The Quirk Tag!

I read a lot of blogs to kill any form of boredom roaming around me and I saw a very funny tag that most people do. It is the quirks tag - where you have to write 8 weird or arbitrary quirks about yourself. Here is mine

1. I have to wash my feet right before I go to sleep. That is, my feet needs to be wet when I drift away to the realms of sleep Goddess. Even if my feet are fresh from a pedicure, I still need to wash them before I get to bed. Otherwise I feel very itchy. This is true even if I am traveling in a train.

2. I have an obsession with some things. Like my comb - I feel that losing it would result in something terrible. If I misplace any of these things, I panic and I fret over it. I have no shame in turning the house topsy turvy for the said comb. 

3. This feels funny to write down. Sometimes, I discover something new and after that I hear about that thing so often that I wonder why did not I come across this in the past 27 years every? Like, a week back, during a discussion my mum and cousin told me that if you want to get into a habit, you should do it for 21 days and it becomes a routine. After that, I have read/heard of it three times more

4. On a related note, I often wonder about some things and I see them happening very soon. Like, I was thinking about this random girl who is an acquaintance and wondered why I have never seen her in a salwar kameez. I open facebook the next day and I see pics of her in a salwar kameez. (This only works with very random things and for random people. Sigh!!)

5. I have an amazing knack of picking up random facts and retaining them for a long time. For example, I am very good at remembering names of anyone slightly interesting whom I have met once. I not only remember their names, I even know where they work, where they stay, what they like etc. This works for me only if the details are very random, unimportant and have no significance in my life. Give me an address to remember or a math formula - I will not be able to recall it after five minutes.

6. When I type, I often end up typing the letter that comes after a letter first. So, often, I see myself typing things like - theri instead of their, aftre instead of after. I must remember to thank God for giving the brains to people to invent something like spellcheck.

7. Any form of perfume gives me a headache. I use the mildest of deodorants and I have never bought a perfume until now (If you can ignore that body mist from Victoria's Secret which I bought because the bottle was so beautiful ). If I am in a mall, I run away from perfume stores and I wonder why people spend so much on perfumes.

8. I love earrings, so much that I feel that a pair are not enough for me. So, I wanted to get additional piercings done. I have zero tolerance for pain, so I have not dared to get them done. The thought that I want to get them done causes a cringing sensation in me. I have realized that my love for earrings is not stronger than my fear of pain. I should be happy with what I have.

I am done. Over and Out.

Where I have been?

Its been a while since I posted something. Excuses, I can give you many - from being busy setting up a new house to adjusting to a new city. The truth is that I have more time than I ever had in the world. So, why I have not been blogging? Well... my procrastinating self coupled with doubts about my future plans has kept me away from this blog.

I love this break in my life - it gives me ample time to relax, something which I have not done enough for over 4 years now. On the other-side, it is slightly never racking that I do not have a job and I am still thinking on what I should do next. I am forcing myself to not think too much and jump into something that I would not enjoy after a while (Yes, I do get bored of things pretty fast). A lot of random people are suddenly very concerned as to how I am managing to sit at home without a job. Well, as long as they are not spending any money on me, I should not be concerned.

Yups, so let me get my act together and enjoy this break. I keep telling my self that it is a well-deserved one and that I should not get bogged down. Hope that my mind listens to what I am saying and I do away with those panic attacks. I love this break and this chance to think. Period.

Total Randomness

The past week has passed of in a blur as it has been way too hectic for me. Saying goodbye to a city and work place is hard enough, coupled with it was the pathetic bureaucracy that came along with it. Right from filling up the forms to withdraw the PF to getting an NOC for the car, we tried our best to be straightforward but ended up bribing the people involved (totally out of compulsion and against our wishes).

Leaving the largest dot com in the world was a tough call. I encountered raised eyebrows when I announced the decision to quit. There were weird rumors which said that I was joining its key rival, the big social networking giant. People who knew that I was married asked me if I was leaving because I was pregnant. People who did not know me asked me if I was getting married.  The decision to leave was made. Working there did wonders to me - I did learn so much, I got three promotions in 3 years - each resulting in a bump in my salary, I met wonderful people  - all brilliant and passionate, I I traveled abroad on work, I started saving!.  I thought that I would be crying bucket loads on my last day - but there I was, surprised at myself, giggling away with the girl gang as I said bye to each of them with a smile on my face. Perhaps the anticipation had prepared me well to be strong.

There was one phase that enjoyed thoroughly during the bye-byes. People who are not close to me at work do not know that I am married. I also do not sport any visible symbols of marriage. Therefore, when I tell them that I am moving along with my husband - there is look of shock and surprise which I get to see. Then, I tell them that I have been married for around 3 years now, that scandalizes them - one even asked me, "Bachpan mai hi shaadi ho gayi thi kya". Well, now you know why the post is called 'Total Randomness'.

There is one job that I desperately want to do but I have no idea on how to do it. I want to refine the format of all the Govt. forms to make it user-friendly. I went through hell while filling up the PF and pension forms. There were 3 lines to write your name but one tiny column to write your entire address. The column said account number - there was no clarity on whether they want your PF number or your bank account number. Also, something that annoyed me most was the column which said write husband's name in case of married women. If you are male or unmarried, you can write your father's name. Its not that I am not proud of being married. I love being married. Its just that it should be okay for the men to write their wife's name too. Also, the column needs to be parent's name and not father's name.  Its high time these things change.

There are more random thought around - I guess I'll keep them for the next post.

Random Musings from a Flight!

I was pretty jobless in the airport and flight - I was traveling alone, I did not have a book to read. Listening to music via a headphone gives me a headache and I was too lazy to take out my laptop and browse. So, I switched to the next best thing which is observing people. Its very interesting to see when you are thrown among close to 500 people who are totally unknown to you. I am sorry if I sound too judgmental - these are just a random bunch of observations.

Mr. Conductor of the bus to airport - you are the nicest bus conductor that I have ever met. You helped everyone to haul their luggage and made sure that everyone was settled and comfortable - even though that meant that you had to stand throughout the 40-45 kms stretch.

Mr. Ray-Ban Aviators, whoever gave you the compliment that you look good with sun glass did not definitely mean that you should be sporting it 24*7. You can take them off once inside the airport and the flight, there is hardly any sun/bright light.

Mr. Cool Dude with the humongous head phones and greenish-yellow shoes. Please don't try too hard - your attempts are making you look like a wannabe.

Silk saree clad auntie with oodles of gold - Are you rushing for a wedding straight from the airport? Do you plan to give the bride a complex by wearing a heavier saree and more gold?

Mr. Blackberry - The Blackberry is a cool phone, but its no longer limited to a corporate business world. Have you not seen the new blackberry 'We are the Blackberry boys' ad? So, stop smirking at my poor N72.

Ms. Lovey-Dovey - I can guess that you are totally in love. You have a bunch of roses in your hand and you have been coochie-cooing on the phone for the past 1 hour. I understand - been there and done that. The air hostess has asked you to switch the phone now. Please switch of the phone and not send sms sneakily. I am very paranoid about airline safety.

Mr and Mrs Newly married - This is a very short flight - hardly one hour. The waiting time in the airport would be another hour. Can't you guys keep off each other for like 2 hours. There are kids staring at you. The elders are giving you glares. Can't you get the message?

Mr. Bappi Lahiri look alike businessman - Now that we all know that you do multi-crore deals everyday (thanks for the loud conversation on the phone), can you please switch off the phone. I told you that I am paranoid about airline safety.

Ms. Nosy Parker aunty - We said hi and hello. We both are on the same flight. The flight goes to Hyderabad. Therefore, please think for a moment before you ask me - "Where are you going?". Also, please don't give glares to the lady whose baby is crying. Stop for a moment and think about the lady who is struggling to pacify the little one.

Hyderabad Chronicles - Part 1

Six long years. The city that I entered as a nervous 21 year old. The city that has changed me from a nervous young student to a confident working woman. The city that has seen me in all my shades - sometimes haggling with a earring store keeper to reduce the price of a Rs 10/- earing to Rs 8/-, to sometimes splurging hundred times of that amount on a single set of earrings, - sometimes being so miserly to share the soup to 1/4th portion each and waiting for a month to indulge in the biriyani and sometimes eating at the best of the restaurants while spending out more that I could ever imagine for a single meal. Hyderabad has seen it all. 


So, it was a tough call when we decided to move out of Hyderabad. Yes, we did have strong reasons and we hope that the new move is a good one. I have very few days left in Hyderabad, the feeling is of immense gratitude - for taking care of me for 6 long years, for giving me my first job, for being the silent witness when I met S, for making me independent and for what not!


Yes, the summer is terrible, especially when you make the mistake that we did - taking the apartment on the top floor. There were power cuts - terrible ones, often 4 hours in a day. It was and still is to step out during the summer unless you are prepared for the sunstroke. Apart from these summer months, the rest of the year is pretty nice. 


Unknowingly, you fall in love with the Hyderabadi Hindi or the 'Dakhani' dialect. First, I thought it was indeed very cute and I would laugh when I hear someone saying 'Kya hona' for 'What do you want' or 'hallu chalo' for 'walk slowly'. Later, I found myself speaking in bits and pieces of this dialect especially with the autowalahs, the maid and the watchman. Of course, there is a particular indescribable charm in Hyderabadi hindi.


This is one city where I have seen equal enthusiasm in celebrating Eid as well as Ganesh Utsav. People, regardless of the religions throng the haleem outlets which spread across the city to savor the Ramzan delicacy and also dance to the tunes of the dhol during the Ganesh immersion. Yes, there have been riots, and communal clashes in the past, but after living there for so long, I could not escape but notice the underlying religious harmony. 


This is a city of extremes, on one hand you have very strong student movements like the movement in Osmania university for Telengana, on the other hand, you have a totally oblivious student category for which nothing else matters other than IIT or an MS admission in the US. On one hand, there is the flurry of activity in the streets of Charminar where the bling of the choodi baazar stand out, where as on the other, there are outlets like M&S, UCB and Promod which cater to a different segment of the population. I could just go on and on. 


Its tough to say bye when you fall in love with a city! Here is a snapshot of one of my favorite places in Hyderabad - Shilparamam (where I first discovered what bargaining is).

The Queen of Clumsiness!

Yours truly loves elegance and admires grace, for these are things that don't come naturally to her. Well.. I mean, they don't come unnaturally too, in spite of best attempts. I see those swanky pretty ladies who sashay in 5 inch heels without flinching, while the poor attempts of mine even with 2 inches have resulted in either a twisted ankle or a fumble so prominent that people around have given the smirk which says 'why-do-you-want-to-wear-it-when-you-so-clearly-cannot-carry-it well'.

On most instances, there would be either a blob of food either on the table or on my dress. The number of instances I have dropped tea on my desk are uncountable. The knife and fork refuse to co-operate and cut the chicken into neat pieces. No, I am not saying that I lack etiquette, its just that I have to really concentrate and make an attempt at not ruining anything around me.

The great display of clumsiness is the picture when I come out of the cab - with a handbag, a laptop bag which is almost as heavy as me, a stole or a jacket. Invariably, I end up dropping either the jacket or the stole or the handbag before I drag myself out of the cab. While, the pretty young thing who happens to share the cab with me makes it look so effortless, even in the 5-7 inch heels.

I love wearing a saree, for it innately brings along an element of prettiness. That being said, it is one of hell of a tough task for me to drape the 5 meters around me - even with the help of around 10 safety pins. Therefore, I am left gawking when someone not only drapes it elegantly but also manages to do a 'desi-girl' act!

Therefore, the few compliments that I have received have been limited to cute or sweet, and not something like Graceful or beautiful. Heck, I don't care much about not being called graceful or pretty - I was just observing a pattern.

All those elegant ones, I again say that I admire you and I admire the elan that you bring along so effortless. For the rest of us, (I hope there is at least a small number who relate to me), we are not too bad either. Clumsiness is after all not a sin! Though, I may continue to battle it.

Vanity, thy name is so not me! Until later, Queen of Clumsiness it is!

To Everyone Who Has Made Me What I am Today!

Sunday Evening and I am back from a lovely baking class. I stumble upon A's blog. It's Teachers Day today and  she has a lovely post. She is right, today is the perfect day to thank those people who have taught you something either consciously or just by the way.

To all the people right from Ammamma (my grandmom) for defining unconditional and unlimited love, to Madhavi amma our maid servant for teaching me how to hold the broom, from my parents for always standing by me (right from the choice of my subject to the choice of my life partner) to my little brother for teaching me how to fight and how to later make up. From the  friends who have stood by me through the years and through the thicks and thins to the nameless stranger on the road who fought with an eve-teaser along with me. From S for just being there to again S for the most fierce arguments, most romantic dinners, discussing the most trivial things to serious political opinions and what not!

Thank you for being in my life and for making me what I am! Happy Teacher's day folks!

On Why We Should Still Have Faith!

We do fight with them, we think they fleece money, we think that they drive in full speed to take our lives but we cannot do without them. I am talking about Auto drivers. Yes, we do have a long saga of fleecing auto drivers and there is a sweeping generalization that all of them are just waiting to get a chance to extract money.

Mornining was hectic as usual. On top of that, some confusion with the office cab pick up. So, I decided to take the auto to office. Shared auto's are the lifeline of Hyderabad in the Hi-tech city area. A fixed rate and anyone can get in. I got into one - why do I need to take a metered auto for just a 10 min journey. After about 10 mins, I fumbled around for my phone. Nops, it was not in my hand. It was not in the small pouch either. Panic strikes - I assume I left it back at home and try not to think of the possibility of losing it. Now, I have a long history of losing stuff - from watches, wallet, driving license, election ID card to credit cards - I have lost them all. I desperately did not want my Nokia N72 to be a part of that list.


I ask the auto driver to stop, pay him and gallop (with my dupatta, a stole, a handbag and a laptop bag) across the road to get another auto to take me back home. Meanwhile, I see a co-passenger of the shared auto waving somewhere frantically, passing him off as a possible eve-teaser, I chose to ignore him. Soon, I see the auto driver running across the road. Within a flash of a second, he comes to me and hands me over the mobile. I hold my mobile and almost do a mad happy dance on the road. I am overwhelmed and manage only an embarrassed 'Thank You' to the auto driver, who smiles and says a polite 'Welcome Madam' and runs back to his auto.

I am about to thank him and tell him that he is a nice person and there are only a few people like him. Before that, he is back in his auto and speeds off. For him, its just another day!

The Happy Tag!

After a couple of rather irate posts which were about me catching the cold and my hard disk crashing, I stumbled upon something really sweet and happy. Scarlett's blog post was delightful to read and I just could not resist the temptation to pick it up. Yes, I could do with some sunshine - its been either raining or cloudy for the past of 2 weeks.

I so agree with Scarlett when she says that these little things cheer up when someone is stuck in a rut. I feel nice just thinking about them - I am sure I ll feel better once I finish writing/blogging about them too.

1. The smell of the earth after the first rains - it does bring in a new high, doesn't it.
2. Cozying up with S and watching TV together.
3. The gummy toothless smile of a toddler and the pride of the parents when they see the smile.
4. An occasional ping/chat with a long lost friend.
5. Arrowroot biscuits dipped in Tea.
6. Getting down from the train/plane and looking around for that familiar face and finally spotting it.
7. Extended Lunch table conversations.
8. Countdowns - I am such a sucker for countdowns - even for something trivial like a TV program or for a much awaited trip.
9. Friday evenings - even though I am not doing anything great.
10. Compliments - Its always a feel good factor.
11. Cracking Crosswords - I am not very good at it, but I do attempt it and solving just one clue gives me a kick.
12. Jigsaw Puzzles (1000 pieces) - Ah What fun!
13. Bright sunshine after the rains.
14. Fruit cakes - Baking them, eating them or simply reading about them in cooking blogs.
15. Collecting key chains from different places
16. Catching the re-runs of the all time movies by chance while browsing through the channels.
17. The strange excitement that engulfs you the evening before you travel.
18. The happiness after I see that a photo of mine has come out well.

Thanks again Scarlett for this dash of cheerfulness and happiness.

Dealing with Data Loss!

After almost recovering from a cold, getting it back and again almost recovering, I was in for another shocker at work. The hard drive of my official laptop crashed and they informed me that there is no way to recover the data. I had oodles of stuff on my laptop - including photographs, write-up, bookmarks of the blogs that I read, music, movies and so on. I just feel like losing an old album or losing your hand bag!

I suddenly feel robbed of a lot of precious stuff. Lesson well learnt - I will be a little more careful with my data from now on. S has been warning me from a lot of time about backing up my data. Strangely, the thing that I am most worried about recovering is the picture that S drew of Calvin and which I have had as my wallpaper. I hope that we have a backup somewhere - in some email or on some phone.

Hmmph! Good realization on how much we are dependent virtually! For now, its back to notebooks and pens for me.

What not to do when I have a cold!

Yes, It is in the air and I have a bad cold. I have been trying to recover for a while but it is taking time. I am so sure that all of us who have had a terrible bout of cold will agree that it is the most annoying and irritating thing ever. The last thing I want on top of it are snide remarks. Please do not do the following when I have a cold.

1. I have a cold, I am trying to stay away from people so that I don't pass on the virus. I am in office because I have recovered quite a lot. I am just quietly sitting in my cubicle - trying to wind up the work and trying really hard not to make my presence very conspicuous. You don't have to lunge and come all the way from your cubicle which is very far just to make a comment about how puffed my face looks and how I look pathetic. People, where is all the courtesy gone?  Has no one taught you on how to talk to someone who is not well.

2. Please refrain from commenting about how small my eyes have become. Yes, my eyes enter deep into the socket when I am not well. I know that - some 100 people have told me that and I have seen that in the mirror. From now on, any comments on my appearance will not be accepted when I have a cold.

3. Do not start listing out a huge list of meaningful do's and dont's for me. I appreciate the thought and do take suggestions - but only meaningful ones. Don't tell me that I should stay away from Ice creams and cold water - that is something I do on regular days too. Also, I know that I should use Vicks (I mean primary school kids know that). If you have a quick and instant home remedy - then you can come to me.

4. The reason I am at office/outside is because of something unavoidable . I am not the one who comes to work or loiters around for no reason because I am paranoid about not spreading the infection. Don't give me random advise about taking an off or working from home. I know it  I am mature enough to know that already.

5. Everyone gets a cold once in a while and that too for no reason. I do not need that trying-to-be-sympathetic-yet-happy-at-my-suffering look. I can see through it. So, when you come to be with the elongated "Ohhhhhhh - What happened? You are ill - You poor thing" statements, I can totally see what you mean.

6. Cold brings along tons of irritation and crankiness. Once you see that I have a cold, please do not state the obvious. Do not ask me if I have a cold. You will probably hear "No, I just like sniffing around", 'No, I am practicing a particular yogasana which involves retaining water in the nose and letting it out occasionally', "No, I am anti-paper conservation and I have taken it upon myself to use all the tissue paper available".

Ahh! Now let me search on ways to get rid of the cold quickly .

Mars and Venus?

Do Opposites Attract? Yes, I think so!

How else would you explain two almost totally opposite kind of indivuduals (Read S and me) getting hitched and staying together for 2.5 years!

1. S loves Discovery, Animal planet, History and the boring stuff - I am a total sucker for any reality, drama on TV!
2. One of the easiest tasks in this world is to make me cry. A drop of a hat or pin is enough of a tear jerker of me. The only 2 times when I  saw tears in S' eyes was - 1. Tears after laughing his heart out during the numerous re-runs of friends, 2.While watching Beautiful Mind (one of his fav movies).
3. I am a total drama queen - S is the quiet wait and watch types.
4. I over-react and make a hue and cry even if I spot an ant walking across the room. S again waits and watches
5. I love surprises and S hates them. He is brutal enough to tell me right on my face if he doesn't like the gifts that I picked up so lovingly.
6. I love roaming around and traveling, S is the sit-at-home types.
7. I can chatter non-stop with him about anything - even the aforesaid ant walking across! S needs his own space every once in a while.
8. S knows, understands, realizes and works towards his passion! Right now I am clueless and trying to figure out mine.
9.  S is the king of planning (every travel has a list ready) - I am a last minute dump-stuff-in-the-bag type of person.
10. I yell, shout, cry and argue when I am angry - S turns on the silent mode (does not utter a word)!
11. I am over-the-top experssive kind - Hugs, Kisses and clinginess are totally my thing! S is subtle and cryptic.

Seriously, I can go on and on. Needless to say, one comment that we make often is - You did not tell this to me before the wedding! As if that would have changed anything!
As of now, we are still sane and have not lost it yet. Yes, even now my eyes twinkle when I see him!

P.S - I would love to do the reverse of this post - come up with 10 things that we have in common. That would be my anniversary edition.

Happy Independence Day!

Don't take me wrong by the title. I am not the overtly patriotic type. I am the kinds who needs reminders like Independence Day and Republic Day to arise the bits and pieces of patriotism inside me. Nonetheless, I hope for a better future for all of us here!

Until later, I leave you with a particular  favorite poem of mine -

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake. Rabindranath Tagore

RIP Tejaswee

IHM's Blog  is one of my favorite blogs and it was shocking to read the update that she lost her daughter to dengue fever. Needless to day, it is a big loss and may her soul Rest in Peace. 

Moments like these also make you realize as to how short and unpredictable life is - and why its important to live life to the fullest everyday. As Tennyson once said, drink Life to the lees!  

Moments like these also make me realize of  how silly and foolish I have been with my share of crankiness and irritability. 

IHM - You are the most inspiring person I have come across in the blogosphere - This post of yours shows the amazing strength that you have.  

For now I leave you with my fav posts on Tejaswee's blog - This  and This 

RACS and YT!

The typical chat with long lost acquaintances (of either gender) who simply do not get the message ever that I am not interested in long drawn chats. A simple hello and keep-in-touch works well for me - but nothing more than that. Here are some snippets of the conversation (obviously exaggerated !)

Really Annoying Creepy Acquaintance (RACS) : Hey - Are you online?
Yours Truly (YT) : Hello. (Dude, I wish I were offline).
RACS: Nice Display Pic - You have become cuter than when you were at school.
YT: Thank You !
RACS: Where are you now?
YT: I am at Hyderabad.
RACS: I heard that you got married. So who is the lucky one?
YT: Err.. Hmm - the lucky one is my Husband
RACS: Ha ha ha - nice joke. I mean what is he doing?
YT: He has just stepped out to buy some veggies for dinner.
RACS:  Ha ha ha. But I am very angry with you. You never invited me for the wedding.
YT: OMG! You did not receive my invitation. I had emailed it to you. Must have gone to the spam folder then. (Ya.. Right)
RACS: That is fine - so was it a love marriage or arranged marriage
YT: Arranged Love Marriage
RACS: WooooooooooW!
YT:  :). (what is so wow about it?)
RACS: So What do you do currently?
YT: I work for abcdef!
RACS: Oh - How did you end up there?
YT (who was considered a total loser for her choice of subject for graduation - read not engineering or medicine) : Well, it worked out for me.
RACS: I am so so so happy for you!  You have made us proud (Seriously???)
YT: (Wishing despeately for a power/internet blackout)
RACS: What else?
YT: Nothing much.
RACS: So you have been married for like 2 years now right !
YT: Ya.. (clearly understanding where it is leading to).
RACS: - So - any Good News?
YT: Ya... The good news is I learnt how to cook, I went on a nice holiday and things are going good here!
RACS: C'mon, apart from that
YT(slaps forehead): Hey listen, I have to rush for a meeting now! I will catch up later.
RACS: Sure, I will wait for your ping!!

Uniquely Singapore

Snapshots from what was a first holiday for us in 2 years of married life. Loved the place and the lifestyle - fast and organized (when I look at from the 'chalta hai' Hyderabadi perspective). The place is awesomely touristy - information is available everywhere and anywhere. We had a very unique objective when we planned this vacation - we would travel only by the train or bus. No cabs or taxis!. The bus routes and the train schedule was so easy to understand that we did not find it difficult to acheieve it. 

My top a-ha moments (not in any particular order) in Singapore which made the time off worthwhile - 

1. Luge and Sky ride at Sentosa - for someone who has fear of speed and fear of heights, this is BIG! 

2. Getting down at the wrong station on our first train ride - almost breaking our objective of not taking a cab and finding the correct way very soon.

3. Kopitiam - trying out different kinds of cuisine everyday - Japanese food, you are not for me! 

4. Walk across Clarke Quay at night - beautiful lights all across. 

5. Discovering that chewing gum was banned in Singapore!! 

6. The 'you-may-now-cross-the-road' signal. I found it super cool.

And Happily Ever After...

Just saw this adorable movie called Bedtime Stories and it took me back to the fantasy world of fairy tales and bedtime stories.

 I am a firm believer in Happy Endings and the concept of 'Happily Ever after'- I know that something happy and nice has to happen in the end. If there is no happiness in the end, then it is not over yet. Even now, I love to read fairy tales and feel the magic. When the protagonist are in the suffering phase, I know that there will be happiness and joy around very soon.

A movie is not over for me unless I see the happy picture in the very last shot - yes, tragedies are not for me. Also, Yes, I did cry when Dumbledore died.

Strangely, I believe this even in the mad and aggressive corporate world that I belong to. The competition is high, the pressure is huge and I am not even sure how long I can survive in what increasingly seems like a rat race to some extend.

So, when the lil girl in the movie says that stories should have happy endings with such an innocence, there was no way that I could change the channel after that. Also, I love Shelley for writing these lines -
'If winter is here, can spring be far behind'.

Capital Punishment?

The Kasab verdict and the debates following it led me to think about an essay that I wrote when I was in school and it was about Capital Punishment. I remember raving about things like death penalty not being a solution, where is the scope for reform and so on and so forth without actually realizing or understanding the context in its true sense. I also remember using some cheesy quotes like "An eye for an eye makes every one blind".

Now, when I turn back, I realize that my views have not changed much and I still concretely and genuinely believe that the state cannot and should not take over the life of any individual - especially in a manner which is irreversible. When we talk about evidences and enough proof to hang a person, are we so sure that there may not be any evidence which comes into light much later after the punishment has been executed.

The Times of India came up with a very strong news headline; "Kasab gets what he gave : Death". They also add that the newspaper is not in favor of death penalty but it is important that terrorists get death penalty so that we can avoid future instances of Kandahar - where deadly terrorists had to be released. Also, terror being unlike other crimes.  A very genuine argument, I must admit. We all know for sure that Kasab was a part of the terror plan, but we also know how the young men end up as terrorists.

I saw the scroll on TV which said that Kasab did not show any signs of remorse. Of course, why should he? One, he knows that he will receive nothing less than death - so why remorse . Two, He was not supposed to end in this situation - he has been prepared for death when he set his foot on Mumbai - so its not something new to him.

I am still not very clear about the discussion related to terror and punishment , so I do not want to say something with my limited scope of vision currently - I will keep that for sometime when I think I can be eloquent about it.

The Constitution gives us a 'Right to Live'. Suicide is a crime - so we do not have the right to take our own life. So, is it right for the state to take control over someones life especially in the scenario where we have seen how flawed and painful the investigation system is!

When I was about to land in Singapore, the flight attendants made an announcement that anyone carrying more than 0.5g of drugs are subjected to mandatory death sentence. The very thought was scary because it is so easy to be framed for drug traffic - what if a smart bloke slips it into your bag? The punishment is irreversible and I heard that over 400 people were executed in 10 years for drug trafficking, which is a very scary number. The argument here could be that very soon the country became totally drug free and there was huge drop in the number of crimes in the country. Yes, the fear of punishment does work in enforcing the law. Even then, I really doubt whether all the 400 executed were genuine cases - even if one was innocent and was  framed, the state has taken away the 'Right to Life' of one of its citizens. When we look at it statistically, it is a very small number. However, for that 1 person and the family, the trauma and the loss of life would have been so intense.

Of things Red and Bright!

Red was a color which I was never too fond of throughout my life. I always preferred the sky blues and the baby pinks and all the pastels. Also, while I was growing up, there was this notion of red - aggressiveness, the color of blood and a whole range of not-so-positive connotations.

Throughout my growing-up phase and college life(where we got the freedom to wear color-dresses everyday), I do not remember any red color dresses that I owned. Even if there was one, it would be adequately balanced out with shades of white or something like that. I remember an instance where I came out of the gift shop with an unwrapped gift simply because the guy had only a red gift wrap paper.

Therefore, it was a very obvious choice that I made, I will not wear a red Saree for my wedding and I therefore chose the white and gold Kerala Kasavu Saree. If I were to change 1 thing about my wedding day, it would be the color of the Saree - but I am digressing here.

Coming back to Red, the first big joint possession that we got after the wedding was the car - and guess what it is bright RED in color. S mentions that he asked me for a choice of colors while I was asleep and I blabbered RED and that is how we got a red car. ( I am still not convinced about this bit. Needless to say, RED started making a presence in my life after that. Here is to all things RED and Bright!!

Just Like That!

Its been ages since I blogged. I was honestly ashamed to read through my last post which was called "The Return". Well... it was the return that never happened. Hopefully, this one is the actual return, even though I am very skeptical to trust myself and the bouts of laziness as well as blankness that I go through often!

After ages, I felt the knot which I had within me for quite a while now release and go away. I'll write about the reason for the knot as well as why it was released in a separate post - but the feeling is immense. Let us just say that this was something that I was worried about for a long time and finally I do not have to worry about it. The feeling is so good that I have been beaming at everyone. I just don't want to say anything much - did I just not say that I don't trust myself?

The Return!

As expected, I was MIA for a while. There is no point in writing as to why - the point is I am back and it feels nice. Its a brand new year and I hope I am inspired to write more often.

The first 9 days of the year have been good. Professionally, work is just catching up - which leaves me with some free time. Personally and at home - the aim is to cook regularly and have healthy food with less of junk. (Note - I said less and not a no).

Began the year with 3 idiots, which was refreshing - minus the controversy that later followed up. Have been trying to get tickets for Avtar 3D without success.

Looking forward to a good year ahead!

P.S - I have been really pissed of by the colour status message on FB. I cannot seriously figure out how this can help in raising Breast Cancer awareness. There ought to be a more dignified way out right!