Nostalgia..

Heavy Rains.. Eat hot bajji and pakkoda.. Schools closed.. Postpone homework.. Play in the rain..
Feel guilty about homework in the evening.. Visit the nearby temple.. Come back home.. Eat bajjis and pakkoda..

Power cut.. Finish homework in the candle light.. Amma would be cursing in the background.. Have dinner with family sitting on the floor..

Sleep listening to the thavalai satham.. It is nostalgic, but I dont miss my school days now..

No homework.. Sigh! Life is good now.. Now it is only work from home! :-)

Perspective!

We had a session at my workplace today on 'Perspective' and how you can develop yourself with a positive attitude.. The trainer spoke about how there could be a situation and two of them could see the same situation in completely different ways.. Its up to us to make the most out of any situation..
He then told a story which went like this..

There was a man who owned a dog and a cat.. He took care of both of them very well.. Gave them rich food, took them to the veterinarian doctor whenever required and made sure that they are both healthy and happy.

The Dog looked at the person and thought to itself : This man is so good. He takes care of me so well.. gives me the best of foods, keeps me happy always.. HE MUST BE GOD!

The Cat on the other hand thought : This man is so good. He takes care of me so well.. gives me the best of foods, keeps me happy always.. I MUST BE GOD..!! :-)

So, Its all a matter of perspective isnt it? Just be positive.. Look for an opportunity in every little event and Success will be yours! ;-)

Friends..

Dedicated to all my friends..

1. Friends always make sure they don't notice the haircut you've spent a bomb on (Oh... You really had a haircut?? Looks all the same...)
2. And always make fun of your fashion sense (That's a t shirt? He he.. tumhe kaafi suit karta hei!)
3. Friends die of shock when you tell them a hot boy said you're cute (You??? Did he say this before or after you had that pimple?)
4. Friends spend a major part of their lives introducing you to the world of abuses and then pretend to be shocked when you use it (You're not such a young conservative Brahmin girl after all....)
5. Friends never let you forget the mistakes you've made (remember how u reacted after spilling juice on Ur dress that day?)
6. Friends come up with bright ideas to have ice cream in peak winters and convince you to do the same
7. Friends indulge you with the yummiest desserts and chocolates because they know that's the way to cheer you up
8. Friends cover you with a blanket when you're curled up on the train berth
9. Friends always have a story worse than yours, a love life worse than yours, a problem worse than yours or so they make you believe when you start feeling low
10. Friends download the coolest music and pass it on to you without you even asking

Friends really have this strange way of knowing exactly what you want them to say when you're down, exactly when you need a hug, when you need a pat, when you need a laugh, when you want to be alone.... And you love each and every one of them despite all their strange mad ways! :-)

I've Learnt..

Love Triangle??!!

What happens when 2 women are in love with the same man?
There is bound to be jealousy... And what if the two women share the same name, the same spaces and sometimes even the same kitchen? Arguments? Competition?

So, how exactly can the man play the balancing act?
He would like to believe that he is treating both of them fairly. He loves both the women in different ways. However, sometimes one relationship may take a back seat over the other due to the time-span of the relationship and vice versa. But definitely he would have his preferences...

And how about the women?
From their point of view, the object of either’s love is same but the degree, totally different... And these two women love the man too much to blame him, so the blame goes entirely on the other woman in his life. And that is when the conflict begins and the man gets pulled into it whether he likes it or not.

Problem problem...

A little bit of intelligence could sort this out easily...
1. They should have the basic understanding that neither of them hates the other
2. Space- to each other – Hey! Be practical. The guy cannot always take only you out for shopping or some function- both of you can join him during some of the occasions...
3. Sportsmanship – Come on! Be a sport- one of you HAS to be second. Both of you can’t be equally good at everything – be it cooking his favorite dish or being his listening ear or being his best friend…
4. Times do change – you could be or would have been in the other’s shoes some time or the other…

Oh yeah! I completely forgot to mention one more thing... The 2 women I’m talking about here are the Mother-in-Law and the Daughter-in-Law! ;-)

Innocence!

I had almost come to the conclusion that there arent any more kids who enjoy playing with balloons.. building castles on the sand.. playing gilli danda.. or finding enjoyment in tasting cotton candy...

There was a fear growing in me that the kids nowadays have become addicted to computer games and the million video games featuring guns and fighters and have forgotten playing with real people.. But the 10 year old Prithvi (We call him Pipi) proved me completely wrong..

"Bubbles aata naanu aadthini" (I'll also play with bubbles!).. he said..







He's such a darling isnt it? :-)

Sweet Nothings..

So true isnt it??
Sweet nothings that girls long to hear but can never hope to hear in this lifetime.. ;-)

• I’m so lucky I married you!


• Of course, I would love to spend my entire vacation with your family.


• Don’t ever lose weight, You look beautiful just the way you are.


• Come here, sit next to me. Let’s just talk.


• You look tired. Let me rub your shoulders, your back and massage your feet.


• Yes, dear, you’re right.


• Chuck work, I just want to spend time with you.


• No special reason; I called just to hear your sweet voice.


• Spend all you want. You don't even have to ask. After all, I’m earning only for you.

Life is cruel i tell you.. ;-)

Cartoon of the day!

The Brick!

A young and very successful executive Jack, was traveling down a street. He was going a bit too fast in his sleek,black, Mercedes, which was only two months old.

He was watching for kids coming from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed by, he could see a brick coming towards him and suddenly - WHUMP! - it smashed into the Merc's shiny black side door! SCREECH..!!!! He quickly applied the brakes and madly went back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. Jack jumped out of the car, grabbed the kid and pushed him up against his car. He shouted at the kid, "who are you? and what the heck are you doing?!"
Getting really furious he went on. "That's my new Merc, that brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it?"

"Please, sir, please. . . I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do!" Pleaded the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop!" Tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he pointed around the parked car.
"It's my brother," he said. "He rolled and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the young executive tried desperately to swallow the lump in his throat. With much difficulty he lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He then watched the younger brother push him down the road towards their home.

It was a long walk back to the sleek, black, shining, Mercedes - a long and slow walk. Jack never did fix the side door of his Merc. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention. . .

Get out of the 'Work' mode!

Looking out of the window, feeling the cool breeze hitting my face, there i was, sitting in a cab, wondering how the streets of Bangalore are still lit up and live at 12 in the night.. People still fresh with energy, listening to some roaring music on their ipods and working on their laptops, trying to finish some project or paperwork..

I was going back home - Tired after a hard days work.. Suddenly felt a drop of water hit my face and when i turned to look at who it was, i found a colleague of mine, silently brushing off her tears.. I just pulled out a hanky and gave it to her.. "The kajal looks beautiful in your eyes.. Dont let them go away with ur tears" i said.. She just tried to smile and took the kerchief from me and wiped off her tears.. Before i could ask, she replied.. "Thanks! I was just missing someone terribly..". Saying that she started off her story..

Her name was Neha. She was newly married and has come down to Bangalore from a small town in Delhi..Just started chatting with her and she was telling me about how she fell in love and got married to this guy who worked with her in her previous organisation.. Both of them were madly in love with each other and he would take care of her as if she were his precious baby.. Getting her gifts every now and then, taking her out to scenic places every weekend, loving her so much that she would be down to tears.. but tears of Joy..

And today here she is, with tears in her eyes again, but because she is craving for his love and time.. He is busy trying to get his career right and slogging day and night to meet his deadlines.. He works so much that she hardly gets to even see him when shes at home. She has taken up a job now.. so that she could keep herself away from her pain.. All i could tell her was "Dont worry! Things would be fine soon.. Just speak it out to your hubby"

Left me thinking.. Whats it like to be working 24/5? To be answering customer calls and handling irate client e-mails??To get into a world of mails and processes and applications and not have time for family or friends?

A lot of us get into the 'work' mode and refuse to come out of it.. We find so much pleasure in trying hard to meet/achieve a deadline or a target that some one has committed to some one else for his/her benefit.. Little do we realise that theres a bigger and a better world beyond work too.. There are people who need us and our time and presence.. May be an ailing mother, a newly wed wife, a friend, a brother, a neighbour or even a pet... We may be struggling hard at work to keep them happy, but most of the times what they need is our care and support and not money..

A Gentle reminder: Please make time for your loved ones.. No matter how busy you are.. Show them you care.. "Kya pata, Kal ho na ho.."... :-)

Creativity as a 'Career'..

"You want to become a fashion designer???? In this age of computers???"
"Nobody in our family has ever done that!"
"Joining the Navy?? U must be kidding!"

How many times have we heard of statements like these? At least it wouldn't be something new for most of us here.. People here in India, have a preset notion that anything that deviates even a little bit from the normal is a Taboo..

When i was still in College (That's not too long ago.. ;-)) and used to visit my relatives, whose sons and daughters were software engineers or doctors, i was always faced with the most inevitable question.. "Enna Panre?" and when i said B.Com.. the expression on their faces would automatically change to a frown.. It would seem like i was not doing something up to the mark and they are filled with sympathy for my parents for my 'poor intellect'.. The next question or statement would be "Why?? Didn't score well in your 10th i suppose!"...

The Older generation have this stereotypical image of individuals completing their engineering and earning in lakhs and working and slogging hard to lead a happy life.. They fail to see what passion that individual carries with him/her..There are a very few of them who think out of the box and decide on taking up a creative 'career'... May be something in the stream of fine arts or law.. and still do very well in life..

Its not just about engineering or the other sciences scoring over an arts or a commerce stream that bothers them, but more about what would happen to the individuals future.. How would he/she get a job that takes them abroad.. a job that pays well and may be after a few years help you return to India for a few days to show off your new lifestyle and find a suitable partner..

I'm very proud of my cousin who is an artist, My sis who's preparing for her civil services exam, My friend who is an interior designer.. But there is still a great need for people who are creative and people who are ready to think beyond and achieve.. The current stigma or the mindset of people needs to change..

I wish and hope for a revolution that would cause more people to think and act differently and say, "Go ahead Son! Take up your passion.. U'll surely succeed.." rather than saying, "Joining the Army? Which movie inspired you to do that??" :-)