 acre one, now called St. Margaret Estate.

Mamma next went on to build her village; she played a lead role in the panchayat. Thanks to her efforts, there's now a school, a hospital and a church in the village.

What I remember of her, is obviously the love she showered on us ,4 grandkids...n i got the most cuz i was the eldest :). We loved the way she placed us upright on her feet n rocked us.... And her magic fingers!!she was definitely the best Mangy cook ever. Inspite of having earned a lot of wealth, she remained down to earth. She resented dependence, she used to wash her clothes on the stone till the age of 70. She milked the cows. She took rounds in the estate every day. Her knowledge about medical remedies was vast and her concern towards the needy,unpretentious. I wouldn't be exaggerating if i said she was a Mother to many.Even the parish priest used to visit her every day.

Mamma also received an award in the international women's year. She made her village Magundi proud.

I remember the day she died, I wept the most in my life...but it mus've been His plan and am sure, she is with Him above.

I still miss her. I really want to tell her so many things... I so miss her congratulating me every time I got my results , I miss her shouting at me n her playing with me... her cooking for me, n her giving me 2 big bottles of ghee every time i visited her at Christmas time... n one thing i regret is , her not having seen ny of her 4 grand daughters in sari . Am sure she would've have given the most beautiful smile...cuz every small thing in our lives meant so much to her.

I yet wonder , how a quiet lil tender girl, grew up all alone , and carrying all the burden ,achieved so much!! She sure was a WOMAN !

Yet another PeP-Tragedy...

2009-04-22T20:37:00.008+05:30

Every time I leave my keys hanging on my scooty PeP , I promise myself its the last.
But dunno why the PeP-Tragedies don't seem to leave my back , Pooja being another joint victim with me as she has a PeP too...
we've faced it all, punctures on exam days ,punctures just before leavin for a movie, misplaced keys n even worse totally lost n a not found set of keys,a stolen mobile phone from the safe, minor accidents....

But today, was the worst I faced... how on earth did i leave my ONLY set of keys inside the safe ?... arghghgh.. what a hangama that inexperienced kid mechanic(supposedly!) did to get the safe opened ...n i got my key in my hands once again...

I thanked the Almighty and closed the safe after double checking if the key was in my hand, only to realize that the safe got permanently locked! The mechanic said nothing could be done about it... and what about re-fueling my PeP?? He said, "dunno..."
Now , tension began to build within myself... "but, c'mon! there has to be a way out " ,assured Pooja n Ashwath who were with me.

Fortunately, I had fuel, enough to go to the service station. I got the entire lock itself changed , so now I have 2 sets of keys! Peace reigned finally after 6 hours of tension.

Am yet wondering, jus 1 small mistake...and a mountain of consequences!!

High time I said "olivia!!! wake up n don't dream that much!!... no more PeP-Tragedies...alright?!?!!!...atleast cuz i bet with a friend! ha ha!"

Guilt haunts!!!

2009-03-24T00:04:00.007+05:30

aah..well! its runnin around in this lil head of mine,causin some unrest , n thus i write this blog entry.

am sure most of us, would have instances where we've embarrassed ourselves by committing some blunder in public...
i too got a countable number of 'em ...dunno how i manage to mess up things at times

it so happens that i consciously try to follow a set of principles set by myself ... try to be good to all n do only what's right...i mean,all do it. But, human as we are,we do tend to err at times...
n I jus can't understand why, whenever I err, the amplitude of the consequences is jus too profound to be contained. I hate myself for it! It occurs so unconsciously and unintentionally , but yea , the fact remains that " i have made a mistake " .
It pricks ,it really pricks !

I bite my tongue,my double edged sword at such times asking " God! why did I do this today?
I've never done it before...infact i've resented such things...how did it happen nw? why did i say such a thing? what jus happened to me? i jus didn' intend to ... i can't believe but i've done it! why am i so impulsive ? why did i utter such a thing? hurt another person.. that too my very close friend...may he trust me again please...jus cannot afford to lose a friend...how can i face him? how can i face myself? oh my God!!! save me from this guilt!!can't bear it!! "

Seriously, guilt pricks ... n if u justify,then there's no guilt at all...
I've learnt to accept my fault and ask for forgiveness ... but just can't rest in peace till the person affected has totally forgiven me(n forgiving or not is left to him/her...n either way i just hope he realizes and believes that am really n bitterly sorry about it ... n that i didn' mean to be so bad,but once again, its not right to justify!)... guilt gets me handicapped! hate this feeling , but gotta face it cuz i caused the situation, am the wrong-doer after all!!

arghgh... u might not understand the context which causes me to say all this... but sometimes the frustrated me feels better when i pen it down!

Off to Timbuktu eh??........ err,now where's that ?

2009-03-14T15:45:00.005+05:30

Way back in the 7th grade, I remember , maam used to always use this phrase as she'd fume "you've taken a whole century girl!!!u were off to Timbuktu eh?? "
I used to always wonder where on earth was Timbuktu?? was it actually a place or some kinda virtually existential forest?'

Jus this week , I gotta know about the origin of this phrase commonly used to mean a far away place...
Basically, Timbuktu is an ancient African city on the southern edge of Sahara, a settlement in the 11th century developed as a mart for gold. European travelers in the 19th century converged on Timbuktu lookin for wealth and splendour. Timbuktu was occupied by the French in 1894 and is now in the Republic of Mali.

aah, n so i finally got the answer to my age-old n long forgotten question, "where is T.i.m.b.u.c.t.o.o ? ".. haha! better late then never!

one silent night...

2009-03-01T04:20:00.008+05:30

probably the most jobless thing to do- sittin up till 4:30 am when there is no exam coming up , but am totally loving it...

all are packed in bed and are sleeping tight
but something strange urges me to be up this night...
it feels good sometimes to sit by the window sill all alone...
to stare at the azure sky get darker and to imagine whats beyond ...
to count the stars in space and try to spot the constellations.

the atmosphere is tranquil , and the air is still...
the dogs are silent today ...
except for an occasional howl that i hear from a mile away
even the coconut palms are looking extraordinarily brilliant against the sky
or is it that i had never noticed them so closely before?

the sound of silence is indeed beautiful
a time which even a garrulous person would love
a time to give a second thought to many things we found no time to think about
and to wonder why we exist on a planet called earth
where, before we realize we're there, we perish....we're gone

Such thoughts on life, recur to me on many a dark silent night
I turn to the Almighty as I grip the grills of the sill, very tight
and ask forgiveness for having questioned the purpose of my existance
May He lead me on the route He has planned especially for me,
that I may overcome all hurdles with His grace and never step back,
that I may never cause harm, but do good to mankind,
that I may always trust in His presence,
and that I may never forget to thank Him for his providence.

I thank you God for everything.

it exists.. within the classroom too?!?!

2009-01-24T10:50:00.005+05:30

I happened to bump into an old friend Andy few days ago next to a bus stop. He is studying engineering too, but in a different branch(mechanical) and a different coll(which i dare not mention , you'll know why later).

As the conversation grew in all directions, we touched class and attendance . Thats when he said slyly, "oh, c'mon why do you need a 70-80+ % attendance. Learn from me, i have just a 50% attendance and I yet manage."
Now i knew this wasn't possible without some influence or money. I've always resented the power of money , how money could do many a thing, if not everything... A worthless nut could even buy a job,while the worthy who rely solely on their talent could fall into the suffering unemployed lot.

"my goodness! n how do you get out of such a trap? you bribe the teachers with oodles of notes ,huh?", i asked.
I still remember the pride with which he answered, "naah , not money!! our teachers demand drinks from us. Well i'll explain the scenario, the mechanical department consists of only guys ... and you know if guys get together what crap we can do.. atleast every alternate day, we booze...Oh, don't remind me of new year's eve, i was completely sloshed and lost in the fires of hell i guess... but we smoke less often, just about 6-7 cigarettes per day. Our teachers too join us at some joints sometimes by the way... But am a good fellow, am not into drugs atleast, have just had cocaine sometimes ... "

I was obviously dumb stricken ," eh?? you guys bribe your teachers with drinks and cigarettes...How base can people get? And some of you will become mechanical engg teachers one day, and expect the same from your students too! Isn't that an awesome circle , Andy ? A circle where more and more people join the group of psychs, who just don't realize their worth and think money can buy it all! I wish your teachers in coll could have taught you guys something better than this , and i pity that despite crossing 20yrs you don't have the maturity to differentiate between right and wrong "
Andy tried to defend himself, " its not so serious ... we are enjoying life. You're in ramaiah , and you're so goody goody...You've not yet seen the world. its a common thing man..."
I was like , "yea, you guys are popularizing it and btw, why are you so proud of drinking? I think you are being highly dumb. You need to realize it. You have a long life ahead, don't shorten it this way. Don't you think its high time you got responsible?"

I hope he realizes life is something more than enjoyment and getting away via corrupt means.
I couldn't take in more of this nonsense , i excused my self and left the place.

Its really hard to digest some happenings in the real world , like this one - corruption, in the classroom! God save them!
We the lay men, obviously blame the inefficient laws against corruption.
But I wonder ,if the law has been unsuccessful at it, shouldn't our conscience,our inbuilt high court stop us from indulging into it?

Our Super Duper Trip 2009!!

2009-01-14T12:25:00.006+05:30

Last day of the exams n last day of the year
No sooner did our 5th semester exams complete on the 31st December 2008, than we all started packing up our luggage for the long awaited trip. The day had finally come when we got rid of our books, n switched on to the enjoyment mode. 'n the timing was simply perfect as it also marked the start of the new year.

I obviously can see the whole 10day trip in front of my eyes vividly like a movie film strip , but fast forwarding the reel to a very large extent, am gonna write somethin' like a documentary .

31st dec 2008 :
a kiddies' party held at home for apartment kids .
man!! i can't believe even we 5th semesterites became kids dancing for the boogie woogie n even the birdie dance, n playin all the kiddie games!haha!!

and walking on a chilly midnight on new year was not so bad an idea ...

1st jan 2009 :
Phew!! NEW YEAR celebs 1/3rd at home, 1/3rd in the bus and the remaining at poo's home in hassan!
... n ashwath n aniket thanks 4 the lesson , we'll call u guys 1/2hr in advance the next time :P (also ani , the next time u wanna sleep in a bus,poo is not the right person to sit with!)

the guys! upto some nakhras forever!

2nd jan 2009 :
aiyyan kere! beautiful spot indeed !! did nothin' more than posing for pix..

the pic of the trip! nish, we really missed u here :(

hahah! some crazy filmy poses !

yea rt! we won the honour of bein crowned as the 3 queens the dumb queen,the controversy queen(chet,no one can beat u at thinking man!) n the tragedy queen .haha!

not bad prakash ,the bicep guy actually hung from the banyan's aerial roots!

the bond pic- ani,poo n ashu!

with frnz like ahsu, ani,prakash, chet n poo around, climbing the mulliyangiri in chikmagalur was not only amazin fun, but 'twas untiring too!!

crazy athletes!

the entire 6 at the highest point in south india

n yea, the caves right up there at mulliyangiri!oof! n thank goodness! ashu escaped the reptiles n prakash survived the poisonous gases :P

man! nw this is the funniest pic ever with planck's constant! haha!

3rd jan 2009 :
incredible i know, but gotta admit - the guys actually woke up first that day-4:20am!
all 3 places , the gomateshwara monolith at sravana belagola, the belur n the halebid temples were simply amazing ... n guess wat? poo drove us the whole way! agreed poo! ur a real good driver indeed!

apne aap ko samajtha kya hai?

the actual gomateshwara monolith statue

picture perfect! ashu, credit to the photographer alright!

poo says " who cares? i look good , enough for me!"

weight lifing! stunning nose ring indeed!! ..seriously wonder hw the marati woman handles that heavy chunk of gold with embedded stones..

girl power! we actually pushed the rock by 1.1cm :P

aah ! this one depicts that "love is blind" ...wt did the guide say? well yea,basically a guy of 16-17 yrs is attracted to even a donkey-faced female..... sorry,i didn' know guys were that crazy :P

well, n that was ashu's fav carving ... i pity the guide man! ahsu n ani u ppl made so much fun of his excessive usage of the phrase 'local vandalism'...poor fellow!he was jus explainin us the cause for the destruction of the statues!

chaddi dosts!!

perfect editorial group... chet the head of it, ashu the photographer , me the journalist n ani( whats the upcoming sandalwood actor doin here?) :P

4th jan 2009 :
y on earth did u guys leave half way??? :( :(
chet,poo n i missed u ppl loads ..u have absolutely no clue hw boring this day was without u :( :( we barely spoke throughout the journey to udupi :( n if we did, it was jus abt u guys....
'twas so plain, u ppl seriously got some magic , u had brought so much life in the first 3 days ..really missed you :(
wish prakash, ashu n ani could make it to the rest of the trip.
n dharini!!! u better come next time, u bunked the whole thing!so not fair!:(

krishna matta is the most colourful temple i've ever seen...my goodness! 'twas lit by hundreds of deepas ... awed by the faith of all present there during the golden chariot procession.

5th jan 2009 :
nish, so glad u joined us here:)

ferryin' to st mary's island...

poo, u got patience man!

choo chweet!!nish n chet.

well, i obviously did spare the shell-spoon full of shells...
fikr not!didn' gulp that down too :P

at the malpe beach ...

oops! the camel ride was fun but was actually kinda scary durin the take off* n the landing* . nish,u should have recorded the way poo screamed! haha!

n chet! we had a wonderful time at ur place! beautiful house with the typical mangy features- coconut trees,doggy bravy , the water heating fire, the lotus pond ,n everything else... except for the vast variety of soaps,lotions n shampoos u got(ur obsessed with them man!)
n trust me ,i've never tasted such lovely masala puri like the one ur mum prepared!

6th jan 2009 :
at mangalore my hometown after 3 whole years! wow!
aloysious chapel is the most amazing chapel i've seen; every inch of the walls n ceiling was covered by paintings!

splish splash! at the panambur beach!

n beware!don't even think of beach running with nish's athlete sis neeta!

nish, ur family rocks man! a total musical family! lovely time listening to u ppl ...n yea!yummy seafood too :)

wow!! dunno hw i managed to have the 2nd dinner at cuzn zara's house !yummy sea food once again :)
zara!the craziest girl i've known with a crazily high speed of talking, my goodness!

n lynn is yet a baby for me :) :)

7th jan 2009 :
finally the most famous gadbad icecream at ideals!! we hogged a second serving of icecream too!

cousin vivek joined us too at ideals.

poo n i left to my uncle's estate in magundi,a village in the chkmgr dist...

chk out the ripe coffee ready for the pulping process.

poo ,fikr not ..uncle impressed with ur job;global recession shudn' affect you much ,peace :)

stayover at the neighbour's house in a village called jayapura, u can never find such hospitality in a city, i bet! just wanna escape to some village...absolutely no sophistication !

love this one wid poo , real sweet girl (n dumb too! haha )

8th jan 2009 :

agreed poo! u were better at posing with the rifle :D ...dunno if it was loaded though :P

trekkin through the estate with uncle , n climbing the barbed wire fence ,we finally reached badra river ! awesome scenic beauty, we actually breathed oxygen n oxygen n oxygen amidst the coffee,pepper n areca plantations there!

9th jan 2009 :
back at hassan, n a whole day recollectin every bit of the trip with poo.. had a wonderful time wid you man! so glad it happened!!

10th jan 2009 :
jus didn' wanna get back, but some saying says "all good things must come to an end" !!.. no so i had to get back to home,sweet home at bangalore ! :)

aaah!!i loved evvvery bit of it!!we were a closely knit family!!
coll sure gonna be more fun gettin to knw nish, chet n prakash better :) ... ashu n ani listen, poo n i gonna give it back to u nxt sem, u guys took the poor girls for granted this time ;) watch out!!

n all gonna make it for the whole package next time,alright!! :)

"Yeh , tera ladka..."

2008-12-11T15:58:00.023+05:30

[This is a true incident which took place on the 10th of December , 2008 at Sherkot near Delhi ... I somehow happen to be acquainted to this family ]

The 10 crore house at Sherkot was finally complete with all the final touches perfectly done. It was awaiting the inauguration by the yet-to-come new member of the family. The house was named something in persian which meant "the light" ; it referred to the light of the house which was to be born soon.

On the other hand , the woman Aafreen, in the hospital was undergoing the most painful time of her nine month long wait for the little boy... infact a fifteen year old wait. Her husband stood beside her telling "Don't worry aafreen , this will be a boy" . Her four other kids surrounded her bed anxiously waiting for their new sibling. These kids were Bisma aged 14, Iqra 11, Noorain 5 and Sana just 2. They were a bunch of lovely girls who attracted everyone's attention wherever they went . Noorain told "mama, we'll have a party today in our new house with chota bhayya ." ... all the children were excited and so were the in-laws and other relatives who were present in the hospital.

In sometime, aafreen cried as the labour pains became intense. The doctors asked everyone apart from the husband to go out of the room. The youngest kid sana cried, "mamaaaa" .. she couldn't live for a moment without her mama, but bisma coaxed her outside.

In an hour, the new born baby's cries were heard. Everyone's faces lit up as the doctor came out to announce that the baby was a boy. But the Doctor said that the mother had lost a lot of blood and there was some risk to her life. She had been warned when she gave birth to her sixth kid, that another one could turn fatal either to the mother or the kid as two were already still born. But being in a Muslim family , she was under pressure from her in-laws to give birth to a son.

The doctors did all they could to improve Aafreen's condition... But it worsened instead. Aafreen grew weak and knew those were the last few moments of her life... The husband in the mean time congratulated Aafreen on giving birth to a son , even as he was worried about her condition. Her damp eyes remain shut ... a running movie flashed before her eyes, her little angels were wailing and all left orphaned , the new house was dark ... All of a sudden she opened her eyes and looked upto her husband and said " I am dying , i want to see my boy once...". He felt a shiver run down his spine, but he consoled , " don't worry , you'll be fine" . Aafreen insisted " get him here, please".

The little baby boy was brought and the mother was tilted to a semi-sitting position. The mother carried her son with the husband's support , and she was overwhelmed to hold him in her arms. She wept. The other kids also were called inside . She gripped tight the hand of her eldest daughter Bisma and with tears filled in her eyes, she said "Bisma ,you're big now dear. Don't you love mama? ..... You'll have to take mama's place here on ." ... By now all the kids began to cry bitterly, some not even knowing why. The room resounded with "Mama " from here and "Mama " from there.

The doctors now tried to send out everyone from the room, as they had to try their last bit to rescue the mother.
Even as they were doing that, Aafreen placed her son in her husbands hands and uttered "Yeh, tera ladka..." . She breathed her last .

Santa claus is coming to town!!

2008-12-06T22:58:00.011+05:30

It's the most wonderful time of the year
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you "Be of good cheer"
......

yes!!! indeed it's the hap-happiest season of all!!
am totally enjoying every bit of the ADVENT season ( ie. the waiting for the coming of our Lord before Christmas)

The house is resounding with those lovely Christmas carols once again !! :) :)
Already baked 1 rich fruit cake :) waiting badly for the other Christmas goodies(called Kuswar... )
Will build the Christmas tree n put up the star in 2-3 days...
Got a whole lot of Christmas cards to post...
wow!!! every bit of Christmas is fun :)

This reminds me of the Secret Santa game we used to play in School ... wasn't that amazing fun???
n yea, i remember all those practices for the yuletide hosted by my school year after year... oh! how we enjoyed singing those carols!

...n then the gifts we got from santa for Christmas!!!!
wow!! now this was the most exciting part for me as a kid... my goodness!! i was so innocent then ... used to write letters to santa asking for this and that....
' n then when we cousins came back home from church after the midnight mass ... Lo!! we'd always find a surprise gift along with what we asked!!!
Santa was so generous... but only until it was yr 2000 and we somehow gotta know that our own parents were the acting santas ... That year, we cousins surprised all the elders with gifts!!!

but the midnight mass at church , remains the best part of christmas!!
All of us wrapped in shawls , eating cake and banging teeth(obv,tis so chill at midnight during christmas ) and dancing and playing housie-housie was the common sight after the mass in the village... but we kids hated those jerseys n shawl,c'mon we had to display how well decked we were in those new frocks n bubblegum shoes ..hahah!!

I yet cherish those days at the chikmagalur estate where the entire big family used to gather for Christmas ...
we used to build the Crib together ...
n yea, we used to go house to house carol singing in the village ...

n now , sadly the VTU has ruined it all :( don't get to celebrate it like before..
got semester exams on the 26th of december... sob ! sob :( :(

But , I will yet celebrate Christmas in true spirit ...
I hope to be good n welcome Him in a very special way :) ...for, thats the main element of christmas :)

Are you OCD struck??

2008-11-27T08:09:00.012+05:30

Someone recently commented that I suffer from a serious mental disorder called OCD , just for the silly reason that I carry a hand sanitizer wherever I go :P !! IMPOSSIBLE - i retorted , that was just to save myself from germs ,when no water was available to wash my hands ...

now, the restless me had to obviously do more research on OCD ... jus' in case u wanna knw ...
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD, is an anxiety disorder and is characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Repetitive behaviors such as handwashing, counting, checking, or cleaning are often performed with the hope of preventing obsessive thoughts or making them go away. Performing these so-called "rituals," however, provides only temporary relief, and not performing them markedly increases anxiety...

i've also heard somewhere, that OCD struck people need to take timely action before they start doing crazy things without even realizing ! true indeed!! this reminds me of the time i was obsessed with clean dry bathrooms ...wud get to washing the bathroom everytime i found a foot print on the floor ! outta it nw ,luckily or unluckily!!

... well not really all may have OCD ... but yea, most of us do have obsessions ... don't we? n as our reaction to those obsessions, don't we normally have our own defined set of compulsions?

for eg, every other minute i get bugged, i have to log on to gtalk !!

well, but its a lil' different when you get that urge to do it,which without executing leaves you restless!

now this reminds me of another obsession that i've got is being home alone ; the moment am alone ,i gotta enter the kitchen n fetch somethin to eat-( n this is a must as soon as soon as i shut the door realizing that am all alone n have all the liberty to get to nakhras! )...n if nothin is readily available(which is mostly the case :P) , i'm capable of licking honey or to that extent , even sugar... or peanuts or i might prepare a strange cocoa sauce in no time!!! Love hiding and eating!!!
man!! compulsions like these are crazy! we actually gotta realize that somethin's abnormal n do our best to combat them!!

another ritual- if i have 2 envelopes to post, i open each envelope several times to check if the letter is in the right envelope.

most of us obviously have had obsessions n compulsions in atleast some phase of our lives... its fine as long as we don't over do them to such an extent that we turn insane ... or else better beware! you may be just a step away from OCD! well, its upto you to take it seriously or casually :P hahah!

n now even as i am typin this , i just realized i've emptied up a 400gm Amul Cheese tin which i just bought yesterday !!! dunno wat mama's gonna say for gobbling it up at such a speed... aaah, but i had to do it n it had to happen cuz i was home alone!

'n the pile is growing :(

2008-11-25T02:54:00.005+05:30

Seems like barely the beginning of the 5th sem , and the exams are already 'round the corner !

The lab internals are goin on now n we have our ada lab tomorrow .... err! n what am i doin here at 3:00 am instead of being locked up within my cozy quilt ??? well , completing the record book ! :P :P
but why in the very last minute?... ahem ahem ... am searching for an appropriate answer ,even as i realize that it was my sluggishness !

generalizing , a normal engg student does the same :)
Sigh!!! and what's the result? An Increasing Pile of Pending Studies !!!

Dad n mum think am gettin very irresponsible with studies.... naaah! with everything actually!!
jus lost my pep+ keys today for the second time in 2 weeks ( n not to forget, i dunno when my spectacles fell off its place during the same time span ).... , n the reason?my carelessness n absent mindedness! man! what a hangama that was ! n i didn' even find them at the end of the 2 hr long session of seekin high n low in coll .. sob sob :( :(

Getting back to studies , hope to somehow manage to get through this time....
but the next sem, I RESOLVE to COMPLETE my STUDIES well in TIME!!!
LOL!! have already broken this resolution 5 times so far!!

wedding bells!!! . . . age no bar?

2008-10-24T14:47:00.000+05:30

It came to me as a shock when i heard that my neighbour was getting married for the second time.
You have all the right to wonder why am so stupefied by such a common happening ... but let me continue the story .
First of all , the man lost his wife only 4-5 months ago
Secondly, he is an eighty year old, yes 80yrs!!
And to top it all, he is marrying a 70 yr old spinster !!!

Well, the neighbour's son found it pretty embarrassing to invite us for his dad's wedding ... he explained about how his dad was all alone n lonely since all three sons were busy with their tight schedules and families. So he preferred to get re-married.

I am yet dumbfounded by such a decision since the man is a highly respected person and an ex-lawyer. Tough to comprehend how the man could think of another woman after say around 50 yrs of a happy married life . Also , can't understand how a woman being a spinster for 70 whole years gave her consent for the marriage.

But at the end of it, what is so wrong in it? Its a little weird though .
Two old people , both lonely , both longing for company ... why not exchange the ring?
Does age have anything to do with that?

the dark side of glamour ... its not always what you see

2008-10-18T21:58:00.000+05:30

" Aaah ... you're very lucky Nandan " , i said , " you dance for your living , and you love what you're doing, you're healthy because you exercise via dance , you get to travel around the world, you get to dress in different costumes , you can display your talent , ..... wow!!! thats a glamourous world !! what more does one need in this universe ??? "
"RESPECT" was the prompt reply.
i was yet puzzled....

" Dancing ....well , it just looks glamorous from the outside ... but have you ever thought of what difficulties we undergo ?? " , he said with frustration .
He has participated in dance shows at various places ... the organizers look down upon dancers as just people who flex their bodies for money. Can you beat this? most open stage shows don't even provide the dancers with green rooms. They are required to dress up in the open or in the troupe's van .... just imagine the condition of the female dancers.
Once it so happened , that nandan had been to a big hotel with his troupe for a performance ; the embarrassment the female dancers faced by the crowd was worse than imaginable... one needs to be highly precautious or else they are prone to be taken advantage of .... why can't dancers be looked at just dancers with self esteem?

Nandan added , after all the impoliteness faced by the organizers on the backstage , they were required to perform .
All within their hearts they're worn out , but on the stage all they do is to wear a royal facade ... Occasionally , during the performance all the bitterness faced flashes. This is when coordination is lost n they realize they have to keep that forced smile glued onto their faces.

There was a pause, when i noticed a big cut on Nandan's sole ... he explained that it often occurred that they stepped on a nail or earring screw on stage . Even worse, due to excessive beating of the foot in bharatanatyam, the sole simply cracks open n bleeds while performing sometimes. The dancer is obviously required to cover up all kind of pains and continue very normally.

Most dancers are dedicated to their work and normally rely on only dance for their means of livelihood. It is very sad that by the age of 30 , these dancers normally undergo at least one operation. Their backs and knees are prone to wear and tare. By the age of 40 , most dancers get the RED signal from the doctor "Stop dancing!" ...either its a ligament tear or a slipped disc or a knee cap dislocation .
This is how the life of a dancer grows dim as he is compelled to retire. Sadly , since most of the dancers don't know anything other than dance , once they stop dancing( which happens at a rather young age), they lie idle in a corner of the house with some sort of ailment and without any income to top it all. [ I am not considering high profile , nation-wide popular dancers here]

I was always under the impression that dancers were the most fortunate as they had fun dancing throughout...
Little did i realize that every profession has its own dark side.

Scrumptiously Deliciously Chocolicious !!

2008-10-18T16:23:00.000+05:30

yummmmmmmmm!!!!!!! my mouth is already watering at the very thought of chocolate! :) :)

I used to always wonder as a kid from where on earth chocolates were generated ; really wanted to buy a chocolate garden if it ever existed! ...till one day in school, I had to give a presentation on any plant ... obviously I chose the one which was the closest to my heart. 'twas only then , when I discovered that cocoa came from a plant "cacao"... thought it was a spelling error... but no, 'cocoa' actually came from 'cacao'.

'n even now , i continue to go gaga about absolutely anything that has cocoa in it ... n thats what keeps me busy in the kitchen( mum is all happy that her girl is learning to cook . hahah) !! love to keep experimenting with various recipes of chocolate cake , chocolate ice cream, chocolate mousse , chocolate pudding , chocolate cookies , chocolate fudge ,chocolate icing , chocolate sauce , chocolate milk shake... yup! thats it!! but haven't yet tried chocolate making :( ... and if i don't have time to make any of these, i simply make a quick mix of cocoa powder, sugar n water ...n lick it up( well, i weirdly tend to enjoy the raw-bitter taste ).

Fortunately , science has proven chocolate( dark) to be good for health - it has antioxidants , lowers the bp , enhances the mood ... huh! what else do we want to remove the guilt of binge-eating chocolate ??

n if i guess right, isn't chocolate the one thing we don't mind licking our fingers for ? ( huh!! melted? who cares? ) .... 'n don't we lament n wail an elegy when a tiny bit of the chocolate falls onto the ground by mistake ? Hahah!!

I'm sure , I wouldn' be raving too much if I say that 'Chocolate' is the one flavour that all masses of all the nations across the globe love n will never get bored of !! Forget the kiddies , even my toothless granny looks forward and relishes her share of milk chocolate after every lunch !Chox will always remain so... n yea, age no bar!!!

Virgin shark got pregnant in Virginia aquarium

2008-10-11T21:20:00.000+05:30

i just came across this article in the ibn news website... pretty interesting....now i wonder,hw parthenogenisis works.
sadly this rare phenomenon doesn't seem to be the solution to endangered species.

Washington: Scientists using DNA testing have confirmed the second-known instance of "virgin birth" in a shark — a female Atlantic blacktip shark named Tidbit that produced a baby without a male shark.

The shark came to the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach not long after being born in the wild and lived there for eight years with no males of the same species, said Beth Firchau, the aquarium's curator of fishes.

The 5-foot shark died after being removed from the tank for a veterinary examination, and a subsequent necropsy revealed that Tidbit was carrying a fully developed shark pup nearly ready to be born, Firchau said.

Demian Chapman, a shark scientist with the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University in New York state, performed DNA testing that showed the pup had no father. Virgin birth such as this is known as parthenogenesis.

A year ago, Chapman used genetic testing to confirm that a hammerhead shark at a zoo in Omaha gave birth to a pup in 2002, also after parthenogenesis.

mekedatu !! that sure was a TRIP!!!

2008-10-11T09:13:00.000+05:30

How i regret, none of us had carried our cameras across the back waters which we crossed to reach Mekedatu !! :(
Man ! the scenic beauty of the greenish-blue gushing waters through the rocky cliffs is simply indescribable! 'twill always remain vivid in my memory. :)

Veda ( varun deshpande ) , our organizer did everything for the 60 of us!! Hahah! I pity this guy! we always dump all organizing duties on him! 'n yea , spl thanks to u veda, for all arrangements A-Z ....keep it goin :) !!

coming to the actual trip... i think the two ise sections(2006 batch) rock!! pretty united we are :)

All kinda activities happened that day(around 2-3 wks ago) ....rt frm dumb-charades ...to dancing to that chrittranna song(hahah ! can't forget this one!) ... to gettin acquainted to new faces... to flirting(well,not applied to all)... to playing in the water(dunno wt that ball game is called)...to debating abt srk or nadal or federer( a must happen when poo , dhar n ashwath are around).... to rock climbing barefoot!!( thank goodness! i found 2 orphaned chappals en route that saved my soles frm gettin sored !! who cares if they were of different pairs!!)... to chatting on the butt-burning cliff(n remember the frog we found in the puddle where we dipped our feet?) ...to hoggin yummy lunch( yup! the dogs enjoyed the scraps!)...to getting thouroughly charred at the end of it all....to blah blah blah!! we did it all !! :D

I bet the super friendly n enthused company i was amidst, did all the magic n made the trip a TRIP!!!! :) :)

Where is the peace?

2008-09-23T15:30:00.000+05:30

"Oh my goodness!!! you're at Bangalore Central? Get back home immediately! 5 bomb blasts have rocked Bangalore already !!"

"Do you know what happened in Delhi? A live bomb has just been diffused by the bomb squad !"

"I was so close to the Milagres Church!!! I have never witnessed such a sight before in such a holy place like Mangalore!! "

Isn't this all we hear today ?
Probably, terrorism is one of the most commonly used words in our vocabulary . "VIOLENCE" , for sure features in the first page of the newspaper. But why?

Be it the BAD mission( Bangalore Ahmadabad Delhi) or the Orissa riots against the catholics or the recent vandalism of churches in Mangalore which is infecting Bangalore too ..... all spell V-I-O-L-E-N-C-E.

The Indian constitution declares India to be a SECULAR country.
Can we still call India secular when all, yes! all violence sparks off with religion?

Who is to be blamed? The government? The terrorist groups and over reactive religious fanatics ? or the individuals?
Am not taking anyone's side ... but being absolutely neutral i would like to look at everyone involved in Violence.

The Government?? Well very candidly , lets answer " are the politicians actually contributing to the society? Are they as concerned?... atleast not more than themselves,their fame and money. Isn't it their duty to enforce higher protection to us? Stringent and tough laws are definitely required to combat terrorism. The world is like a basket of apples, where just one rotten apple is sufficient to spoil the entire lot of apples . Hence shouldn't the apple be removed?

The terrorists??I still can't comprehend for what reason terrorists exist!
I feel every individual involved in destructive acts towards the society is the worst participant of the violence . Most of them do it for religion .
While religion is supposed to make us better humans, isn't it being applied for the wrong reasons ?

we, the lay men??What do we do? ... probably just comment about the current sad happenings, lament and forget about it.

As I conclude , all three aspects play an important role.
If only the politicians weren't as corrupt!! Can we really hope that the evil can rule the evil? How I wish terrorists looked into themselves and realized what they were offering to God. don't we too owe some responsibility towards the society , other than our personal lives?
If only every individual realized his responsibility towards God and towards Man, peace would reign.

Temptation

2008-08-04T21:59:00.000+05:30

The worst thing that can happen to a person is a temptation. Definitely!! Its the root cause of all bad habits .
What is temptation?
It is doing what we know is wrong, whether against God, ourselves, or others. Being tempted is not wrong - it's the decision to do wrong and the corresponding action that follows. And that is sin .
If we know its wrong, why do we yet do it?... its because we are tempted?? NO! not even that! its because we have no control over ourselves... why should we give total control to evil??? There is no method of learnin how to resist a temptation. We need to ask God to have control over us in such delicate moments instead of submitting ourselves to Satan.

It often happens that we make a vague resolution to try harder not to indulge in the temptation again ! but in the back of our minds we know we have not overcome such temptations before, and hence it will be very tough this time too .

We seldom realize that we do this because we try to fight temptation with our human measures ! But this not possible since the will power we require can be acquired only spiritually .

Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

Eph 6:10,13 (Phi) :In conclusion be strong--not in yourselves but in the Lord, in the power of his boundless strength. Put on God's complete armor so that you can successfully resist all the devil's craftiness... that you may be able to resist evil in its day of power, and that even when you have fought to a standstill you may still stand your ground.

1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith"

I realize, the only way is to meditate on the word of God. Every victory against Satan is the Victory of our Heavenly Father .
He never tempts, but He allows temptation. He believes we will never let him down . We need to win for the Lord.
Lets not try. Lets tell the Lord that you will win the battle for Him.

Indian Premier League

2008-08-01T23:06:00.000+05:30

What would one remember of the recently held melodramatic event in cricket, IPL inaugurated on June 1,2008?
Cheerleaders, bollywood stars, business tycoons or a great deal of money (Rs. 9000cr.) , whtever maybe the answer the recent initiative of BCCI has brought about a revolution in the cricket world.
Lalit Modi, the man behind the scene has significantly contributed to the evolution of the concept called IPL.
The great bargain was made by film personalities and top-notch industrialists , who exercised their money power to buy the services of popular cricketers, who were keen to render their services. Dhoni fetched the maximum of Rs 6 crore .
Surely, the IPL has emerged a winner with a profit of RS. 350 crore in 44 days. Among the 8 franchisees, only 2 could register profits to the tune of Rs. 13 crore , the kolkata knight riders owned by SRK being the maximum of 8 crore. The Royal Challengers Bangalore owned by Vijay Mallya incurred a whopping loss of Rs. 45 crore.
The IPL set a new trend and a new benchmark for cricket not only by giving an opportunity to cricketers to prove their mettle, and not only by giving a bosst to its entertainment value, but also in terms of perfection of planning and excellence of execution.
-csr

With the brush after ages !! :)

2008-08-01T17:18:00.000+05:30

had jus forgotten wat it meant to mix a multitude of colours to get the perfect shade!!!
n yea, i've always had this inclination towards card n bookmark makin ! spent the entire holiday in a very colourful way !!!!
its so nice to do what you like and to like what you do !!!

Leisure

2008-07-15T18:23:00.000+05:30

What is this life if full of care

We have no time to stand and stare?

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep, or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this, if full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

William Henry Davies 1871 - 1940

alas!

2008-07-15T17:15:00.000+05:30

How did the buzz stop??

I searched high n low !

alas! found the elegant bug at the bureau , only to see its sheer green coat fade away, to shine no more .

how often do we bother to stop and appreciate nature? Is nature yet what it was meant to be? who is to blame? ...... if only we preserved it!

IF ( the poem i luv the most!...it makes a lotta sense )

2008-07-15T16:27:00.001+05:30

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling