I read this today and it broke my heart .
I think everyone needs to read this .
Ode to the Nice Guys
This rant was written for the Wharton Undergraduate Journal
This is a tribute to the nice guys. The nice guys that finish last, that
never become more than friends, that endure hours of whining and bitching
about what assholes guys are, while disproving the very point. This is
dedicated to those guys who always provide a shoulder to lean on but
restrain themselves to tentative hugs, those guys who hold open doors and
give reassuring pats on the back and sit patiently outside the changing
room at department stores. This is in honor of the guys that obligingly
reiterate how cute/beautiful/smart/funny/sexy their female friends are at
the appropriate moment, because they know most girls need that litany of
support. This is in honor of the guys with open minds, with laid-back
attitudes, with honest concern. This is in honor of the guys who respect a
girl's every facet, from her privacy to her theology to her clothing style.
This is for the guys who escort their drunk, bewildered female friends
back from parties and never take advantage once they're at her door, for
the guys who accompany girls to bars as buffers against the rest of the
creepy male population, for the guys who know a girl is fishing for
compliments but give them out anyway, for the guys who always play by the
rules in a game where the rules favor cheaters, for the guys who are
accredited as boyfriend material but somehow don't end up being
boyfriends, for all the nice guys who are overlooked, underestimated, and
unappreciated, for all the nice guys who are manipulated, misled, and
unjustly abandoned, this is for you.
This is for that time she left 40 urgent messages on your cell phone, and
when you called her back, she spent three hours painstakingly dissecting
two sentences her boyfriend said to her over dinner. And even though you
thought her boyfriend was a chump and a jerk, you assured her that it was
all ok and she shouldn't worry about it. This is for that time she
interrupted the best killing spree you'd ever orchestrated in GTA3 to rant
about a rumor that romantically linked her and the guy she thinks is the
most repulsive person in the world. And even though you thought it was
immature and you had nothing against the guy, you paused the game for two
hours and helped her concoct a counter-rumor to spread around the floor.
This is also for that time she didn't have a date, so after numerous vows
that there was nothing "serious" between the two of you, she dragged you
to a party where you knew nobody, the beer was awful, and she flirted
shamelessly with you, justifying each fit of reckless teasing by
announcing to everyone: "oh, but we're just friends!" And even though you
were invited purely as a symbolic warm body for her ego, you went anyways.
Because you're nice like that.
The nice guys don't often get credit where credit is due. And perhaps more
disturbing, the nice guys don't seem to get laid as often as they should.
And I wish I could logically explain this trend, but I can't. From what I
have observed on campus and what I have learned from talking to friends at
other schools and in the workplace, the only conclusion I can form is that
many girls are just illogical, manipulative bitches. Many of them claim
they just want to date a nice guy, but when presented with such a
specimen, they say irrational, confusing things such as "oh, he's too nice
to date" or "he would be a good boyfriend but he's not for me" or "he
already puts up with so much from me, I couldn't possibly ask him out!" or
the most frustrating of all: "no, it would ruin our friendship." Yet, they
continue to lament the lack of datable men in the world, and they expect
their too-nice-to-date male friends to sympathize and apologize for the
men that are jerks. Sorry, guys, girls like that are beyond my ability to
fathom. I can't figure out why the connection breaks down between what
they say (I want a nice guy!) and what they do (I'm going to sleep with
this complete ass now!). But one thing I can do, is say that the
nice-guy-finishes-last phenomenon doesn't last forever. There are
definitely many girls who grow out of that train of thought and realize
they should be dating the nice guys, not taking them for granted. The
tricky part is finding those girls, and even trickier, finding the ones
that are single.
So, until those girls are found, I propose a toast to all the nice guys.
You know who you are, and I know you're sick of hearing yourself described
as ubiquitously nice. But the truth of the matter is, the world needs your
patience in the department store, your holding open of doors, your party
escorting services, your propensity to be a sucker for a pretty smile. For
all the crazy, inane, absurd things you tolerate, for all the situations
where you are the faceless, nameless hero, my accolades, my
acknowledgement, and my gratitude go out to you. You do have credibility
in this society, and your well deserved vindication is coming.
About Me
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Read This Today
On a particularly rough day at work ..here is what my best friend sent me .
This one is for you and all those fortunate enough to have you in their life , Friend ,Inspiration and Guide .
Read this today...
Imagine if
My thought was truth
My word was love
My touch, compassion.
Imagine if I was at home
In you.
Imagine if
I was flowing with rivers
Breathing with winds
And blooming in gardens
As me, as you.
Imagine...
This one is for you and all those fortunate enough to have you in their life , Friend ,Inspiration and Guide .
Read this today...
Imagine if
My thought was truth
My word was love
My touch, compassion.
Imagine if I was at home
In you.
Imagine if
I was flowing with rivers
Breathing with winds
And blooming in gardens
As me, as you.
Imagine...
Monday, December 05, 2005
Thursday, December 01, 2005
By the River Piedra I sat down and wept ..
An Excerpt from "By the River Piedra I sat down and wept " by Paulo Coelho
Undoubtedly one of the better readings of 2005
By the river Piedra I sat down and wept. There is a legend that everything that falls into the waters of this river--leaves, insects, the feathers of birds--is transformed into the rocks that make the riverbed. If only I could tear out my heart and hurl it into the current, then my pain and longing would be over, and I could finally forget.
By the River Piedra I sat down and wept. The winter air chills the tears on my cheeks, and my tears fall into the cold waters that course past me. Somewhere, this river joins another, then another, until--far from my heart and sight--all of them merge with the sea.
May my tears run just as far, that my love might never know that one day I cried for him. May my tears run just as far, that I might forget the River Piedra, the monastery, the church in the Pyrenees, the mists, and the paths we walked together.
I shall forget the roads, the mountains, and the fields of my dreams--the dreams that will never come true.
I remember my "magic moment"--that instant when a "yes" or a "no" can change one's life forever. It seems so long ago now. It is hard to believe that it was only last week that I had found my love once again, and then lost him.
I am writing this story on the bank of the River Piedra. My hands are freezing, my legs are numb, and every minute I want to stop.
"Seek to live. Remembrance is for the old," he said.
Perhaps love makes us old before our time--or young, if youth has passed. But how can I not recall those moments? That is why I write--to try to turn sadness into longing, solitude into remembrance. So that when I finish telling myself the story, I can toss it into the Piedra. That's what the woman who has given me shelter told me to do. Only then--in the words of one of the saints--will the water extinguish what the flames have written.
All love stories are the same.
And another excerpt
You have to take risks, he said. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen.
Every day, God gives us the sun--and also one moment in which we have the ability to change everything that makes us unhappy. Every day, we try to pretend that we haven't perceived that moment, that it doesn't exist--that today is the same as yesterday and will be the same as tomorrow. But if people really pay attention to their everyday lives, they will discover that magic moment. It may arrive in the instant when we are doing something mundane, like putting our front-door key in the lock; it may lie hidden in the quiet that follows the lunch hour or in the thousand and one things that all seem the same to us. But that moment exists--a moment when all the power of the stars becomes a part of us and enables us to perform miracles.
Joy is sometimes a blessing, but it is often a conquest. Our magic moment helps us to change and sends us off in search of our dreams. Yes, we are going to suffer, we will have difficult times, and we will experience many disappointments--but all of this is transitory; it leaves no permanent mark. And one day we will look back with pride and faith at the journey we have taken.
Pitiful is the person who is afraid of taking risks. Perhaps this person will never be disappointed or disillusioned; perhaps she won't suffer the way people do when they have a dream to follow. But when that person looks back--and at some point everyone looks back--she will hear her heart saying, "What have you done with the miracles that God planted in your days? What have you done with the talents God bestowed on you? You buried yourself in a cave because you were fearful of losing those talents. So this is your heritage: the certainty that you wasted your life."
Pitiful are the people who must realize this. Because when they are finally able to believe in miracles, their life's magic moments will have already passed them by.
Undoubtedly one of the better readings of 2005
By the river Piedra I sat down and wept. There is a legend that everything that falls into the waters of this river--leaves, insects, the feathers of birds--is transformed into the rocks that make the riverbed. If only I could tear out my heart and hurl it into the current, then my pain and longing would be over, and I could finally forget.
By the River Piedra I sat down and wept. The winter air chills the tears on my cheeks, and my tears fall into the cold waters that course past me. Somewhere, this river joins another, then another, until--far from my heart and sight--all of them merge with the sea.
May my tears run just as far, that my love might never know that one day I cried for him. May my tears run just as far, that I might forget the River Piedra, the monastery, the church in the Pyrenees, the mists, and the paths we walked together.
I shall forget the roads, the mountains, and the fields of my dreams--the dreams that will never come true.
I remember my "magic moment"--that instant when a "yes" or a "no" can change one's life forever. It seems so long ago now. It is hard to believe that it was only last week that I had found my love once again, and then lost him.
I am writing this story on the bank of the River Piedra. My hands are freezing, my legs are numb, and every minute I want to stop.
"Seek to live. Remembrance is for the old," he said.
Perhaps love makes us old before our time--or young, if youth has passed. But how can I not recall those moments? That is why I write--to try to turn sadness into longing, solitude into remembrance. So that when I finish telling myself the story, I can toss it into the Piedra. That's what the woman who has given me shelter told me to do. Only then--in the words of one of the saints--will the water extinguish what the flames have written.
All love stories are the same.
And another excerpt
You have to take risks, he said. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen.
Every day, God gives us the sun--and also one moment in which we have the ability to change everything that makes us unhappy. Every day, we try to pretend that we haven't perceived that moment, that it doesn't exist--that today is the same as yesterday and will be the same as tomorrow. But if people really pay attention to their everyday lives, they will discover that magic moment. It may arrive in the instant when we are doing something mundane, like putting our front-door key in the lock; it may lie hidden in the quiet that follows the lunch hour or in the thousand and one things that all seem the same to us. But that moment exists--a moment when all the power of the stars becomes a part of us and enables us to perform miracles.
Joy is sometimes a blessing, but it is often a conquest. Our magic moment helps us to change and sends us off in search of our dreams. Yes, we are going to suffer, we will have difficult times, and we will experience many disappointments--but all of this is transitory; it leaves no permanent mark. And one day we will look back with pride and faith at the journey we have taken.
Pitiful is the person who is afraid of taking risks. Perhaps this person will never be disappointed or disillusioned; perhaps she won't suffer the way people do when they have a dream to follow. But when that person looks back--and at some point everyone looks back--she will hear her heart saying, "What have you done with the miracles that God planted in your days? What have you done with the talents God bestowed on you? You buried yourself in a cave because you were fearful of losing those talents. So this is your heritage: the certainty that you wasted your life."
Pitiful are the people who must realize this. Because when they are finally able to believe in miracles, their life's magic moments will have already passed them by.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Yeh Hai Meri Kahani
I was at work pretty late today . The first of many nights in GGN .
Luckily I had Strings to keep me company ...
" Ek Yaar ..Dil ki Dhadkan
Apni Chahat ka Ailaan Kiye Jati hai
Jindagi hai jo ..jiye jati hai
Khoon ke ghot piye jati hai
Yaadon ka daman ..katon se ..siye jaati hai
Chupthe Kaatein Yaadon ke - Daman se Chnta hoon
Girti Deewaron ke Anchal mein Zinda Hoon " "
The drive back from home was unusually long . And through my vision blurred by a days works ..I could only think of how lucky I was ..to be inside the car on that cold weary night . Everyday is a constant reminder of the Ovarian Lottery ..that the life that I take for granted right now is mere a chance gift that a few seconds marred would have only been my feeble longing in another set of shoes ....in the same world ..but light years away from what I now know as home .
So today marks the end of my first month in India . Time is a funny thing .
When I want it to pass quickly ..it stretches ...moments turn into lifetimes .
But now when I want it to stand still ..its fleeing . Like the Changing seasons and the waning moon .
And yet ..like Gibran said ..the timeless in me is aware of Lifes timelessness and that whichs sings and contemplates inside me is still dwelling within the bounds of that first moment which scattered the stars into space.
The God who loves you ...
Here's a poem by Carl Dennis, 2004 recipient of the Pulitzer
for poetry.
The winner in poetry this year is Carl Dennis, for his collection Practical Gods. Dennis is Professor of English at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and author of seven other volumes of poetry as well as a book of criticism. He was born in St. Louis and received his doctorate in English literature at the University of California at Berkeley.
The God who Loves you
It must be troubling for the god who loves you
To ponder how much happier you'd be today
Had you been able to glimpse your many futures.
It must be painful for him to watch you on Friday evenings
Driving home from the office, content with your week -
Three fine houses sold to deserving families -
Knowing as he does exactly what would have happened
Had you gone to your second choice for college,
Knowing the roommate you'd have been allotted
Whose ardent opinions on painting and music
Would have kindled in you a lifelong passion.
A life thirty points above the life you're living
On any scale of satisfaction. And every point
A thorn in the side of the god who loves you.
You don't want that, a large-souled man like you
Who tries to withhold from your wife the day's disappointments
So she can save her empathy for the children.
And would you want this god to compare your wife
With the woman you were destined to meet on the other campus?
It hurts you to think of him ranking the conversation
You'd have enjoyed over there higher in insight
Than the conversation you're used to.
And think how this loving god would feel
Knowing that the man next in line for your wife
Would have pleased her more than you ever will
Even on your best days, when you really try.
Can you sleep at night believing a god like that
Is pacing his cloudy bedroom, harassed by alternatives
You're spared by ignorance? The difference between what is
And what could have been will remain alive for him
Even after you cease existing, after you catch a chill
Running out in the snow for the morning paper,
Losing eleven years that the god who loves you
Will feel compelled to imagine scene by scene
Unless you come to the rescue by imagining him
No wiser than you are, no god at all, only a friend
for poetry.
The winner in poetry this year is Carl Dennis, for his collection Practical Gods. Dennis is Professor of English at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and author of seven other volumes of poetry as well as a book of criticism. He was born in St. Louis and received his doctorate in English literature at the University of California at Berkeley.
The God who Loves you
It must be troubling for the god who loves you
To ponder how much happier you'd be today
Had you been able to glimpse your many futures.
It must be painful for him to watch you on Friday evenings
Driving home from the office, content with your week -
Three fine houses sold to deserving families -
Knowing as he does exactly what would have happened
Had you gone to your second choice for college,
Knowing the roommate you'd have been allotted
Whose ardent opinions on painting and music
Would have kindled in you a lifelong passion.
A life thirty points above the life you're living
On any scale of satisfaction. And every point
A thorn in the side of the god who loves you.
You don't want that, a large-souled man like you
Who tries to withhold from your wife the day's disappointments
So she can save her empathy for the children.
And would you want this god to compare your wife
With the woman you were destined to meet on the other campus?
It hurts you to think of him ranking the conversation
You'd have enjoyed over there higher in insight
Than the conversation you're used to.
And think how this loving god would feel
Knowing that the man next in line for your wife
Would have pleased her more than you ever will
Even on your best days, when you really try.
Can you sleep at night believing a god like that
Is pacing his cloudy bedroom, harassed by alternatives
You're spared by ignorance? The difference between what is
And what could have been will remain alive for him
Even after you cease existing, after you catch a chill
Running out in the snow for the morning paper,
Losing eleven years that the god who loves you
Will feel compelled to imagine scene by scene
Unless you come to the rescue by imagining him
No wiser than you are, no god at all, only a friend
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
I've Learnt ....
I've learnt ...
I've learnt that Life as we know it is about to change ....enjoy this moment ..one email ..one phonecall ..one person could alter your life forever .
I've learnt that it takes years to build a friendship and only seconds to throw it away ..
I've learnt that when it doubt - eating ice cream always helps .
I've learnt that its better to craft a soul than spend hours building a resume .
I've learnt that you find out more about yourself during an ice storm , power cut , car wreck and roadtrip than you have in 4 years of college.
I've learnt that life has a way for making sure that even though you think you've gotten lost , you are somehow in the place that needs you the most .
I've learnt that the radio someohow taps into my inner being and plays music I absolutely need to hear that very moment .
I;ve learnt that theres no such thing as a new beginning , and there are no battles you can hide from and things really dont change that much unless you do .
You have to learn to make the most of what you have every second .
I've learnt that smiling helps .
I've learnt that you can learn more about Life from an average 10 year old than most
adults.
I've learnt that best friend is truly a superlative - theres only one , at any time .
I've learnt that getting highlights in my hair , or getting a new haircut puts me in a
good mood .
I've learnt that never take what you think about while running on a treadmill seriously .
Adrenalin impairs judgement.
I've learnt that diets dont work - you have to workout everyday to lose weight .
I've learnt that everywhere people are the same , they have the same hopes dreams fears aspirations and heartbeats . And theres good people everywhere .
I've learnt that I've solved quite a few of my own problems while debugging code .
I've learnt that I've noticed more things about my office on a friday late night jaunt than in months of 9-5 routines .
I've learnt that when I'm deeply upset or hurt - it always rains .
I've learnt that silence is the hardest kind of strength .
I've learnt that it its hard to feel unhappy in sunlight .
I've learnt that if you dont stand for something , you fall for anything .
I've learnt that if you have an open mind , a loving heart and good intent - nothing can
stop you from doing what you truly want to do .
I've learnt that on a given day - I have more than what half of the third world wakes up to every single day of their lives .
I've learnt that if the world was to end tommorrow and I had a choice to take 3 things with me ..I'd take my sense of humor , integrity and my mother .
Kal Ho na Ho
I wonder often why in Hindi - Kal ...which for most people means Tommorrow also means Yesterday .
Is it because even in our near future ..our distant past ..is always present .
Is life really like a fibonacci series - Where everything adds up ..and the whole is always a sum of its parts ?
Are second chances truly a myth ?
I think that we cant leave who we were and what we did and what happened to us behind and start afresh .
The only way to leave our past behind is to embrace it ..and carry it with us ..in the present ..in the kal and let it guide us and steer us .
The Past is a funny thing . It plays such an integral role in shaping us and making us who and what we are in the present . But more often than not - we shirk away from it , wanting to change and be a different person altogether .
Most people see the past in a better light than it really was ...think that the present is not as good as it really is ..and are way too uncertain about the future .
Earlier this year I was reading a book that said ...dont be afraid of today ..Today is the tommorrow we were all afraid of yesterday and it is here already .
Today is the day you could change everthing ..overcome your deepest fear ..bury your greatest misgiving ..accomplish your biggest dream and create magic .
Yesterday someone sent me the sweetest email that said that 2006 was slated to be the best year ever . That no matter what the Chinese Calendar said ...
2006 was not going to be the "Year of the Horse" or the "Year of the Pig" ...
it was and indeed will be "The Year of the Kau "
*cracking up *
So signing off for today ...all you blog readers ..smile a little wider ..walk a little taller ... There will always be a Kal ..and it will be a bright and sunny one .But Today is fleeting ..it is here and in less than 24 hours ..it will be gone. So Carpe Diem ! Seize the Day !
Is it because even in our near future ..our distant past ..is always present .
Is life really like a fibonacci series - Where everything adds up ..and the whole is always a sum of its parts ?
Are second chances truly a myth ?
I think that we cant leave who we were and what we did and what happened to us behind and start afresh .
The only way to leave our past behind is to embrace it ..and carry it with us ..in the present ..in the kal and let it guide us and steer us .
The Past is a funny thing . It plays such an integral role in shaping us and making us who and what we are in the present . But more often than not - we shirk away from it , wanting to change and be a different person altogether .
Most people see the past in a better light than it really was ...think that the present is not as good as it really is ..and are way too uncertain about the future .
Earlier this year I was reading a book that said ...dont be afraid of today ..Today is the tommorrow we were all afraid of yesterday and it is here already .
Today is the day you could change everthing ..overcome your deepest fear ..bury your greatest misgiving ..accomplish your biggest dream and create magic .
Yesterday someone sent me the sweetest email that said that 2006 was slated to be the best year ever . That no matter what the Chinese Calendar said ...
2006 was not going to be the "Year of the Horse" or the "Year of the Pig" ...
it was and indeed will be "The Year of the Kau "
*cracking up *
So signing off for today ...all you blog readers ..smile a little wider ..walk a little taller ... There will always be a Kal ..and it will be a bright and sunny one .But Today is fleeting ..it is here and in less than 24 hours ..it will be gone. So Carpe Diem ! Seize the Day !
Monday, November 28, 2005
Searching my Soul Tonight
I've been down this road,
Walking the line that's painted by pride,
And I have made mistakes in my life that i just can't hide.
But I believe I'm ready,
For what love has to bring,
I've got myself together,
Now i'm ready to sing.
I've been searching my soul tonight.
I know there's so much more to life.
Now I know I can shine a light,
to find my way back home.
This week was especially hard . Friday seemed like it had a life of its won and would never end . But end ..it did . And I was soo exhausted , I just went home and sat on my couch for 10 minutes and did nothing .
Then Soraya , Jason , Charlotte and me went to Brix to get some Dinner .
Thank god for Friends and sanity of thought .
Its weird to think that we lived in the same country for years ..some in the same city even ..But we had to travle all this way to meet each other , get to know each other and support each other .
If Chance Encounters amount to anything - I'm glad about this one .
This one is for the three of you , my pep me up when I'm down , make me laugh until I want to cry ..make even the most exasperating week or car ride seem like fun Friends !
Thank you !
Walking the line that's painted by pride,
And I have made mistakes in my life that i just can't hide.
But I believe I'm ready,
For what love has to bring,
I've got myself together,
Now i'm ready to sing.
I've been searching my soul tonight.
I know there's so much more to life.
Now I know I can shine a light,
to find my way back home.
This week was especially hard . Friday seemed like it had a life of its won and would never end . But end ..it did . And I was soo exhausted , I just went home and sat on my couch for 10 minutes and did nothing .
Then Soraya , Jason , Charlotte and me went to Brix to get some Dinner .
Thank god for Friends and sanity of thought .
Its weird to think that we lived in the same country for years ..some in the same city even ..But we had to travle all this way to meet each other , get to know each other and support each other .
If Chance Encounters amount to anything - I'm glad about this one .
This one is for the three of you , my pep me up when I'm down , make me laugh until I want to cry ..make even the most exasperating week or car ride seem like fun Friends !
Thank you !
Saturday, November 26, 2005
A little piece of my heart
If you are ever in New Delhi ..especially in the winter when the sky is overcast with clouds and a slight chill in the air take a walk . Take a walk down Janpath ..have a chai cutting and let the colors and hustle bustle warm long forgotten corners in your heart . Then if you're still longing for another whiff of life ..walk further and ask for the Bangle Market near Hanuman Mandir .
Its such a sweet coincidence that just last week I wrote on this very blog that I thought I was in a real life version of Sarojini Naidus "Bangle Sellers" ..and yesterday I was walking and I ran into my own thought :)
...Charlotte and I spent the entire day walking around CP and Janpath area and followed a very nice lady to the Bangle Market .
We took some shady roads along the way but like they say ..sometimes when you take a leap of faith ..you do actually end up flying and yesterday was one of those days .
We went to a very nice banglewallah ..called Razia Mehandi . He drove me a rough bargain but when he found out I am from Amchi Mumbai ..like a tru Mumbaikar warmed up considerably . After we paid him ..we still lingered around the store and chatted with him . He kept calling me Beti and was looking at me so affectionately ..its like one of those freak meetings when you run into someone but you feel like you've known them from some place before ..He called his little spot boy and said something to him that I didnt catch ..and then the guy went backdorrs and came back with the prettiest bangles I'd seen . I had already bought my bangles but these new bangles were so me it was ridiculous ...that a shopkeeper I had neevr met before would so accurately guage what I would like ..and pick out bangles I would have only dreamt of but never picked myself .
Then he asked for my hand and put them on ..and said ..Khuda Hafis ..He didnt charge me for bangles he picked out .
I was thinking about the bangle sellers long after I left Janpath and came back to the hotel where the crisp tones of the very gracious housekeeping staff were a stark contrast to the vivacious banter I'd experienced all day long .
In a very wordsworthian way .."The music in my heart I bore long after it was heard no more "
Salaam Delhi !
Its such a sweet coincidence that just last week I wrote on this very blog that I thought I was in a real life version of Sarojini Naidus "Bangle Sellers" ..and yesterday I was walking and I ran into my own thought :)
...Charlotte and I spent the entire day walking around CP and Janpath area and followed a very nice lady to the Bangle Market .
We took some shady roads along the way but like they say ..sometimes when you take a leap of faith ..you do actually end up flying and yesterday was one of those days .
We went to a very nice banglewallah ..called Razia Mehandi . He drove me a rough bargain but when he found out I am from Amchi Mumbai ..like a tru Mumbaikar warmed up considerably . After we paid him ..we still lingered around the store and chatted with him . He kept calling me Beti and was looking at me so affectionately ..its like one of those freak meetings when you run into someone but you feel like you've known them from some place before ..He called his little spot boy and said something to him that I didnt catch ..and then the guy went backdorrs and came back with the prettiest bangles I'd seen . I had already bought my bangles but these new bangles were so me it was ridiculous ...that a shopkeeper I had neevr met before would so accurately guage what I would like ..and pick out bangles I would have only dreamt of but never picked myself .
Then he asked for my hand and put them on ..and said ..Khuda Hafis ..He didnt charge me for bangles he picked out .
I was thinking about the bangle sellers long after I left Janpath and came back to the hotel where the crisp tones of the very gracious housekeeping staff were a stark contrast to the vivacious banter I'd experienced all day long .
In a very wordsworthian way .."The music in my heart I bore long after it was heard no more "
Salaam Delhi !
Friday, November 25, 2005
Got a right to be Wrong
Weather : Slightly Overcast
Mood : Blue
Chance of Tears : maybe
Weekend : Hopefully Sunny with Clear skies
I've got a right to be wrong
My mistakes will make me strong
I'm stepping out into the great unknown
I'm feeling wings though I've never flown
i`ve got a mind of my own
I'm flesh and blood to the bone
I'm not made of stone
Got a right to be wrong
So just leave me alone
I've got a right to be wrong
I've been held down too long
I've got to break free
So I can finally breathe
i`ve got a right to be wrong
Got to sing my own song
I might be singing out of key
But it sure feels good to me
Got a right to be wrong
So just leave me alone
You're entitled to your opinion
But it's really my decision
I can't turn back I'm on a mission
If you care don't you dare blur my vision
Let me be all that I can be
Don't smother me with negativity
Whatever's out there waiting for me
I'm going to faced it willingly
I've got a right to be wrong
My mistakes will make me strong
I'm stepping out into the great unknown
I'm feeling wings though I've never flown
I've got a mind of my own
Flesh and blood to the bone
See, I'm not made of stone
I've got a right to be wrong
Joss Stone
Mood : Blue
Chance of Tears : maybe
Weekend : Hopefully Sunny with Clear skies
I've got a right to be wrong
My mistakes will make me strong
I'm stepping out into the great unknown
I'm feeling wings though I've never flown
i`ve got a mind of my own
I'm flesh and blood to the bone
I'm not made of stone
Got a right to be wrong
So just leave me alone
I've got a right to be wrong
I've been held down too long
I've got to break free
So I can finally breathe
i`ve got a right to be wrong
Got to sing my own song
I might be singing out of key
But it sure feels good to me
Got a right to be wrong
So just leave me alone
You're entitled to your opinion
But it's really my decision
I can't turn back I'm on a mission
If you care don't you dare blur my vision
Let me be all that I can be
Don't smother me with negativity
Whatever's out there waiting for me
I'm going to faced it willingly
I've got a right to be wrong
My mistakes will make me strong
I'm stepping out into the great unknown
I'm feeling wings though I've never flown
I've got a mind of my own
Flesh and blood to the bone
See, I'm not made of stone
I've got a right to be wrong
Joss Stone
CRAVE
Last night was Gaurav's last night in GGN (as a SME anyways)
So we had a party for him at a club called CRAVE .
It was inside a mall in GGN - I find that so funny that all the malls have clubs in them .
I think one day there will be little mall worlds ..where people can just go and live .
How would that be - I wonder if you could by a place in a mall and convert it into a studio .
That way would never have to drive to the mall .
This is such Random BS that I better stop now .
So we had a party for him at a club called CRAVE .
It was inside a mall in GGN - I find that so funny that all the malls have clubs in them .
I think one day there will be little mall worlds ..where people can just go and live .
How would that be - I wonder if you could by a place in a mall and convert it into a studio .
That way would never have to drive to the mall .
This is such Random BS that I better stop now .
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Just another Manic Monday
Another Day ..Another Story . So my team celebrated my belated birthday this Monday . They got me a bunch of the nicest flowers ever! and proceeded to plaster my face with Birthday Cake !
I think I am going to start wearing cake instead of makeup . It makes more people smile anyways !
The more birthdays I celebrate - the more I realise that deep down inside I'm always going to be a child ....who believes in magic ..fairy tales ..happy endings and that deep down inside everyone is good . Hope is a funny thing . Infact ..somesay ..that Hope is everything . Get busy living ..or get busy dying ..and every year as I blow the now increasing number of candles out and cut the cake ..I have more reasons to celebrate than the year before and for that I am thankful .
The question though is that when did I become an adult ..and how do I make it stop :)
I think I am going to start wearing cake instead of makeup . It makes more people smile anyways !
The more birthdays I celebrate - the more I realise that deep down inside I'm always going to be a child ....who believes in magic ..fairy tales ..happy endings and that deep down inside everyone is good . Hope is a funny thing . Infact ..somesay ..that Hope is everything . Get busy living ..or get busy dying ..and every year as I blow the now increasing number of candles out and cut the cake ..I have more reasons to celebrate than the year before and for that I am thankful .
The question though is that when did I become an adult ..and how do I make it stop :)
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Weekend Wows
Pic1 : Jason and Kau at the Grand Lounge
Pic2 : Soraya , Hassan and Kau
Sunset over New Delhi
India wins the 2nd ODI at Bangalore ! Jiyo Sar Uthake !!!
Gaurav , Kau and Hassan celebrating
At Pizza Hut on Janpath , Jason showing the desi folks how to dance on "Backstreet's Back " Alright !
My Faux Pas Jewellery Store ( read on for more details !)
So my first weekend in Delhi started on a very crazy note !
Friday night work was done at 9 pm . Our cars did not show up till past 10 pm .
Then with Shaadi season going on ...we were stuck in relentless traffic for over 3 hours . At 12 midnight ..When our car hadnt moved for about 20 mins or so ..Gaurav , Hassan and I got out of the car ..left our Laptops in the boot and actually walked on the road for a good bit . It was cold and my shoes complained the most .But it was a lot of fun !
The net result was that I didnt go to Agra on saturday because I was too tired !
Instead we went to Palika Bazaar and Janpath ..and it was soo funny for me because I was walking with Jason and he was getting so much attention for the sellers ..who treid to sell him everything from gum , sun glasses , shoes , flutes ,agarbatti stands and who ever knows what else ! ...and they tried to sell me all that stuff too ! ...lol..we went to Pizza Hut and the waiters got up and danced and we told them it was Jason;s Birthday and they made him get up and dance with them 1
And the funniest was that it was to a backstreet boys video and He was so cute and sporting ! They loved him and we all had such a good time !
Meanwhile at Palika Bazaar - I had the most embarassing story of my trip so far happen to me ! ...So my obsession for chunky jewellery is a legend by now ..so I dare not elaborate ..but one can never have enough :) ..so when I noticed a really big ..amethyst , garnet and topaz studded pendant in the display window of this store for 115 rupees ..I practically fainted ! ...I went in very cautiously and asked to see a ring ..just to scope the store out . So I picked a ring for 220 rupees
and then started bargaining like crazy ..because logically if the pendant was three times the size of the ring ..the ring shouldnt be more expensicve than the pendant right ! ...lol ! ..at this point the lady who owned the store pretty much laughed at me and said that the pendant cost a freaking fortune ..but the silver chain it was on cost 115 rupees ! ...hahahhahahhahahah!
So much for my ambitious plans !
All in all ..it was a great day . Walked around the street in Janpath some more and brushed up on some bargaining skills ! ..everything was so bright and colorful ..I really thought I was in a real time version of Sarojini Naidus Bangle Sellers !
Life is dazzling and bright here ..Everyone is so hopeful and sincre in their efforts to sell something to you ..get their moneys worth or just see the items on display ...Its beautiful and beauty this side of the world does rest in the eyes of the beholder ..from the kids who try to sell you pillow covers for 500 rupees ..but really ...all they want is a dream in exchange for their ardious efforts ...to the flute players who try to sell you a flute ..nevermind that you dont know how to play it ..but every life does need a melody of some sort in it ..and the shrewd shawl sellers who claim that everything in their store is a pashmina ...afterall ..its perception that matters ...and what is caterpillar calls the end of the world ..the master does indeed call a butterfly .
Friday, November 18, 2005
Illusions...
"The simplest questions are the most profound.
Where were you born?
Where is your home?
Where are you going?
What are you doing?
Think about these once in awhile, and watch your answers change. "
- from "Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah"
I have a feeling that when I am 80 years old and decide to write a book about my life ..(what I remember of it anyway ) ..that the next few months are going to be a really pivotal few chapters .
You know that feeling ..when you think you are in the right place at the right time and in the right farme of mind ..that something big is happening ...you just dont know what role it has to play or what it signifies ..but that it will ultimately make a difference ..a small one or maybe a big one ..but a difference nonetheless..
I have a feeling that next few months ..with the changing answers ..the questions are going to change as well.
Where were you born?
Where is your home?
Where are you going?
What are you doing?
Think about these once in awhile, and watch your answers change. "
- from "Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah"
I have a feeling that when I am 80 years old and decide to write a book about my life ..(what I remember of it anyway ) ..that the next few months are going to be a really pivotal few chapters .
You know that feeling ..when you think you are in the right place at the right time and in the right farme of mind ..that something big is happening ...you just dont know what role it has to play or what it signifies ..but that it will ultimately make a difference ..a small one or maybe a big one ..but a difference nonetheless..
I have a feeling that next few months ..with the changing answers ..the questions are going to change as well.
A Wonderful Stroke of Luck !
Pictures : Shelita (Batch SME from woodlands and Kau )
SME;s having a good time at Buzz , City Center Mall ,GGN
Sitting here in Guragon India , I wondered today ..how did my journey start ?
I feel an excitement in my bones that only a free person can feel at the onset of a journey whose outcome is unknown ..for the most part perhaps .
It was Chinese New Year 2005 and I was at Beatrix and Joyce's place to share the celebration with them . There were about 10 people in the room and we played a game . There was a basket with cards in it ..and it was passed around . Each card had enough foreign currency in it ..to buy you a meal in the country ..So as it made its fateful rounds ..people picked out Euros ..and Other currecny . I was the 2nd last person to have a shot ..and I picked up the only card ..that had Indian Currency in it !!!!!!!!!!
It was a sign !! ..and if I didnt believe in signs then ..I do now .
Today I spent the 50 rupees on some samsoas and tea ..and still ahve some more change . It was the Kodak moment of my 26 year old life !
A few years ago ..I was really upset and angry ..at everything beacuse I really really wanted something and even though everything I'd known was tied and invested it it ..I couldnt have it .
Today ..lights years later ..I know for a fact ..that not getting what I wanted was perhaps the best thing that ever happened to me in my life .
Inshah Allah !
Have a good weekend !
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Rohan!!!!!!
So I finally got to see the one person I had been waiting to see for over a year !!!
My nephew Rohan !!!!!
He is the cutest smartest sweet baby ever !!!!!
I';m just not going to say anything ..posting pictures from that weekend!!!
I cant even tell you how happy I am right now !!
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani!!!!
So I finally break my 2 week silence ..its not that there hasnt been much to talk about ..quite the contrary ..sometimes words are simply not eloquent enough . This is one of those times .
Life is beautiful and the world is growing smaller by the minute . 2 weeks ago ..I was in my apartment ,packing and moving boxes and watching the fall grow colder and colder ushering in a cold winter ..and now ....I'm in New Delhi ..India is Shining ..and the 50 celcius temperature has not much to do with the warmth one feels here ..Home Again :)
So let me start by posting some pictures !
My Birthday was awesome !
Ushma surprised me by sending me the most phenomenol birthday cake ever !!! ...and it arrived at 12 midnight ..My parents were looking at my expectantly hoping that it was from a boyfriend they didnt know about ....but alas ! ..:)
I had an awesome day ..I had two Birthday Cakes ..one from Mom too ..Then I spent the entire day eating Chilli Chicken and Drinking beer in Legacy of China with Anurag and Sandeep ..who probably happen to be my oldest friends ...and then went out at night with Vinay Alok Mini Jaisinh Unnati Rupa Ankur and Rohit to some place called "Firangi Ka Dhaba " and ate some more rocking food !!!
I always thought that my 26th year was going to be the best ..but I think the 27th one is going to be the besttt ever !!!!!( and that was said in my usual style ..lol! )
Life is beautiful and the world is growing smaller by the minute . 2 weeks ago ..I was in my apartment ,packing and moving boxes and watching the fall grow colder and colder ushering in a cold winter ..and now ....I'm in New Delhi ..India is Shining ..and the 50 celcius temperature has not much to do with the warmth one feels here ..Home Again :)
So let me start by posting some pictures !
My Birthday was awesome !
Ushma surprised me by sending me the most phenomenol birthday cake ever !!! ...and it arrived at 12 midnight ..My parents were looking at my expectantly hoping that it was from a boyfriend they didnt know about ....but alas ! ..:)
I had an awesome day ..I had two Birthday Cakes ..one from Mom too ..Then I spent the entire day eating Chilli Chicken and Drinking beer in Legacy of China with Anurag and Sandeep ..who probably happen to be my oldest friends ...and then went out at night with Vinay Alok Mini Jaisinh Unnati Rupa Ankur and Rohit to some place called "Firangi Ka Dhaba " and ate some more rocking food !!!
I always thought that my 26th year was going to be the best ..but I think the 27th one is going to be the besttt ever !!!!!( and that was said in my usual style ..lol! )
Monday, October 17, 2005
Grey's Anatomy
Meredith: A couple of hundred years ago, Benjamin Franklin shared with the world the secret of his success. Never leave that till tomorrow, he said, which you can do today. This is the man who discovered electricity. You think more people would listen to what he had to say...Still sometimes we have to see for ourselves. We have to make our own mistakes. We have to learn our own lessons. We have to sweep today's possibility under tomorrow's rug until we can't anymore. Until we finally understand for ourselves what Benjamin Franklin really meant. That knowing is better than wondering, that waking is better than sleeping, and even the biggest failure, even the worst, beat the hell out of never trying.
Another quote :
You know when you were a little kid and you believed in fairy tales? That fantasy of what your life would be –white dress, prince charming who would carry you away to a castle on a hill. You’d lie in your bed at night and close your eyes and you had complete and utter faith. Santa clause, the tooth fairy, prince charming –they were so close you could taste them. But eventually you grow up and one day you open your eyes and the fairy tale disappears. Most people turn to the things and people they trust. But the thing is, it’s hard to let go of that fairy tale entirely because almost everyone has that smallest bit of faith and hope that one day they would open their eyes and it would all come true. At the end of the day, faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don’t really expect it. It’s like one day you realize that the fairy tale is slightly different than your dream. The castle, well it may not be a castle. And it’s not so important that it’s happily ever after –just that it’s happy right now. See, once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you. And once in awhile, people may even take your breath away. –Meredith, Grey’s Anatomy
Another quote :
You know when you were a little kid and you believed in fairy tales? That fantasy of what your life would be –white dress, prince charming who would carry you away to a castle on a hill. You’d lie in your bed at night and close your eyes and you had complete and utter faith. Santa clause, the tooth fairy, prince charming –they were so close you could taste them. But eventually you grow up and one day you open your eyes and the fairy tale disappears. Most people turn to the things and people they trust. But the thing is, it’s hard to let go of that fairy tale entirely because almost everyone has that smallest bit of faith and hope that one day they would open their eyes and it would all come true. At the end of the day, faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don’t really expect it. It’s like one day you realize that the fairy tale is slightly different than your dream. The castle, well it may not be a castle. And it’s not so important that it’s happily ever after –just that it’s happy right now. See, once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you. And once in awhile, people may even take your breath away. –Meredith, Grey’s Anatomy
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Thrive
Finally - Here is the new Kaiser Permanente Commercial that I absolutely love!
"We Stand for brocolli .Pilates and Dental Floss. We believe in the treadmill and its siblings the stairmaster and the elliptical .In SPF 30 we trust .We stand for seatbelts and stopping HIV.We believe that fruit makes a wonderful dessert.
We have faith in optimism .In laughter as medicine and penicillin,And we are morally opposed to laziness.We believe in physical therapy , physiotherapy and even music therapy.All hail cold turkey , the gum and the patch.We are anit addiction
pro anti oxidant. And have never met a vegetable we didnt like.We believe there is art to medicine as well as science .And we believe that health isnt an industry ..it is a cause .We are Kaiser Permanente and we stand for health . May you live long and Thrive "
"We Stand for brocolli .Pilates and Dental Floss. We believe in the treadmill and its siblings the stairmaster and the elliptical .In SPF 30 we trust .We stand for seatbelts and stopping HIV.We believe that fruit makes a wonderful dessert.
We have faith in optimism .In laughter as medicine and penicillin,And we are morally opposed to laziness.We believe in physical therapy , physiotherapy and even music therapy.All hail cold turkey , the gum and the patch.We are anit addiction
pro anti oxidant. And have never met a vegetable we didnt like.We believe there is art to medicine as well as science .And we believe that health isnt an industry ..it is a cause .We are Kaiser Permanente and we stand for health . May you live long and Thrive "
Random Thoughts .....
So its Sunday - 10 days to go .
its been a random weekend ..so heres 10 totally random thoughts ...
in random order ..
1. How much in Denial does one have to be ..to Deny even being in Denial ?
2.whats it about packing that causes us to unpack and unload mentally and get
retrospective about everything
..is it possible to pack emotions and problems away ...
I think if I fixed all my problems ..I'd just go out and find some more :)
3. I think Atlanta;s skyline looks nicest off of 85 South ..exiting onto 75 North
Love it ! ....would you feel small standing besides the ocean ..or at the bottom of
a ton of 100 storied buildings ? ..I think I'd pick the ocean ...because somehow I dont get intimidated by tall buildings because I always seem to remember just in time that afterall it was man that made them .. so it makes me feel bigger in some way ..
4 . I;m going to miss Starbucks peppermint coffee this year ..:( ..i think they only serve it in November ..
5. Theres so much of a difference between Norah Jones 's first album and second ..days change ..people chance ..songs change ...even though the notes somehow remain the same ..what is change ..when you watch movies or read books ..its soo big ..music changes ..pace changes and drama often follows ..in real life though ..its fairly small ..most people dont even pay that much attention to each other to notice ..but you know that you are different ..in that small way ..
6. If you ever go to San Fransisco ..you have to buy Jade Bamboos in China Town
8. sometimes I feel like Santiago in the Alchemist ..before he had the dream .
9. I really like the new Kaiser Permanente commercial ...
10. I wish they sold reality in non perishable tubes along with sun block ..sometimes it seems like people need a good layer/dose of reality to protect them and its so hard to find amongst cluttered thoughts
Good Night . I hope good things happen to you tommorrow .
its been a random weekend ..so heres 10 totally random thoughts ...
in random order ..
1. How much in Denial does one have to be ..to Deny even being in Denial ?
2.whats it about packing that causes us to unpack and unload mentally and get
retrospective about everything
..is it possible to pack emotions and problems away ...
I think if I fixed all my problems ..I'd just go out and find some more :)
3. I think Atlanta;s skyline looks nicest off of 85 South ..exiting onto 75 North
Love it ! ....would you feel small standing besides the ocean ..or at the bottom of
a ton of 100 storied buildings ? ..I think I'd pick the ocean ...because somehow I dont get intimidated by tall buildings because I always seem to remember just in time that afterall it was man that made them .. so it makes me feel bigger in some way ..
4 . I;m going to miss Starbucks peppermint coffee this year ..:( ..i think they only serve it in November ..
5. Theres so much of a difference between Norah Jones 's first album and second ..days change ..people chance ..songs change ...even though the notes somehow remain the same ..what is change ..when you watch movies or read books ..its soo big ..music changes ..pace changes and drama often follows ..in real life though ..its fairly small ..most people dont even pay that much attention to each other to notice ..but you know that you are different ..in that small way ..
6. If you ever go to San Fransisco ..you have to buy Jade Bamboos in China Town
8. sometimes I feel like Santiago in the Alchemist ..before he had the dream .
9. I really like the new Kaiser Permanente commercial ...
10. I wish they sold reality in non perishable tubes along with sun block ..sometimes it seems like people need a good layer/dose of reality to protect them and its so hard to find amongst cluttered thoughts
Good Night . I hope good things happen to you tommorrow .
Friday, October 14, 2005
D Day
Happy Dassera !
I saw this awesome picture in a newspaper I was reading ,of dassera celebrations in Mumbai !
Its so vivid , The effigees on one side reminiscent of a techni color bad dream and bombay's skyline on the other side , stoic , unyielding yet somehow welcoming at the same time .
I just cant wait to go back .
For the ones not familiar : Dassera is celebrated as the day when Lord Ram , after a long battle with a Demon Ravan , finally shot down Ravan with an arrow .
The quitiessential legend ..the triumph of Good over Evil .
I remember as a kid ..when I used to see Ramayana on TV . Sundays ..Not even a passing bird or waylaid car honk would break the silence of the show and for the briefest of times , everything would be still and possible.
Friday, October 07, 2005
Friday's I;m in Love !
"Moanday Tearday Wailday Thumpday Frightday "...naah ..Friday's I;m in Love !
The week is over ..the worst is done with and the weekend reeks with possibility ..Its the Power of Possibility that makes each day different from the one before ...afterall ..its true what they say ...that Today is the Tommorrow that we were all afraid of yesterday ...so Carpe Diem ! Seize the Day .
Saturday are action days ..filled with errands and chores , laundry and phonecalls and trips to the bank .
Sundays are wistful days ..to look back at the fleeting weekend and think about the coming week .
But Friday;s ..are the best ! ..and they are Best Served with a Drink ..maybe two ..close friends to reminisce and look ahead with , some nice Jazz or salsa with a twist at Cafe Intermezzo and if you are lucky ..Atlanta in the fall with rain .
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Man on the Moon
I read a story in the news today ..about a man who paid 20 million $
to make a trip to space .
..and so I started thinking ... if someone offered me 20 million $ to go to space would I ? hhmm ...the more I thought about this . I was vexed . My travel plans just didnt include this .
So if I had all the time , place , resources ..where would I go ?
If I had one month ..one year to do it all ..see it all
Paris ..Africa ..Greece ..Bali ..Chile ..HongKong ...Virgin Islands ..Venice ..Egypt ..Pondicherry ..Moscow ...Peru
I would in all probability turn my nose up at a half day trip to the moon and back . I'd be happier painting the Tour D'Effiel in Paris , watching the Sphynx in the moonlight in Egypt , on a beach with some Miller Light in St Croix , bonding with the Incas in Machu Pichu .
And even if I did accidently end up on the moon ...the best part of the trip would be looking back at earth :)
and so I started thinking ...is the World enough for me ?!
Monday, October 03, 2005
Starry Starry Night
One of the biggest ironies of my life is that my Favorite Van Gogh painting "Starry Night " was painted by him in while at the depths of his abject life when he was delusional and severely depressed .
And it is this one painting that changed my life by 360 degrees and brought me so much happiness in painting it and getting to know it they way I now do . Every time I see it ..its one of those moments that just takes my breath away.
Why is it that some of the most awesome and inspiring works of art have been created by people who lived in times far darker than ours , who suffered so greatly but whose thoughts were more free that we can ever aspire to be and these thoughts made liberated souls , artits , authors , poets and van gogh;s out of them .
" I know nothing with certainty - but the sight of stars makes me dream "
Vincent Van Gogh
Wake me up ..when september ends
" Wake up little leaves said the wind one day
Come over the meadows with me and play
Put on your dresses on red and gold
Summers long gone and now the days grow cold "
George Cooper
Its official . Fall is here . I was leaving my yoga class today and I could feel it in the air . There was a cold breeze blowing and something tells me it was the wind of change . And now its time . For the wheels to turn . Just like the autumn leaves ..to let old battles and grudges and disappointments fly away . And to rebuild ..recharge ..realign and restore . And with the winds of change to blow over to a distant land .
Come over the meadows with me and play
Put on your dresses on red and gold
Summers long gone and now the days grow cold "
George Cooper
Its official . Fall is here . I was leaving my yoga class today and I could feel it in the air . There was a cold breeze blowing and something tells me it was the wind of change . And now its time . For the wheels to turn . Just like the autumn leaves ..to let old battles and grudges and disappointments fly away . And to rebuild ..recharge ..realign and restore . And with the winds of change to blow over to a distant land .
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
The Wonder Years
The Wonder Years .
Years ago I saw Kevin Arnold and Vinnie and Paul live
in the little quiet subdivision and deal with their more
than fair share of love , growing up , friendship and family .
And I thought that my Wonder Years had long passed me by .
Not Quite .
2005 will always be my wonder year .
It was the year that I wondered if I'd made the right choice
staying at my current job
It is the year when I wondered who my real friends were .
It was the year that I wondered if I knew the good guys versus the bad guys .
It was the year I wondered if I'd accidentally bump into true love around the corner
and pass it by because I was too busy looking ahead to appreciate what was around.
The Wonder Year.
It is the year that I lost 2 of my close friends to poor judgment , lack of respect
and near sightedness.
It is the year that I found out that I had to hurt some people inorder to do what
I though was right .
It was the end of innocence in an vastly proliferated life .
Years ago I saw Kevin Arnold and Vinnie and Paul live
in the little quiet subdivision and deal with their more
than fair share of love , growing up , friendship and family .
And I thought that my Wonder Years had long passed me by .
Not Quite .
2005 will always be my wonder year .
It was the year that I wondered if I'd made the right choice
staying at my current job
It is the year when I wondered who my real friends were .
It was the year that I wondered if I knew the good guys versus the bad guys .
It was the year I wondered if I'd accidentally bump into true love around the corner
and pass it by because I was too busy looking ahead to appreciate what was around.
The Wonder Year.
It is the year that I lost 2 of my close friends to poor judgment , lack of respect
and near sightedness.
It is the year that I found out that I had to hurt some people inorder to do what
I though was right .
It was the end of innocence in an vastly proliferated life .
Journey to the Center of ..
So the die has been cast ..the playing field levelled.
I got plane tickets to go to India
Even tho its not "Amchi Mumbai" I'll be in ..hopefully at the
end of my 5 month stint ..I'll call it "Mera Gurgaon" or something
cornier ..like thats even possible . ha !
Subleased Apartment ? ..checked
Stored Car ? ..Checked
Sold Furniture ? ..Checked
Bank Accounts , Credit Cards , Phone on vacation plan ? ..Checked
I think living with Kau ..where theres a plan for even when plans
already in place dont work out ..emotions are the only unchecked
items nowadays .
I got plane tickets to go to India
Even tho its not "Amchi Mumbai" I'll be in ..hopefully at the
end of my 5 month stint ..I'll call it "Mera Gurgaon" or something
cornier ..like thats even possible . ha !
Subleased Apartment ? ..checked
Stored Car ? ..Checked
Sold Furniture ? ..Checked
Bank Accounts , Credit Cards , Phone on vacation plan ? ..Checked
I think living with Kau ..where theres a plan for even when plans
already in place dont work out ..emotions are the only unchecked
items nowadays .
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
I get by with a little help ...
Call it fate .. Karma ..or a little bit of divine intervention. But I had an everyday miracle today . Lisa shipped me a parcel nearly 3 weeks ago ..which thanks to procrastination and overwork ..I hadnt been able to collect from the not so friendly post office . So this weekend I received a note saying it had been shipped back .:(
Then by some cosmic disconnect - the person loading the trucks messed up ..and returned it to my address !!!!! ...All in a day;s work ! ...yes ..The postman always knocks twice !
Then by some cosmic disconnect - the person loading the trucks messed up ..and returned it to my address !!!!! ...All in a day;s work ! ...yes ..The postman always knocks twice !
Monday, July 25, 2005
Man , Machines and Maddness
Halfway into a gruelling setup , my computer decides to crash . Its time for a coffee break (most of which include retrospective reality checks)
In a world when everything is a complex jingle of 0's and 1's ..are we really at the mercy of machines . I cant remember the last time I wrote someone a letter ...or the last time I held on to a copy of a photograph with such fondness because I knew there wasnt a backup on someones hard drive .
I remember a time long ago in good old amchi mumbai when I was a proud subscriber to a VSNL student account . PINE was the coolest thing that had come my way in 18 years .
In a world when everything is a complex jingle of 0's and 1's ..are we really at the mercy of machines . I cant remember the last time I wrote someone a letter ...or the last time I held on to a copy of a photograph with such fondness because I knew there wasnt a backup on someones hard drive .
I remember a time long ago in good old amchi mumbai when I was a proud subscriber to a VSNL student account . PINE was the coolest thing that had come my way in 18 years .
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