10 books that will always be a part of me

Here is a list of 10 books that have touched my life. This list is not exhaustive, and there are plenty more, but these really stand out in my mind.  Some of these books have inspired me to write, and some have made me fall in love with the English language and almost all have made me worship the written word.

In the chronological order in which I read them -

1. 365 and more fairy tales :

This is a collection of 365+ fairy tales (by the Grimm brothers, Hans Christian Andersen and other folklore) with colorful illustrations. My dad gave this to me for my 12th birthday. If there was a fire in the house, this is the one thing from my childhood that I would run in and save. I read it everyday (not kidding), till I finished school. Even now, if I see it while re-arranging the books cabinet, I read it again. As a child, this book taught me about happily ever afters, and made me believe that love does conquer all; that a tear drop from a true heart can reverse death, and that true beauty comes from within.

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen:

We read this as part of the school syllabus in the 9th grade. Jane Austen has a way of looking into the very depths of the human psyche, and show us how beautiful or ugly it can be. No matter how evil a character may seem, she never lets us judge them easily, because she knows that there are two sides to every coin. She taught me that nobody is perfect, and that we should not always weigh others by their actions. The emotions that surge through you as you read her books, can only be described as 'beautiful'.
Image source: http://www.publicbookshelf.com/



 
3. A Journey to the center of the Earth by Jules Verne:

This was a part of a set of 25 children's classics my dad brought home one day. It was the first sci-fi book I've ever read, and it changed my life. I remember going through encyclopedias to verify the geography and the natural phenomenon Verne wrote about. Verifying them, only made me believe more and more in the actual possibility of such a journey. I still do believe in it. This book introduced me to science and made me fall in love with the beauty of the unknown.

Image source: http://cb.pbsstatic.com/



4. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling:

Every child must, must delve into the magical world that Rowling has conjured up. I remember reading "The Order of Phoenix" all night, and not knowing when night became day. She brought back the magic in the written word, made more kids want to read, and I know there was a little bit of bad press about her alleged association with the 'Dark Forces' and all that, but what she did to kids in our time was unmistakable. She opened the flood gates and unleashed the imaginative force of the human mind. And that, is my favorite part of the human experience - the power of imagination.
image source: http://www.thedigitalshift.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/harrypotterEbks1.jpg

5. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien:

By the time I read LOTR, I was in my late teens, and I was able to truly appreciate the nuances of language in this epic series. Epic. And there is a reason why. Yes, there's magic and elves and an evil lord who seeks to cover the world in darkness, and the fact that the author devised a new language for this book (I love it when they do that!). But that is not what sets this book apart from others of its kind. Tolkien writes about human values that are more magical than magic itself. He makes us weep for the folly of men, for their treacherous hearts, for their fears and doubts, and at the same time, celebrates friendship, bravery, hope, love and all that is good and green on this earth. His words transport us to Middle Earth, and make us feel what the characters are going through. Reading his books, isn't just passing time. It is an experience and a journey.
image source: http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130619012726/lotr/images/1/11/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_First_Copies.jpg

6. The Almighty by Irving Wallace:

This was probably the first 'grown up' book that I read. The book cover featured a half-naked woman in a very provocative pose, and I remember detaching the book cover, just so I can read this book without being judged. The book delves into the newspaper industry, and how one man's decision to cut to the chase by making news instead of reporting it, changes the lives of two young reporters in his employ, not to mention the whole world. This book shows how far a man will go, to secure his legacy and prove to his deceased father that he was a better man than he ever was.

image source: http://www.bookloveroxford.co.uk/sites/default/files/IMG_0012_21.jpg

7. The Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer:

No, I am not ashamed to include this in this list. Stephenie's writing may not have been as brilliant as Tolkien or Rowling, but it was scintillating in the way she captured the emotions of one character (Bella Swann) through just her words. It is a true gift, to give shape and form to the plethora of human emotions through the written word. And she nailed it! Stephenie also took it to another level when in the last two books, she gave us an insight into what some of the other characters felt, by giving them their own chapters, to let them tell us what they are going through, in parallel with the main character.
Did she make me like Vampires more than I already did? Yes.
Did I fall in love with Edward Cullen? Abso-fuckin-lutely!
Did I read it over and over and over again? Yes.
Did I love the movies? NO! The movies killed the franchise. Robert Pattinson looked completely constipated throughout the movie and I could kill Kristen Stewart for ruining the idea of Bella for everyone.
 image source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUADukYKc2xyhgLEkt47WzikMCdPwZ0Q-sNMC90c0SftGzY3GU4yH7exXyRUuNxD2QvnFKFe7RbD8rZZ7U9NEbBl5eMRvgWRM_-JIPP4QDHJGI5ocgwBiZWWpKVU99susB50MCePUtMPc/s1600/TwilightSaga.jpg

8. The Immortals of Meluha (series) by Amish Tripathi:

I picked up this book for my Dad from a book fair at the office, just because I loved the cover and the synopsis at the back was quite fascinating. This book made me rethink the concept of religion all over the world. This is the version I want to teach my kids some day. Because it make absolute sense! Gone are the days when we blindly believed whatever our elders taught us. I don't want to go too much into it, and start up a whole other topic of discussion, but suffice it to say, this book, truly changed my world.
 image source: http://www.reviewsdestination.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/shiva-trilogy.jpg

9. Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly:

 Although this was the first Matthew Reilly I read, I have come to love all his books. This book in particular united the seven ancient wonders, gave them a single purpose, combined modern day technology with mythology and went on to do what every book does: take a shot at the innate goodness in all human beings. As a child I loved mythology, especially Egyptology. Watching 'The Mummy' changed my life, and if there is a top 10 movies list, it would make it to the top. This book piqued that child in me, and renewed my faith in the unknown, because I firmly believe that as a civilization, we cannot truly progress without knowing where we've come from.
 image source: http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1290042207l/1282342.jpg


10. A song of Ice and Fire (series) by George RR Martin:

Reading this book, was the first time I truly appreciated the intricacies of politics. The fact that the book is set in a world that seems to be in a universe parallel to ours makes it fascinating. The first three books had me spell-bound. But honestly, I lost interest around the fourth, probably because most of the characters I had been rooting for were all dead. Which, makes me wonder if Tolkien stopped with the third book for a reason. George Martin is pushing it a little and walking into dangerous ground. But that being said, this book truly has its conquering moments. The birth of the dragons, that time when dragon song is heard again in the world, rekindling all magic, is truly epic. So are some of the characters, who were introduced to us as weak, nobodys, but who grew stronger and more powerful in their own right. This book is a true testament to how time can change the tides without warning, throw down the mighty, and raise up those originally destined for nothing to sheer greatness.

image source: http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7jdg4tA4p1ro3t9c.jpg

Life as seen through P.S. I Love You

I had a rare free afternoon at work, and I spent it reading quotes from my favourite movie P.S. I Love You. And it got me reminiscing and thinking. And I wanted to share some of my musings with you:

“What a luxury it was for people to hold their loved ones whenever they wanted”
― Cecelia Ahern, P.S. I Love You

Can this be truer? We live our lives, complaining and blaming others for our problems, but if only we could spend a few minutes a day looking into our lives and counting our blessings. They say that we only realise the value of something when we loose it. Imagine living tomorrow without someone special in your life: life-partner, parent, child, sibling... How does it feel? Don't you feel an invisible hand crushing your heart? Sometimes we don't realise that things that seem trivial to us, only seem so because we have it, and we've grown accustomed to it, and we live on assuming it will always be ours, thereby reducing the value of that possession.

I am right now missing someone very badly, so that quote wrenched my heart. To hold someone you love, tell them how much they mean to you, to feel secure in their arms is a privilege that is bestowed upon millions of us, but like all things beautiful, its worth is esteemed by so few.

“Life... It's a great and terrible and short and endless thing. None of us come out of it alive.”
― Cecelia Ahern

That quote always brings a smile to my face. It is a point-blank truth and the beauty of it in the form of the written word is fascinating.

"We're so arrogant, aren't we? So afraid of age, we do everything we can to prevent it. We don't realize what a privilege it is to grow old with someone."

 ―  P.S. I Love You (Movie)

I wish I'd remember this one every birthday, anniversary, holidays and on New Year's eve, when I drown myself in the sorrow of loosing time. I have watched my parents live together more as best friends than a couple. I've watched them understand each other without words, and live their life like a perfect waltz. And I think of the many who are in messy love affairs, broken marriages and other scandals I don't wish to even think about. Why does life get so complicated for some, and as simple as breathing in others?


And then, there were those words that simply left me speechless:

“Finding someone you love and who loves you back is a wonderful, wonderful feeling. But finding a true soul mate is an even better feeling. A soul mate is someone who understands you like no other, loves you like no other, will be there for you forever, no matter what. They say that nothing lasts forever, but I am a firm believer in the fact that for some, love lives on even after we're gone.”

“She couldn't remember the last time she hugged someone, really hugged someone.”

“Nobody's life is filled with perfect little moments. And if it were, they wouldn't be perfect little moments. They would just be normal. How would you ever know happiness if you never experience downs?”

 Aaand my personal favourite, laughter guaranteed:

“Warring for peace is like screwing for virginity!!”   

Being Human

I've been MIA here for sometime, I realize, but there's been a lot going on in my life lately. My father was diagnosed with Mutiple Myeloma, a lesser known type of cancer, in 2010. It is an understatement to say that, since then, life has changed. It's funny how alive you feel when you are surrounded by death.

I cannot single out any particular event to write about, because there's just so much that needs to be said, but I'm going to go through it all, one post at a time.

Today I want to write about something that captured my attention while I was at the doctor's waiting room last week. My father is being treated at the Apollo Specialty Hospital in Chennai. It is always both depressing and rejuvenating to be at the hospital. Depressing, because every patient around you has a story that crushes your heart. And rejuvenating, because seeing others' troubles makes you realize how trifling our own are.

So last week, my family and I were in the doctor's waiting room, awaiting our turn to see the doctor. It was very crowded, so after standing against the wall awkwardly for a few long minutes, we found our dad a place to sit, and we stood near the back of the room. There was a little boy there, must be about 7-8 years, he was completely hairless and was wearing a hospital mask. Obviously the kid is going through chemotherapy. And he was sitting next to his dad, playing games on his dad's phone. The same scene in a different setting, say at the park, would not have impressed a memory in me. But here, in a hospital that treats chronic ailments, well, that's a different story.

This image has now been etched in my mind. I cannot get it out. Here we are, my mother, brother and I, lamenting in silence over the fate that has affected my father, and in turn, all of us. But my father has lived a full and complete life. He has very few regrets. And there are these children, who have their entire lives ahead of them. Their parents, would have held that child in the delivery room, full of hopes and dreams. What future can possibly lie ahead for this child of 7 years?  Can medication give him a normal life till he reaches the average human life span? I hardly think so.Because here he sits, on a warm winter afternoon, during school vacation, in a hospital, while his friends are outside, playing with other children his age.

And this is just one story. A tiny Middle Eastern girl waked by us holding her mother's hand, wearing hospital gown, fully bald head, holding her medical records in her hands with a forlorn look on her face. A  new born baby was taken into the doctor's consultation room and laid on the examination table. I met a father whose daughter was in a ward next to my father's 2 years ago while he was going through the stem cell transplantation. She is 22 years old, gold medalist student, studying engineering at Anna University. She was diagnosed during her 1st year in college. Her father was beyond his grief. He said, "At least your father has lived long enough to see you grow up. What will become of my daughter? I will never see her get married, or have kids". I could not answer him. I simply nodded, whispered some words of consolation and walked away. What life lies ahead of her? What does she have to look forward to?

India had 5.5 Lakh Cancer deaths in 2010. And since then, the number has been steadily growing. Cancer has not yet been proven to be a hereditary disease. It only seems so, because near kin share the same lifestyle, same food, and hence are prone to the same kind of illnesses. Pollution and unhealthy lifestyle is soon turning this cruel killer disease into a common illness.

I was speaking with a colleague who claimed that smokers are not harming anybody by having a little fun of this own. I would like to take these people to the hospital to see these children. Passive smoking is more harmful than active smoking. The lives of these little children is clouded and dark because of what we've done to this planet. Every little action of ours that simplifies our lifestyle and makes it more fun, causes a greater impact on the future generations.

Reading the newspaper these days is so emotionally exhausting. Rape, murder, war, sickness...We have undone evolution. From being human, we have de-evolved into a species that is worse than an animal. Because even animals don't kill each other for amusement.

Dad's Garden!

My dad absolutely loves his garden... small as it is... and a few days back, the flowers were in bloom, and he took these...

My little project!

 I got pretty bored so I took up a new project. Ok! Not so much as a project, but more of, well... mmm... something to do!

My french professor would probably freak if she knew what I was doing last Saturday instead of being in class.

I've always wanted to have indoor plants, and on the last trip to the ECR, I bought this little plant that won't grow any more than this.

Now I needed a pot, and I did not have any glass ones that I could re-use, so I found this terracota pot that my Mom had bought ages ago to cook gravies in. Gravies cooked in earthenware are supposed to taste really good!
But I've never seen my mom use it, and although it didn't look like much, after casting my special magic, voila!

 

Cooking pot turned into a flower pot! Yeah me!

One almost down, lots more to go....

Remember about how I said I'd make a list of 'things I wanted to do before I die'...
Well, I made it, and I'm almost close to putting a 'check' next to one item.

 

1. To learn French             In Progress...  50% completed

 

 I finished A1 with 96%, something I still can't being myself to believe...

A2 is in progress... actually, the classes for A2 are done, and I can take the qualifying exam this November, except I'm scared...Not to make it all about the marks, but a little more numbers never hurt anybody, did it?

So I'll take the exam DELF A2 in February. 

B1 is already being started this semester. And I'm loving it.... After A1 I never thought I'd ever get the grammar right... I gotta admit it, I felt like I was wasting time... But a few more months after gruesome grilling in French grammar(who really likes grammar, except boring people in lecture rooms!!??), I think I'm going to be just fine....

I have not perfected the language, of course not!

But I now have the confidence that someday, I will be able to add French to the list of languages I'm bi-lingual in.

I'm loving it! People ask me why I do this. It's really not easy. To some people I explain the list. But to others, I just smile and say that it gives me something to do during the weekends.

 

I'm not someone who settles for working all week, and rotting on the couch on weekends, only to get up on monday feeling more like a corpse than anything else...

So this is what keeps me alive. And apparently, gives me some purpose in life. Coz living life only to get married and have kids, and see them live another mundane life, isn't enough for me!

Pondicherry! Part 3

So after dinner, we went to the Promenade, the hotel on the beach road, that Ranjith and Sabita were staying. It was almost midnight, and we were the only ghosts on the road. The silent city, slumbering in the dark was truly a sight to see. There's something magical about a little town when it's sleeping.

So we took the elevator to the roof, without anyone's knowledge, Ranjith got the champagne that was chilling in their room.
The roof was pitch dark, illuminated only by the street lights below, and the stars in the sky. This was exactly the kind of night, that I'd like to spend with my husband, lying on the roof, neither of us speaking. This was the night to 'be'.

We climbed up on the parapet wall, something that was definetely a 'no' in any hotel.

I dont know if it was the alcohol coursing through us, counting in the uncertain afternoon, undecided trip, the long journey, and the late hour, but we were all so awake, so alive, and we made so much noise, that I'm sure that anyone awake would have heard us.
We broke open the bottle of champagne, shared two glasses among 8 people, and stood there watching the stars.

Then we went down to their room, ordered ice cream at 1 am, chocolate.
Smitha, the star of the night, was so high, she started seeing the floor swimming under her. She started saying stuff like, 'I wanna swim on the floor'. It was so hilarious

So finally, after finishing the bottle of champagne, we finally left for the night.

Happy Birthday Sabita. You made our day! Thanks for being the amazing cool teacher that you are. And Ranjith, Cheers! :)

 

Pondicherry! Part 2

The main reason that we or 'I' went to Pondicherry, was to sample all the great French cuisine and wine. Well, turns out, I'm a coward. I'm a sissy little girl when it comes to trying out new food. I was all excited about trying oysters, and lobsters and snails(yup! apparently 'escargots' are a delicacy en France!)

So we enter the restaurant. It's almost 10. We were hoping to see empty tables, but no! Sabita and her husband were in the waiting area, glass of white in their hands, talking to this French woman.
Gentleman he is, Ranjith got up to give us his seat. I was offered a glass, most of the others took it, but I'm more of a red wine person, so I politely refused.
Smitha was holding the glass by the stem, and the French lady began to teach us how to hold the glass.
With champagne, you hold it by the stem, to not raise the temperature with your body heat. With wine, you cup the glass in your palm, the heat brings out the flavour, your swirl the glass and take a whiff of the amazing smell, before you savor it.
Amazing. I already knew that, but what was amazing was that, she said all this in French, and I UNDERSTOOD!!!!
Guess I wont be in that big a mess if my flight crash landed in Paris. :)

We finally got our tables, it was a little too warm, and the wine wasn't helping cool us down. The waiter arrived, and you know what? He spoke French, and he learnt it just by waiting tables! huh!

We all ordered stuff that sounded harmless enough...
I tried shrimp cocktail for the first time. I tasted everything but the shrimps. So technically, I had Shrimp cocktail sans the shrimp.
Then Aparna got her Ratatouille. For those who have seen that movie, you know what a big deal it is. So i try it, with all those expectations, and poof! It's worse than bad. It's watery, and for all I know, it tasted like Indian gravy.
But hey, maybe my 'senses' weren't developed enough to appreciate fine cooking! w-a-t-e-v-a-h!
Since I was a red wine person, a bottle of red was opened just for me. Bordeaux 2009. It wasn't too strong. Fine. Just fine.

After more weird dishes, we left the restaurant. Ranjith was gracious enough to pay, after 'promising' us we could split tomorrow's lunch bill.

The whole dinner thing was made special, particularly by the happy couple adorning our table. It was a delight, they had so many wonderful stories to tell about their trips to France. It was simply amazing!

-To Be continued...

Pondicherry! Part 1

You know, this time last week, I was in a car, on my way to the little town of Pondicherry.
For those of you who dont know Pondicherry was a French colony, and there is still part of the town thats all French.
So it seemed only fair that we, at our French class, make this pilgrimage once to honour all that's good and French.

My teacher Sabita's birthday was last Saturday, and a few weeks earlier, she invited us to spend the weekend with her in Pondicherry. She was going with her husband, and she invited us to spend sometime with her there.
I must say, we got a better share of that bargain. Sorry Sabs.

Originally, the plan was to drive to Pondy, in Sharath's car. But then, last minute he dint have a driver, and we were all at a loss of transportation. It was the worst plan for a trip ever. That's because there was no plan.

So we all went to class as usual, Saturday, and gave Sabita her birthday surprise. So we said, Hi Saita, here's your birthday surprise, we're all going to be coming with you to Pondy in your car! Yeaah! :P
As sweet as she was, she agreed. SHe had planned on leaving to Pondy immediately after class, and one of us couldn't make it that early... there was a lot of drama, that might have been interesting to recount if you were there. So since you weren't there... let me just say, it was a complete mess... But finally, at 5:30 p.m. we were all packed in Sabita's car, on our way to Pondicherry.
I hope they won't mind me giving out names, I'm not rich enough to be sued!
It was Sabita, her amazing husband Ranjith, Smitha, Aparna, Vidhya, Sharath, Hiral et moi!
8+ driver = 9 of us packed in a car. WOW!
It was really sweet of Sabita and her husband. They were truly amazing. All the way, I kept thinking, if me and my husband will be so much fun when we hit their age.
Anyway, we reached sometime after 8:30. We got dropped off at the inn, 'Le maison blanche', checked in, changed, washed, and ran out for the dinner that we were already freakin' late to.

-To Be Continued....

Paris-Camille!

Camille- Paris (Click on Link to see the video on youtube)

My french teacher, Sabita, played this french song in class.. It's called Paris by singer Camille
It's real upbeat, and yet somehow sad at the same time...

The song is about this girl, leaving Paris, and sings about the things she'll miss about the city, and even though she's leaving it to go to a place she's been dreaming of going to, she bets that she'll always miss home, the grey skies, the boats on the seine, and she'll definitely return to Paris someday.
Listen to it.
It's not Hi-fi... it's plain, but guess that's what makes it special.

And it's an emotion we can all relate to, even those of us who've never been to Paris.
Coz, no matter where, there's no place like home...

My Vogue subscription

Guess what? I sent out a subscription form and cheque for the annual subscription of vogue...!!!!
So from next month, I'll be getting monthly issues of VOGUE right at my doorstep!!!!
How cool is that, and how bitchy am I going to look in my neighbours' eyes???????????!!!!!

But I dont care! There's so much inspiration to be derived out of all that work of fashion... pure geniuses, working on clothes, making everyday a little brighter, and us look smarter with 'clothes'!

PLUS, it comes with a free Neutrogena hamper, worth 1250, where as I paid 1200 for the subscription...
Although most (including me) might find that just a marketing gimmick, this time, I disagree!
A year full of fashion updates, and great skin... what am I complaining about????

My new blog!

I've started a new blog, where I share my culinary experiences
it's on at http://loveisinmytummy.blogspot.com/

People fear cooking even before they've tried their hands at it.. I'm trying to change that... coz once you get your feet wet, it's a piece of cake! :)
If I can do it, and have so much fun, so can you...
And I want everyone to see how easy it is....
So take a peek into my new blog, every time you're faced with a ghost in your kitchen! (did NOT mean that literally)
I'll be writing about how I started cooking, share recipes that I learnt from my family, from TV shows, from books (with my own twist in it!).... I will also teach you how to cook from a different perspective... 'generalization'.

yummy yummy yummy... love is in my tummy!!!!  

Two new things in my life....

I can't believe I forgot to write about this here....
There are two new things in my life now...
Vouge India, and THE BOOK
Don't worry bloggy, I won't forget you... With you, I get to be on the world wide web! ;)

But seriously.... after french class, Vidhya, Smitha and me decide to walk to the Oxford Book Store. Primarily, the intention was to buy a couple of photo postcards or carte de postal,  for french class.
But if there's something that I can't stand, its going into a bookstore, and coming out without saying a 'hi' to the books... I mean, thats just rude!
SO we took a walk around the store. It was posh, smelled of books, had a small cafe on the mezzanine. My kinda place :)
We took a look at the poscards. I picked one of a stone sculpture in Goa. The other two got their picks.
Then we took a walk. God! Do I love bookstores! I was like a kid in a candy store!(I'm like a kid in a candy store even when I'm in a candy store! Don't blame me! I just chose not to grow up past 12!)
Food and Books. My two passions. Sometimes vice.
We took a stroll, commenting on each passing book that caught our eye. There were so many, that we were running around saying 'Hey! Look at this...hey! look at that!'

Thats when I picked 'The BOOK'.

I've always wanted to have a single book, to write in. OK, that sounded stupid.
Let me try again.
I've always wanted a book, to write my special thoughts. You know, the ones that transpire out of special moments?
I dint want to get a normal notebook for it. That book was going to have a part of me. It's got to be me!
I finally found it.
Hard bound, black, tied with strings, hand crafted out of recycled paper.

I'm a GO GREEN kind of person. Ask anyone who's met me. I never let people litter the streets with wrapping paper. I always use recycled paper, and 'urge' as in 'force' people to do the same, spend an extra 5 mins, switching off all the monitors before leaving work... the words!
I finally found my book. I'm just wondering what should be my first entry.
I was thinking I should write my first poem in it. I wrote it in the 8th grade. My English teacher, for a class activity, gave us a set of 8 words, and asked us to frame something, write a poem out of it. That sparked my writing interest. And now, I just can't stop.

I also picked up this month's edition of Vogue India. I've always wanted to buy a fashion magazine. Never had a chance. To me, fashoin, means Vogue. Coz when I first learned the phrase 'in vogue', I associated it with this magazine to remember it.
I loved it. I was so engrossed reading it first thing after I got home, that I totally forgot about lunch. I had lunch at 5 pm, after I finished reading it. I'm going to subscribe for it from next month.

Today, was a good day.
:)

I wished that you'd never leave

I WISHED THAT YOU'D NEVER LEAVE .....

STANZA 1
It''s cold. It's silent.
Colors gone, all faded away.
I'm standing in a crowded place,
Yet, I'm all alone...
People shouting, running, laughing
but I don't feel a thing
I know I'm alive, empty inside
Can't stand it no more

CHORUS
I wished that you'd never leave
not today, or never
If things that were did not change
We'd be still together
I just hope that when you come back
you'd never have to go
so far from home again....

STANZA 2
Time goes, as always
Tomorrow's here, just the same
I'm waiting for that day to come
when you will be here
Until then, each day, that goes by
will find me here all alone
They see my smile, pain's all inside
hidden away....

BRIDGE
How could you leave me here like this
Without you life is just like mist
No matter how many times
I try to grab a hold
it slowly disappears....

A story in the sky

The most amazing thing happened to me the other day.....
I was in the bus, on my way home from work. Headphones in my ears, the wind in my hair and a song in my heart.... (too dramatic?? you'll see why...)
I think it was 'Nobody wants to be lonely' by Ricky Martin and Christina Aguillera playing.....
It was a starless night, with a tiny crescent moon, growing dull with each passing day....
I was admiring the sky... I've always been a cloud watcher.... I'm always conjuring up images in them... an occasional fish jumping out of the sea.... or a doughnut...
But what I saw, or witnessed, today, was something so breathtaking!!

Nothing can stand equal to actually witnessing this... I'll try my best to describe it...

There was a HUGE cloud, that was shaped like two people standing side by side, joined at the shoulders. In the centre, on the line joining the two 'people' was  clear space, shaped like a heart!
Every time I see images with heart shaped clouds, I always think 'pshhh! photoshop!'.... Guess I was wrong....
If you thought the story got over there, you're wrong....

Coz what I saw as I sat there in the bus, spellbound, wasn't an image in the sky. It was a movie...
In the next few seconds, I saw the wind 'turn' the heart upside down... !
I know it's hard to believe... but trust me... I wasn't dreaming, and I don't drink!
Then the wind got strong, and blew the clouds apart, such that, the separation happened like this: the space that the heart was, grew and grew, making the void bigger, seeming as though, the two people were drifting apart.
Slowly, the heart was gone, and the two clouds were almost apart. I say 'almost' because, they were still joined together by a streak of 'cloud' that looked like the two 'people' were holding hands....
Then the wind kept getting stronger, and the 'hands' began to part, and this looked like the two lovers, holding hands, had to part.
A few seconds, and the clouds were apart, drifting away into the cold, dark night.....

W.O.W!
It was an inspiration in itself, and I wrote a song
Coming up... on my next blog entry....

Life's what you make it.... So let's make it rock!

Long time.... since I came in here!
So thought I could drop in a say a quick 'HI!'...
Lots are hapening in life now....
Lets talk about the best part... I've joined french class at Alliance Francaise! FINALLY!
I've always had an eye on that place since school( ofc, I always wondered how the name is supposed to be pronounced. Now I know!)...
But after school came the burdens of college and I never had time. I now do.
Lots of it.
Suddenly I'm all up for livng life.
I've always been different, in a weird way....
I dont like the world I live in. And by world, I mean the society.
Life is so monotonous... One day you're born. Then before you know whats what, they push you to school with the rest of the whiny kids. And unfortunately for me, I joined school when I was 2 1/2, coz both my parents were working. So I've always been the youngest in class. ALWAYS!
Then when you're just begining to get past the shock, make 'best friends' there come the public exams. All the exaggeration, all the pressure... phew!
Then you come to the last year of school. Which according to me is the best, and yet the worst!
On one hand you're trying to face the fact that tomorrow, you're out of this cozy place you made a home out of, out into the cold dark world. Then there's the cruelty of parting with friends. They've been your sisters for what, 12 years... and now suddenly, you've got to make 'plans' to meet them.
Finally, theres the part where you work your butt off trying to score higher in the board exams.
Talk about conflicting emotions! Yet, school was the best thing that ever happened to me!
But don't even get me started about college. Most people I know have had better fortune than I did. College was such hell for me, that I didn't even go for the convocation, which I hear is a big deal.
My parents were so mad with me.... But I didn't want to go at all. I'm not going back there... ever!

Finally, I'm on my feet, and I get to choose what I do. And I'm not going to work my butt off, stay home weekends watching TV, then drag myself to work Monday morning.
I will not live life like the others do.
We get just one shot at life, and from now on, I'm playing by my rules.
I made this list of things to do before I die.
Suddenly, I'm so aware of the fact that one day I'm gonna die. And when people come for my funeral, I dont want them at a loss of what to say about me. I dont want to be normal.
Live. Die. Be forgotten.
I wanna be different. I wanna be ME.

This phase between college and marriage, is really special. Coz, now you have no commitments. This time is all about you. I'm not gonna loose this. I dont want to wake up in bed when I'm 70 and wonder if I could have made life different. Coz life's what you make it. ok... I borrowed that from Hannah Montana.... but who cares...it's still true!

SO I'm ticking things off my list. And now that I've begun, not only does the list keep growing, time seems shorter.
I'm loving French class. After this language, there's Spanish and Japaneese to go.
Then I have to go bungee jumping from the highest platform in the world.
Then there's watching the Northern Lights in Norway. The Aurora Boreallis. I've always loved physics, and this is one physical phenomenon that I've always been fascinated with. I've got to witness it.
For those who don't know what that is, in brief, near the poles, North and South pole, the magnetic field come in contact with the atoms in the atmosphere. And for those who remember high school physics, electrons when energised, go up to the excited state, and when returning to the ground state, emit the energy they absorbed in the form of light. Now, each atom has a characteristic colour, and the result is, the sky is a canvas. Air moves, so the lights seem to dance. It's amazing! Watching it, will be like being bound by the most amazing spell ever.
Since the air around us, is 90% nitrogen, most of the northern lights show is green. Eerie, but magical...
I think everyone needs to see it. Makes you admire God's work. Reinstate that lost belief.

Well, thats just to name a few.
I'm loving life in a way that I can't explain.
I go to church every sunday, and I begin to pray for something, ask God for something to happen... But all I can say is 'Thanks!'.
That kind of fulfillment, is in explainable. I want nothing.
Except for finishing up that list, I have nothing more I want.
I am undoubtedly the happiest person alive.
I just wish everyone feels that way. That way, we wouldn't have to worry about the Armageddon. It'll be just another journey, long over due.

Live every moment....

I heard about this incident and i knew i had to share it with everyone...
My friend pavithra told this to me while coming back home and i'm still shaken....
Her brother has a gang of 6 friends. They hang out together, always... very close-knit group it is...
every saturday, they go out, come back late...
but last saturday, was different...
pavithra's brother couldn't go, because of his father's illness...
the remaining 6 went on 3 bikes, two for each bike.
they went to a feast in a church in Besant Nagar, played in the beach, and had dinner at a restaurant.
On the way back, a rider in an Apache bike raced past them. For 21 yr old guys, that is perfectly unacceptable.
So these guys raced after him, trying to win the unspoken race.
At one of the street corners, the Apache guy who was in the lead, skid a bit. skid, but dint fall.
hearing the screech of the brakes, the guys in pursuit hit their brakes.
the two riders, sumesh and yogesh dint realise that they were halting on a speed breaker.
they lost balance, and the pillion(guy sitting behind the rider)  was thrown up into the air.
in the fraction of a second that followed this, the rider, yogesh, trying to catch the flying friend, caught him by the leg.
he did this only with  good intention, coz otherwise, sumesh would have hit a tree, and with that force, would have died. but when he reached out to grab sumesh's leg, his hand spurred the accelerator in an unconscious reflex. Now yougesh had added accessories to his bike, so normal speed on his bike was 150. When he gave the full throttle, although done unintentionally, he was dragged to a nearby Transformer.
he got hit on the head, with such a speed, that his skull split in two.
the other guy, sumesh, smashed into the tree, a branch pulled his eye out, and he died with multiple injuries.
yogesh, with head split, bleeding, though thankfully unconscious, was still breathing.

all of this happened in a matter of a few seconds...

the friends knew that sumesh was beyond help, rushed to  yogesh, tried to patch his split cerebrum, but it was so spongy, that their hands started sinking into it. they tied him up with a piece of cloth, rushed him to a nearby hospital, but was refused admittance because accident cases need to be booked in the nearest police station first, before treatment. the only other option was to take him to the royapettah general hospital, but that was on the other side of the city. It would be too late.
But thankfully, yogesh passed away, in the arms of his friends on the way.

What really affected me was, we all know we are all going to die someday. there's dying, and then there's dying so gruesomely...

i still haven't gotten over this story.... i have a brother, and i'm looking at those two guys as my own brothers.

Also, i dont even blame the guys now, for going on a silly race. even if they had been walking, the same could have happened to them.
It was destined that they were to die that day, that minute, but fate could have written them a better ending.

It was customary, that when these guys went out, they never had dinner. They only ate little little snacks and fast food. But that day, this guy, sumesh said, that he really wanted to have dinner with all his friends that day. when the others laughed at the idea of breaking tradition, he said solemnly, that he really wished it, in fact, that could even be his dying wish.
The other guy, yogesh, earlier during the day, had said that the 6 of them are always together, and are definitely the envy of all. He said, that they keep riding together so much, that he wished he died on his bike.

irony.... each guy got what he wished for.

And when both of them were at the scene of the accident, dying, they reached out to each other, and held hands.

All of us live lives, without actually ever living it.
We never know what's gonna happen to us in the next second.
we could be walking on the road, and get hit by a bus. Or climbing stairs, miss a step, loose balance and fall to death. Anything can happen. That's the mystery of life.
So let's take a moment, and think about all the times we grumble, about traffic, about elevators under repair, or about taking time to drop a family member who missed the bus. You are lucky to be alive.

If you wanna eat that pastry, eat it now. Who cares if you gain a few pounds.
If you wanna get a dress that you know isn't meant for you, get it... wear it... flaunt it. Who cares about everyone else.
It's your life.
It's your moment.
Live it.

I know the saying used to be, "Live life everyday, like there isn't going to be a tomorrow".
I wanna re-write it now, and say, " Live life every moment, like there isn't going to be another".
Coz you never know, this moment, right now, could be your last.

Crrrraazy Divya!!!

It's been such a long time since i've been here.. it's good to be back!

It's been two months since i joined Wipro(FINALLY!!!!)

met a lot of people... but as always, there are always the eccentric ones... this time... it was Divya.

I first heard about her through my friend Tanny(name disguised for privacy purposes :P), and the only thing hat she told me was that, there is a character straight ou of a hindi movie 'Jab We Met'. I should probably write another article on that movie, but not for now...

The first time i saw her, she seemed confident, full of 'attitude', but nothing like the Jab We Met kind.

Well, like i said, that was just the beginning...more than out of a movie, she's more like... out of this world!

I've never seen a more carefree, happy-go-lucky person in my entire life, and I must say, i've met a LOT of people in the last 22 years.

We spent a little over a month together, and all we did was LAUGH. just that. OK. FINE. we also ate like crazy.

i must have tried at least 50 diferent things in the last one month, and i'm not a very experimental kind.

and while i talk about Divya, i must mention a new character called Lakshman. As always, name has been disguised, not to protect identity, but to safeguard me and divya.

He was not eccentric, but more... weird!

He's the most zombiest person i've met. absolute zero.. uh huh! nothing on the face...
he's like... let the world crash before my eyes... i'll still be unfazed!
when the class is going on... he's typing on a keyboard, looking at a turned-off computer!! i mean... dude! wats wrong with ya?
he gave us quite some laughs....
preethi, divya and me... laughed all day...
we then ate to kick up our stamina... then we laughed more...

and need i mention the swine flu crisis? i think i do.....
Divya got paranoid about the swine flu...
whatever precaution she read, she exercised it...
first up, she tied a hanky around her wrist packed with camphor and cloves. seems it was supposed to 'repel' the flu virus.
then, she drank lime juice like crazy. vit C boosts up your immune system. not so crazy. ok.
But then.... she stopped breathing everytime some foreigner walked past her. that grew into stopping breathing everytime someone waslked past her.Crazzy!
she washer her hands like a million times a day. MADE us do the same.
wow! she made swine flu so much fun.

and then... theres her unique trilling of the 'r'... like the spanish do.... ai currrrummmmba!
it wasn't crazy. it was crrrrazy! everythign was crrraaazzy!!!  everytime...

then there's always the food bonding us... the pastries and the puffs... we ate lunch, waked right to the pastry counter and ordered one. everyday. we went to the canteen like 7-8 times a day. the stall keepers sure made a lot of money, betting on how long we'd stay out of the canteen.I know. Quite embarrasing for normal people. Not us!
we ate and ate. we laughed and laughed.
i so loved being with her....
it felt so light... not weighed down by our situation at wipro.
she made everything seem so easy...

love you so much divya... can't wait to see you again....
let's pray they put us together in some project... although... then... they might actually have to SHUT down the project...because of us...

My new phone!

HEEEEY!!!
Guess what??????!!!!! I got a new mobile yesterday!
I made enough money on Amazon Mechanical turk. I know, it wasn't easy, writing billions of articles, answering surveys, re-writing text in 2 different ways, etc. But hey, it was fun, and it made money, during my otherwise, boring and wasted time. I would even recommend mturk to people who are bored. Well, it you're bored, you might as well make money out of the drag. ..
I know I could have taken a pic of my mobile itself, instead of stealing this pic from the Sony Ericsson site, but i'm not good at taking pics and no matter how many times i tried, I couldn't get the glare out. One day, when I get good at taking a decent pic of my mobile, I'll replace this pic with mine, ok??????????? :)
Well, yesterday, the 26th Jan 09, was a very eventful day in my life. Just wanted to make a note of it on my sweet blogger.
I love my phone, it's like carrying an invisible wand!
I'm a little worried though. I'm extremely careless, and I've NEVER brought back home a hanky. I always misplace it, forget it, etc. I'm scared that I'll leave the mobile like that too. This thing is so damn light, and so damn small, I almost sat on it today. I love it. Its so cute!
I'm not really a techy person, but before buying the W302, i read, and re-read a million reviews, all over the world, and most weren't that good. But I still went ahead, and bought it, and it's so sooo good. It doesn't have Megabass, which means it doesn't exactly have the 'THUMP', which I really really wanted (I fell in love with the walkman phones the day SE put Hrithik on it's ads and he said, "thump!") and ever since that day, I've wanted to have a Walkman phone. But it's ok. Like I said, I'm not a techy person, and it's all about the music for me, so my new phone is perfect. I have absolutely no complaints, yet. :)

olive oil!

i read somewhere that olive oil is really great for dry hair, adds volume and stuff...
and i also read that it helps as a substitute for hair spray..
i tried it, and loved it! here's how:
after washing hair, dry it, and do your hairstyle, and finally, just take a single drop of olive oil in your palm, rub both palms together, to coat the palms with the oil, and slide it over your hair...
that's it!
your hair sets, and even if u stand in front of a giant fan, your hair falls back into shape instantly!
this is because olive oil is more viscous than any other oils, so a single drop will do the magic!
plus, since you are using just a single drop, your hair does not look oily, or sticky.. and plus, olive oil is great for your hair! so in time, you get that natural shine and volume, just coz u substituted your regular hair spray with olive oil!