Free rein to thoughts

Our experience with our first yard sale

2010-06-30T16:18:00.000+05:30

I am currently in the process moving (USA to India). This time around, we had enough time to plan our move and hence were able to plan to dispose of the things at home with a yard sale. This being the first time of hosting a yard sale, I was unprepared for the challenges it would bring with it.

Couple of mothers with toddlers decided to come and have a look at the things at home before they were put up for yard sale over the weekend. I was emotionally drained after they left. Their kids were running wild inside the house picking up everything they saw, throwing them around, going into all the rooms without their Moms, waking up my sleeping child (poor thing did not even whine and was so understanding that she waited patiently for me to lift her), walking over crockery. The mothers just refused to even budge from their haggling and buying process to intervene.

At a point, all my decency and courtesy went out the door and I had to ask the kids to stay put in the living room and not come into the room where we had organized the things that we were planning to put for Yard sale. Even that was not the end of it. Again, they ransacked the entire house (Kitchen, Living room, master Bedroom) and brought things from there into the second room, mixed them with the yard sale items. This was getting me irritated, but my irritation was towards the Moms.

It got me thinking how parents do not bother to keep an eye on their child and go about doing their own thing with the least concern for place they are in or the people around them. Though it is wrong and not my place to discipline someone else's child, this day became an exception. I just could not help it and had to put it sternly to the children not to take everything, take away things from their hands, and finally physically move them out to the living room.

That experience left me angry at the parents for not teaching good behavior and etiquette to their children. It is not the child's fault if the child does not behave well. As parents, it is our responsibility to teach them right from wrong, good behavior, manners, etiquette (inside our home and outside), to choose, to decide etc. If we do not do these, then we fail as parents and when the child grows, he/she has every right to blame us for not giving them the proper tools to be successful in their life.

Instead of enabling our children's bad behavior by ignoring them or saying "They are children.They will outgrow it", spending quality time with them, talking to them, playing with them helps. Children understand what we say and what we do, however young they are. Irrespective of the child being 6 months old or 6 yrs old, they understand us. It is up to us to find the right way/method of communication to them. The more time we take to be with our children, not just physically, but wholly, giving them the attention they need, the support and love they need, and the time they need, the better mannered, smarter, stronger, loving, happy and well communicative they get.

This said, there were other parents who came over with quite, well behaved kids, who politely asked if they could take a toy or a book that was on the sale pile to us and their parents, before they picked it up from the pile. Overall it was a great experience organizing the sale at home and a wonderful opportunity to know more people even at a time when I am leaving the place.

Appreciation for Old Age !!

2010-06-05T02:25:00.000+05:30

Old Age - All of us go through it one way or other. What we all fail to realize is that, life is a big circle and the truth "what goes around comes back around" - sometimes with 'extra baggage' as well ! In today's fast-paced world, all of us hear and read about families where elders (especially parents and grandparents) are not taken care of and ignored. Respect for elders and multi-generational households are also dwindling. Many ‘old age homes’ have opened as a reflection of this change, where elders live either from choice or because there is no one to look after them. I recently came across an interesting e-mail forward, which prompted me to post this blog. Here is a snippet from the same:

"Mr. ABC booked an air ticket for his parents' trip back to their home town instead of booking it in a train and was awarded with a very emotional thank you from his parents, as it meant a great deal to them to be travelling by air, for the first time in their whole life."

This is probably a trivial incident. I am sure there must have been various instances in each of our own life's experiences from where we can take countless examples. We often take our elders for granted and undermine sacrifices that they have done for us over the years with the simple statement - "It was their duty to do the same for their children". But if we really recount such 'simple sacrifices', it will be countless. There was a selflessness in their actions towards us, making our life better within their limited capacity, without us knowing the hardships that they might have gone through to satisfy our demands and delight us.

For example, during a traditional function like Diwali, they would have borrowed / saved money in advance, foregoing their needs, to ensure that the children are not disappointed about their fun with fireworks or new clothes !!! For such innumerable selfless acts, what do they get in return when they get old? Lack of emotional support, neglect by the family members, feeling of insecurity, disrespect and loss of dignity. Children often cite reasons such as being too busy with their own work, 'family' and children (yet they are always able to spend both time and money on holidays, expensive clothes, restaurants/parties...). They blame it on "Generation Gap" and 'brand' elders as 'conservative, boring and out-of-touch with reality'. When our own children grow up, it might be surprising to find us being categorized as old-fashioned, ignorant of latest gadgets / technologies :-)

On the same note, in many families, parents and their married children are not able to get along with each other. We also know about many parents, who still treat their married children like kids, dominating their choice of career, lifestyle and even family planning. The children are also lectured on degrading traditional values, lack of shouldering responsibilities and undermining sufferings of the earlier generations.

Having said that, younger generation and elders should respect each other’s 'culture', feelings and compromise to some extent. Children need to spend time listening to and addressing specific emotional and material needs of our elders, and treasure them. After all, our elders expect them to be heard, age with dignity, spend time together with the loved ones and a lot of love !! It is never too late to appreciate and cherish elders for their roles in our lives.

Our Toddler's "full" movie experience in a Theater !!!!

2010-04-23T05:35:00.000+05:30

Should we say, our toddler's first successful movie experience in a movie theater, or our success (as parents) to give her that experience in a theater !?!?!? Whatever it is, we were so happy that our little angel loved watching a "full" movie in a theater - Dreamworks' "How to Train Your Dragon" Animation movie. She is in love with "Toothless" (the Night Fury Dragon) and "Hiccup" (Viking Boy). She sat through the entire movie without getting scared of the dark or sound effects or irritated, with the fact that she is restricted to sitting in a seat, rather than being able to roam around.

She was also very pleased with the Kids Pack (Popcorn, Skittles, and Sprite :-) we got her before we entered the movie hall. It was much more enjoyable for us to see her emote, than the movie itself. Her "Oh.. no!" when Toothless is captured by the Vikings and imprisoned on their ship.... her "Ooooooooooooo" when the Queen Dragon comes out of its nest to fight the Vikings...... her "Appa.... dragon avan friend aaiytaan" (meaning.. Dad... the dragon became his friend !!), when Toothless and Hiccup become friends... were some of her expressions, while we watched this family movie.

It was worth the visit to our local "Groton Cinemas 6" complex to "experiment" a movie. after a long gap of over a year. When she was an infant, one of us would be standing outside the movie hall, taking care of her and to keep her occupied. So, we had waited for the right time to get her started again. Overall, we were one big happy family, when we got out of the movie hall, promising more visits in near future :-)

P.S.: When parents decide to take their toddler to a movie, please ensure that the movie suits their taste, is not too lengthy, and most important of all, it is an animation / cartoon movie !!!! Remember, movie is for them to enjoy and get comfortable with this atmosphere, so that you can try to take them along to your favorite movies at some point.

P.P.S.: This is the first time which we have seen an US movie hall, with over 50 people in one screening, especially for a kids' movie, which had been running for over 4 weeks now :-) Usually. there are no more than 10-15 people...

We like to Party.. We like, we like to Party !!!

2010-04-11T19:07:00.030+05:30

Last fortnight was packed with parties !!! It started off with Madhu's B'day party last Sun (Apr 4). On Apr 6, we had my B'day dinner party with our friends. Then we had 3 more B'day parties in a row - Madhu's playgroup mates. We also had fun at MSAT (Mahindra SATyam) Family Meet on Apr 9 evening. With so many parties, all three of us have been extremely busy, at the same time, there was no dearth of fun !!! It was amazing to see how a toddler enjoys these parties, when compared to infants.

MSAT team organized a "Kids' Corner" event, where kids, grouped by ages (0-3 yrs, 4-8 yrs, and 9 yrs and above) participated. They were supposed to express their thoughts on Spring season, as colorful drawings. The jury had a tough time short-listing the best depiction in each group. They also conducted the classic "Musical Chairs" game for the toddlers. It was a beautiful sight to see these little angels, scramble to get hold of a chair for themselves to move up in the race !!!

These events, along with Kids' Dance Floor music (nursery rhymes, peppy numbers like "I am a Barbie girl..") by the DJ, spiked the energy of the toddlers high enough to keep them going through the entire party, till almost midnight. There were also other family games, providing an opportunity for the families to get together and have fun !!

During dinner, the stage was open for the Family Talent Show, which again attracted mostly kids. The kids recited slokas or sang nursery rhymes and took home some exciting gifts, for braving the stage and the audience. Madhu also went on stage to proudly recite "Shuklam... Baradharam" sloka, and was very thrilled when she got her gift (her favorite Magic Bubbles blower).

Then, dance floor was open for everyone... Both the kids and their parents danced to the rocking tunes, till they ran out of fuel!! By the time we came home, Madhu was exhausted (of course) that she slept the moment she hit bed. It was so amazing to see how, even a couple of years of growing up, makes such a huge difference in the way kids react to crowds and parties. Madhu, for example, who used to get annoyed in crowded social gatherings, enjoyed to her fullest in all these parties. As parents, seeing her enjoy these moments, doubled our happiness as well !!

My Reflection on MNIK !!

2010-03-04T00:39:00.014+05:30

"There are only two kinds of people - Good and Bad, and no others !!" What a great lesson taught by Rizwan's (SRK) Mother !!! She uses a simple match-stick men drawing to instill this core moral value to her son. This is probably a lesson to be learnt by many of us !!

Wish our society can really understand Humanity in this simple light !! People continue to discriminate their fellow beings on Race, Religion, Caste, Creed, Color, Financial status or similar attributes. After so many generations of falling civilizations, wars for supremacy and control, religious hatred and communal riots, we continue our struggle to respect human lives.

"Love can win over everything" - a subtle message at the end of the movie but so very true. In fact, every religion preaches the same thing "Love everyone and do good" (or some variation thereof!). Indeed, it is our actions and deeds, which reveal our true choices and commitments.

Hats of to Karan Johar & team for the wonderful effort in making such a sensible movie, in the need of the hour !! SRK, Kajol and the rest of the cast have given their best, in conveying this universal message. There was never a boring moment in the movie. IMHO, Religion is just a way of life, a faith followed by each one of us, that suits our Core Values and Beliefs. We should always respect each others faith and belief. I would equate practicing a Religion to Parenting - One's Parenting techniques and skills may not be helpful or suit another's family.

Stereotyping a person based on his/her name/religion/caste is the worst degradation of common sense. Just because one person from a particular community does harm, does not warrant in "branding" the entire community as being aggressive and violent. Every group has its own do-gooders and extremists.

The famous global peace anthem "We shall overcome..someday" (adapted as "Hum honge kaamyab.. ek din" in India) is well used in the movie. Let us hope...We are not alone...We'll walk hand in hand... We shall all be free..someday !!

Amazonia (Novel) vs. Avatar (Movie)

2010-03-01T07:32:00.007+05:30

Having read most of the fiction novels in "Medical Thrillers / Scientific Adventures" category, by Robin Cook / Michael Crichton, I decided to try different authors this time. Last week, I did a random search in our Groton Public Library, and picked up this book - Amazonia by James Rollins. When I browse 'Editorial Reviews' of novels, I look for Amazonian Jungles, Egyptian Pyramids and other Ancient Myths, Mutations / Genetic Engineering and Aliens :-) This book seemed to have some of these "feelers" and so I got it issued. Having completed this 420-page novel in less than a week (usually, I take 3-4 weeks) is a testimony that I enjoyed reading it. Yes - It did meet my expectations with all elements of Amazon - Native Indian Tribes, Anacondas, Swamps, giant Caimans & a good dose of Scientific unknowns - Mutated Creatures, Pre-historic Healing Tree, Incurable Virulent Plague etc. From an 'Action' standpoint, you have Quasi-military rangers, trails & chases, death traps, stealth weapons, explosions to keep you glued to the story's mainstream.

A very interesting point is, I did notice lot similarities in this novel (released in 2002) and "Avatar" movie (2009). I have seen the movie earlier in Dec. 2009. In the movie, you have Hometree - the Tree of Souls, deposits of Unobtainium (!?!) beneath it, Na'vi tribe protecting it and RDA corporation trying to destroy / exploit it. In this novel, you have Yagga - the Healing Tree, source of evolutionary genetic library beneath it, Ban-ali tribe protecting it and St. Savin Pharmaceuticals trying to destroy / exploit it. Coincidence?? James Cameron should answer this question, though I did not see credits/reference given to this author/novel in the movie. I also noted that many readers reflected similar thoughts in the writer's blog @ www.jamesrollins.com.

Now that I have got a new author, who writes the genre I love, I am looking forward to read his other novels like Excavation, Subterranean, Deep Fathom, Ice Hunt etc.

I also googled some trivia below:

In 2007, James Rollins was hired to write the novelization of the script for the movie "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull".
James Rollins and James Clemens are two of the pen names of American veterinarian "Jim Czajkowski" - He sold his veterinary practice in Sacramento, California, to concentrate full-time on writing.

Web savvy Aamir

2010-02-22T04:43:00.009+05:30

Aamir Khan now has a blog of his own, with sign up option to post comments to his blog. The blog is available @ www.aamirkhan.com. Some of his posts are amazing and really heartfelt. I knew he had a blog on MSN spaces already. Did you also know that this versatile actor has a FB profile as well; pucca idiot. A true internet geek!!!!!

Heartfelt 'Paa' !!!

2010-02-18T04:45:00.010+05:30

Had a chance to see this movie very recently.....A wonderful movie with loads of messages and points to ponder. A few of my favorite dialogues in this movie:

"Thume yeh bacha chahiyae, ya nahi?"

"Doosron ka personal mail padna 'bad manners' hai"

"Pichle se... pichle se pichle... mistake"

"You do not become a father, by just donating your sperms"

And so many more!!! What a thought-provoking movie.... I am pretty impressed with the Indian Film industry, for coming up with many such bold efforts in recent times. In the list of movies that I enjoyed watching (I mean, not just for the entertainment, but for the message conveyed), 'Paa' also takes a special place.

It is refreshing to see movies like Paa, Black, Mozhi (Tamil), Taare Zameen Par, Phir Milenge.... Such movies openly talk about topics that are either considered taboo to be discussed openly or about the narrow-minded approach of the society, that refuses to think outside-the-box. The concept of stereotyping, which is still commonly followed in our society, is being questioned or viewed differently in these new-generation movies.

These movies showcase the "odd-ones" (a stereotype category given by the society) who stand out, in a different light. These movie-makers wear a different hat and show the problems and complications that the society's stereotyping brings in the lives of these "odd" people (e.g Isolating AIDS patients, or mocking special children and their parents). They also provide awareness on the medical disorders (e.g. Autism, Progeria etc.).

Wish these efforts will make an impact on our society and people start thinking and breaking from the clutches of the age-old miseries with so called 'socially acceptable' ways of life. This ranges from a variety of un-written rules to rituals, which are blindly followed in different layers of society at different points of time, again depending on religion, status, profession, caste etc. As we open up our minds to such new ideas and thoughts, I am sure each one of us have realized or will soon realize the benefits of being open-minded, at different instances of our life. Let us 'Heal the World' and "Make it a better place.. for you..and for me..and the entire Human Race.."!!

தமிழ் படம் (Tamizh Padam) - விமர்சனம் (Review)

2010-02-16T23:03:00.010+05:30

Watched "Tamizh Padam" movie a couple of days back... This hilarious spoof movie was a new and refreshing effort from Kollywood, the தமிழ் Cinema industry. They mock every 'formula' (or should I say 'masala') or so-called 'logic' , which has been portrayed in typical Tamil commercial films, but without hurting the original creation. All of us can think of a bunch of stereotype scenes - 'Punch' dialogues and gravity-defying stunts by our 'mass' hero 'Stars' (ranging from Super, Ultimate, Supreme...) and 'Thalapathi's (Illaya, Chinna, Puratchi..), typical village and 80s love scenes, hero turning into a millionaire in one song, 'Its a Medical Miracle' uttered by Doctors etc.

Some of the interesting sequences include:

1. Maniratnam's famous one-liners from movie 'Thalapathi', and ending with a different 'Ramana'

2. Hero turning into Crorepathi even before a Coffee is ready, all by doing some errands !!

3. Full-length song composed beautifully only with meaningless words used in many hit Tamil Songs like Oh Maga zeya (from Khakka Khakka), Shaka laka (Mudhalvan), Laalaakku dol dappima (Suriyan) etc.

This movie is strictly for Tamil film fans and frequent movie-goers, who can understand and appreciate each mocked-up scene and relate it to the original movie - counted at least 20 movies !! Though in some places it did feel a bit of a drag and could have had an improved screenplay... overall, it was full-time fun ride, minus any logic. Hats-off for the creative (at least for the Tamil audience) and different attempt.

3 Idiots - my initial reaction!!! WOW!!!!

2010-01-25T05:45:00.003+05:30

WOW!!! Loved it. Such a nice entertainer.... As usual excellent performance by Aamir Khan... Ofcourse the rest of the crew as well. Was transported back to my college days.... The essence of the care free life of college captured very well.

Ofcourse there were a few thoughts to ponder as well... Like:

Study for knowledge sake and now for marks or work.
The focus and pressure of the educational system.
The lack of practical application and simple explanations for complex words/mechanisms!!

You can add on any more if you like... But yes that is the crux of the movie. Must see...........

Surprised!!!

2010-01-21T09:04:00.003+05:30

Somehow with the changing priorities in life, I never got to blog about anything for a long long time now. With a daughter (toddler) at home, freelancing job, chat with hubby, visit friends, handwork, and the flare to read books, I never felt the need to sit down to blog. That became my last option in my list of priorities. Especially now that I am no more sitting in front of the laptop for a continuous 8 hours a day where I feel the need to take a break from the current job that I do, I really do not feel the urge to write.

But today, while I was browsing networking sites searching for my friends and trying to reconnect, I noticed that most of my friends, whom I have lost touch with, have started blogging and guess what they blog about!!!!????!!!! COOKING... They post recipes on their blog on a periodic basis. Some of them do it daily while some do it weekly and so on. So many of them who I never thought would get so domesticated ended up posting blogs with cooking recipes... But that is pleasantly surprising as well as it strengthens my thought that cooking is an art.

I do love and enjoy cooking. It allows you play around with the ingredients and create surprisingly fabulous dishes. But there is a risk that you will end up with a charred dish as well. But what is life without a little risk!!!

International Chef in the making...

2009-07-07T01:14:00.009+05:30

A child coming into your life turns it into an overdrive, that you hardly tend to find time for yourself. So I have been off the blog for quite a while now. My toddler is still a handful, but 2 years of being a parent has given me enough experience to juggle around my various roles and still find time to keep in touch. But yes, my social life has taken a back seat and I do not keep in touch with people as I used to. We are back in the US again, in the East Coast in a laid-back seashore town named Groton in Connecticut state.

Now that I am a full-time home maker and have more time to kill than I would have had if I were working, I decided to try something different atleast as far as the food goes and was pretty impressed with its outcome.

There is a saying that the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach.... But as I had already won my man's heart and only then married him, there was never a need for me to go in the way suggested by the saying. Still there is nothing wrong in surprising him once in a while with my culnery skills. I tried out 4 new dishes last week:

Broiled Tomato Parmasean

Tomato Pasta

Vegetable Manchurian

Baby Corn Manchurian

Unfortunately, I did not take a picture of the first two dishes... But I did take a picture of the Manchurian dishes, that we had with Egg Fried Rice prepared by my husband.

The first dish was courtsey Food Network (one of the TV channels in USA) while the remaining three were from a website called Indobase. I enjoyed cooking all these dishes and my family equally enjoyed eating them.

We plan to try out more dishes in the coming months... Will keep you posted.

Cherry Blossoms in Washington D.C.

2008-04-07T19:48:00.013+05:30

We are back after a long break in our blogging.... In the last year and more, there has been lots of changes in our life. Now we are proud parents of a beautiful 1 yr old girl, who keeps us on our toes at home in Alexandria, VA.

The natural beauty we enjoyed at the "National Cherry Blossom festival" in Washington D.C. prompted us to write a post. The sight was an amazing visual treat to our eyes, stretching beside the Potomac river. Such wonderful colors and beautiful flowers!!!! This festival is usually celebrated for 2 weeks - from March 29 to April 13, 2008.

For those who do not know what the festival is about, here is an excerpt from About.com "Washington, DC welcomes the arrival of spring with the National Cherry Blossom Festival, a tradition that showcases the beautiful gift of 3,000 cherry trees that the city of Tokyo gave to our nation’s capital. The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual two-week, city-wide event featuring more than 200 international cultural performances and over 90 other special events. From arts and exhibits to cuisine and sports, there is something for everyone to enjoy! The blossoming cherry trees symbolize the arrival of spring and brighten the area surrounding the Jefferson Memorial on the Tidal Basin with their vibrant pale pink and white flowers.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off the busy tourist season in Washington, DC and includes many special events near the monuments and the museums on the National Mall." (Source: http://dc.about.com/cs/familyactivities/a/CherryBlossom.htm)

Like the above excerpt says, the city is flooded with people coming from all over the place to see the blooms and participate in the various cultural programs. We tried our best to capture the beauty through our camera lenses... Hope you enjoy these pictures as much as we enjoyed the sight in person....

For more pictures and information, you can also look at:
http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/
http://dc.about.com/od/hoildaysseasonalevents/ss/CherryBlossoms.htm
http://dc.about.com/library/maps/blmapTidalBasin.htm

Blogging and Active Life

2007-01-29T12:59:00.000+05:30

I read somewhere that the more activity filled your life becomes you tend to blog lesser and lesser. I do not know if this is for a fact... But in my case, I can see this happening. With my family life getting busier and active day-by-day, I tend to find lesser time to blog.

Probably some of you might think I am just reasoning out to justify my lack of blogging... But believe me, though there are lots of things that I would like to blog about, I have not yet found the time to accumulate them, converge them into a topic and put them in words.

Now coming back to the current topic, I do see that some of my friends who used to blog regularly and some other blogs that I used to frequent have also become less active. I was just wondering if their lives were also getting too active that they found lesser time to visit their blogs and update them....

My Encounter with the King of the Beasts !!

2006-11-30T17:44:00.000+05:30

I couldn't imagine we were there - the Lion Sanctuary at Gir (Gujarat)- Only Asiatic Lion Forest reserve. The idea of visiting this place, when I first saw the hoarding at a traffic signal "We offer a unique and stimulating wildlife adventure - The “Walking with Lions” Safari. The lions are unrestrained and roam free as you join them on a walk through the vegetation on the banks of the river. The safari is fully supervised and professionally managed by an experienced and qualified team

During the safari inside the jungle, our guide elaborated Lions' behavior towards human intervention, within "their" territory. During the daytime the lion seldom attacks man, and sometimes even when meeting a traveler, he is said to pass by him unnoticed; but when the shades of evening descend, his mood undergoes a change. After sunset it is dangerous to venture out of camp, for the lion lies in wait. It was already 5 PM and I could sense the humid tropical climate. After an hour or so, near the so-called 'spotting area', I decided to take a little walk around the thick vegetation to calm my nerves and overcome his dreadful narration my guide gave. I was transformed into a different world, clicking photos of Mother Nature.

The pleasant sound of rushing water coming from the small river, a few hundred feet from the place where we were standing in a group, made me realize that I was indeed very thirsty for a draught of that cool sparkling water. I looked carefully around the peaceful dusk scene and listened intently for any strange sounds before venturing cautiously towards the river. Having assured myself that 'all was well', I went close the river, which was hidden by the rocks. A small herd of deers were also watering a little further downstream.

However, my enjoyment was cut short in an instant, when I spied out of the corner of my eye an unexpected ominous sight......Less than twenty feet from me, posing on the rocks, was a huge majestic Lion.

Terrified at the unexpected sight of such a beast, that seemed to have its eyes fixed elsewhere, I instantly took my camera. The moment I clicked it (the photo above), I see the lion stand up and stretch itself. Breathless and half dead with fear, I remained silent and motionless for a length of time. To my great terror and astonishment, my eyes met those of the animal, which flashed fire at me.

I do not have words to describe the feelings I experienced at that high-pressure moment. My hands are still shaking as I type these words on my computer. All of a sudden, I hear my group calling out my name aloud. I walk back, step-by-step, not showing my back to the King, thinking it might upset him and end up in a futile catch-me-if-you-can game. After I presented myself in the vicinity of my safari group, we hear the King give a loud roar and everyone was shocked to see me emerge out of the thick vegetation, white as marble !!

P.S: I am sure you enjoyed reading my encounter experience with the King of the Beasts !! Now for the climax… this was just 'spine-tingling' narration I tried to create, after remembering a fascinating piece in my eighth grade. This was about experiences of hunting Royal Bengal tigers in the Indian Himalaya by Jim Corbett, an expert in the pursuit of man-eating big cats, in his book titled "Man-Eaters of Kumaon". The above photo was shot by me at Hyderabad's Nehru Zoological Park :-)

Trip to God's Own Country - Kumarakom

2006-09-01T08:33:00.002+05:30

We have been off the Net for quite sometime. Bharath is usually busy with his office work. Once in a while when he finds some time off his work, he blogs. After resigning my job and becoming a full-time home maker, I have been quite busy with my hands full with responsibilities. I believe that it is quite challenging to be a full-time home maker, than being a career-oriented woman. But being busy has been a great fun.

In these three months, there have been lots of interesting things that have happened. One of the most wonderful event was our trip to Kumarakom in Kerela. Such a wonderful place.... So close to nature.

We both wanted to break off from our hectic schedule. So as soon as I resigned, we planned a trip to this place. The entire credit for selecting the place goes to Bharath. We had a wonderful three days away from the hustle-bustle of the city, traffic, and work. We stayed in KTDC WaterScapes resort. It is on the bank of the Vembanad lake (the largest backwater lake). The added attraction of this resort is that, it is surrounded with lush greenery and also has an natural bird sanctuary, with many exotic species of birds...

The entire village of Kumarakom is a group of 27 islets surrounded by canals branching from the Vembanad lake. Most of the people here earn their living either with fishing or from farming. The main crop grown here is paddy.

The paddy fields are below the sea level and are safeguarded from the backwaters by just the clay walls separating it from the canals. The main mode of transport within the village is by canoes.

From here we visited an island named 'Pathirimanal'. The specialty of this island is that it is totally uninhabited. There were 8 families which were living on this island but they were evacuated and moved to the main island of Kumarakom. The tropical rain forest vegetation can be seen in its natural sense without any human intervention. The stay was sheer bliss and revived our spirits.

We had gone there during off season and hence were lucky to see the tropical climate (sudden showers) in action. It was an amazing experience. In just about a minute's time the weather changed from sunny to heavy downpour accompanied by a gale. I am not sure if my words have justified the beauty of the place...

WaterScapes @ Kumarakom comes with our highest recommendation to any nature lover, visiting this @ God's own country....

Quit work

2006-05-26T17:03:00.000+05:30

Today is my last day at my current job and firm. I have quit job and have decided to take a break from the hectic schedule. Wanted to enjoy the leisure at home for sometime before I can get back to career. Feeling relaxed and happy anticipating the less hectic life from Monday. I will have enough time for all my hobbies and interests now.

On the eve of our first anniversary

2006-05-19T17:10:00.000+05:30

It is the eve of our first wedding anniversary and the tragedy is that both of us are at our work places doing regular work. Bharath is on call with his US conterparts for some complicated proposal delivery and I am supporting customers for their production hiccups while implementing the help desk software.

But we both plan to enjoy the day tomorrow. We are strictly off the phone for official calls (corresponding superiors please take the hint) and I am taking an off tomorrow from office. We have both our families visiting us. Hope to have a gala time tomorrow - our second wedding day. It just feels great realizing that we have completed one full year after marriage.

Balancing work life and social life

2006-05-02T11:53:00.000+05:30

I got a fwd from Bharath about a topic on Late Sitting and what the Infosys' chairman and chief mentor Narayana Murthy felt about it. Am just quotting it below:

Infosys' Chairman and Chief Mentor Mr. Narayana Murthy's Speech on Late sitting:

I know people who work 12 hours a day, six days a week, or more. Some people do so because of a work emergency where the long hours are only temporary. Other people I know have put in these hours for years. I don't know if they are working all these hours, but I do know they are in the office this long. Others put in long office hours because they are addicted to the workplace. Whatever the reason for putting in overtime, working long hours over the long term is harmful to the person and to the organization.

There are things managers can do to change this for everyone's benefit. Being in the office long hours, over long periods of time, makes way for potential errors. My colleagues who are in the office long hours frequently make mistakes caused by fatigue. Correcting these mistakes requires their time as well as the time and energy of others. I have seen people work Tuesday through Friday to correct mistakes made after 5 PM on Monday.

Another problem is that people who are in the office for long hours are not pleasant company. They often complain about other people (who aren't working as hard); they are irritable, or cranky, or even angry. Other people avoid them. Such behavior poses problems, where work goes much better when people work together instead of avoiding one another.

As Managers, there are things we can do to help people leave the office. First and foremost is to set the example and go home ourselves. I work with a manager who chides people for working long hours. His words quickly lose their meaning when he sends these chiding group e-mails with a time-stamp of 2 AM, Sunday.

Second is to encourage people to put some balance in their lives. For instance, here is a guideline I find helpful:
Wake up, eat a good breakfast, and go to work.
Work hard and smart for eight or nine hours.
Go home.
Read the comics, watch a funny movie, dig in the dirt, play with your kids, etc.
Eat well and sleep well.
This is called recreating. Doing steps 1, 3, 4, and 5 enable step 2. Working regular hours and recreating daily are simple concepts. They are hard for some of us because that requires personal change. They are possible since we all have the power to choose to do them.

In considering the issue of overtime, I am reminded of my eldest son. When he was a toddler, if people were visiting the apartment, he would not fall asleep no matter how long the visit, and no matter what time of day it was. He would fight off sleep until the visitors left... It was as if he was afraid that he would miss something. Once our visitors' left, he would go to sleep. By this time, however, he was over tired and would scream through half the night with nightmares. He, my wife, and I, all paid the price for his fear of missing out.

Perhaps some people put in such long hours because they don't want to miss anything when they leave the office. The trouble with this is that events will never stop happening. That is life! Things happen 24 hours a day. Allowing for little rest is not ultimately practical. So, take a nap. Things will happen while you're asleep, but you will have the energy to catch up when you wake.

Hence "LOVE YOUR JOB, BUT NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR COMPANY" (Because you never know when it stops loving you !!!!)

- Narayana Murthy

Reading this I was reminded of my collegues who put in so many extra hours of work and look so haggered. After the 2 days weekend, they come in so fresh. As the week progresses, they keep putting in so much of extra hours of work and by the time it is Friday, you feel sorry for them. They look as though they are gonna crumble the next minute. And as mentioned in the above speech, some of them crib about their collegues not working that long and other such problems.

Why do we torture ourselves to such long hours? An interesting quote that I came across which may be related to the current post:

"Twenty years down the line you will feel sorry for the things that you did not do than the things that you did. So never postpone a thing for future."

Always ensure that you strike a balance between your personal, official, and social life. This makes your life enjoyable. And probably it is time to realize that extended hours does not increase productivity... Instead it will only reduce productivity as it paves way for increased human error due to fatigue. Ponder!!!!

Also the quote that he gives at the end of his speech is also a point to ponder and a quote that is close to my heart.

Self Responsibility and Self Realization

2006-04-21T11:37:00.000+05:30

I guess most of us keep getting forwards on how other countries maintain the cleanliness of their streets and improve the decorum but we as Indians do not do it... Not in our own country and sometimes, not in the country that we visit also. These mails and discussions on the internet actually makes me wonder. How much do we really insist and imbibe this thought of cleanliness in our own lifestyle?

Do we tell our kids not throw litter out of the train window while travelling? Do we consciously make an effort to collect all the garbage that we churn out and put it safely in the dustbins? Most of the times, I have statements, "Naan mattum kuppa podama irundha ooru clean aaiduma?"... meaning, "If I alone do not litter, will the city become a clean place?".

If we are so conscious of keeping our surrounding clean why don't we even tell our closest friends and relatives not to litter? I have been laughed at for collecting all garbage during the travel and get it home for dumping it in the dustbin. But now, there are few around me who also follow the same. This makes me feel happy and my hope that slowly the habit to litter will reduce and we would all become more conscious of our environment increases.

Everytime I get such email fwds talking about keep your surrounding clean, this is what strikes me first. Just thought that I would share what I do with the rest of the world. This habit of littering is not restricted to India or just Indians. Humans all over the world have this lethargy. But we tend not to accept it coz of the rosy picture that we see from what is told to us through media or by people who visit such places. Reality is much different from what is heard or perceived. Let us all take a concious effort to change from within first. This would automatically bring in a change in the entire outlook of the society as a whole. Just my two cents...

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre

2006-04-13T16:37:00.000+05:30

Today (April 13) in 1919, the most tragic event of the Jallianwala Bagh masaccre took place. Around 20000 people had gathered on the auspicious day of Baisakhi at Jalianwala Bagh, adjacent to Golden Temple (Amritsar), to lodge their protest peacefully against persecution by the British Indian Government. Just before sunset, General Dyre arrived with this batallion and opened fire indiscriminately at innocent empty handed people leaving hundreds of people dead, including women and children. Around 1650 rounds were fired into the crowd. The crowd was not even warned to disperse nor did they have any other way to exit the grounds other than the one that the General and his batallion were blocking. The only other place they could hide was a well. So people started jumping in the well to save themselves, only to find that the ones that followed suit were crushing them below the water. Many innocent lives were lost in this.

The official report accounts for 379 deaths. But it could quite be possible that the death toll might have been as high as 1000 or more. People who died even included the tourists (men, women, and children) who had come to Amritsar to celebrate the Baishaki festival. Udham Singh, a Sikh teenager who was being raised at Khalsa Orphanage, saw the happening on April 13, 1919 with his own eyes and avenged the killings of 1300+ of his countrymen by killing Michael O'Dwyer in London.

The details on these massacre can be found in detail at
http://www.punjabilok.com/misc/freedom/jallianwala_bagh.htm
http://www.sikh-history.com/sikhhist/events/jbagh.html

How many of us really remember this day from our history? Though there is a historical monument built in Amristar for these martyrs, how many visit that place or even think of them? Do any of us even remember the lives lost in this massacre and pay homage to them? Don't they deserve a nation wide respect and rememberence?

I salute to all those noble and innocent souls that died in the massacre on this day in 1919 and wish and hope that nothing as tragic as that ever happens here after. I pray that their souls rest in peace.

Young Party contesting the assembly elections

2006-04-03T12:24:00.000+05:30

I generally do not discuss on political topics. Not because it is controversial but coz, it does not greatly interest me. But I read something that caught my attention and so I thought, I would post it here for others to know also.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/03/stories/2006030315510300.htm - an article in Hindu that talks about a party with three young educated people contesting the assembly elections.

http://www.lokparitran.org/ - This is the website of the party.

Reminded me of the movie Yuva. Till date there were lot of them who were just talking about young blood entering the political scenario might bring in change in the political structure of India. Hope this is a start for the change that has been talked about for so long by lots of people.

Trip to Vembar - An adventure in the Coastal Village

2006-03-24T17:37:00.001+05:30

During the second week of March, we make a trip to Virudhunagar - my hometown. From there, we had planned a 2-days trip to the remote southern coastal village, named "Vembar" (Tuticorin District). This is my maternal ancestral place of worship. Every year, about 5000 odd people go there to offer prayers to our family deity (I love those trips... the last trip I remember was over 12 years ago). We were twelve of us this time in a cozy van. Traveling on the bumpy road (about 3 hours) we recollected memories of the earlier get-togethers. We halted at several places for snacks and to manage the downpour of summer rains !!

Back in history, there are some lineages of the Pandiyan Kings associated to Vembar. The people who live here are well versed in the traditional shipbuilding, navigation knowledge, pearl fishery, fishing and salt-making. We had to stay in the special thatched 'tents' constructed for this function. We worshipped the deities, spread across the barren lands. On the second night, we had to stay put in the van, since the tents were soaked due to heavy downpour. It was a real tough night!!

The best part of the trip was the bath in the clean sea (Bay of Bengal). We went to the beach twice and had fun. On the shore, vendors were very busy auctioning their daily catch. We could find all kinds of marine life - ranging from various fishes (Sharks et al), giant prawns, Sea cucumbers, Crabs, Sponges and many more. We saw a giant ray fish (whew) and an Octopus (a small one though)!!

Being a nature-lover, I was amazed by the unpolluted beach. Walking by the seashores, we 'caught' four live starfishes from their natural habitat. Bunches of visitors were awestruck by our 'catch'. Starfish (or Sea stars) are marine invertebrates (they are NOT actually fishes) belonging to phylum Echinodermata (bio. students?), class Asteroidea (!!?!!). They exhibit a radial symmetry, typically with five "arms" which radiate from body. They do not have movable skeletons, but instead possess a vascular system, having numerous "tube feet", which function in locomotion and feeding.

There were lots of fishing boats bobbing on the water. We took an "adventure" ride (none of us knew swimming) inside the sea, with the local fishermen acting as our tourist guides. The sea looked a deep blue, calm and almost scary.

On the way back from Vembar, we worshipped that 42-Feet tall statue of VetKaaliamman - a breath-taking, vibrant, beautiful statue in the open space (and hence the name of the Goddess. ‘Vettai Velli’ in thamizh means open, without shelter). The thundershowers continued to give us company (and the 4 starfishes in a bucket), till we came back to my hometown.

This trip is sure to be etched in all our hearts forever...

- Bharath

Holi!!!!!!!! The festival of colour!!!

2006-03-15T14:05:00.002+05:30

Most of us are aware of the fact that Holi is celebrated to commemorate the mythological event of the burning of Holika (Hiranyakashipu's sister) while trying to kill Prahlad (Hiranyakashipu's son). Holika was immune to fire but Prahlad's earnest devotion to Lord Vishnu saved him from the fire while burning the fire immune Holika, in whose lap Prahlad sat. So huge bonfires are burnt on the eve of the festival, symbolic of cleansing the air of all evil.

But today I was surpirsed to read in an article about holi on the net that, even in South holi is celebrated but is associated to a different mythological event. Here is the event as I read it on the e-article.

In the south, people trace the occasion to Kamadev - the god of love. Once in his foolish pride, Kamadev aimed his arrow at the mighty Hindu god Shiva who was in deep meditation. Lord Shiva opened his third eye and burnt him to ashes.

Grief-stricken Rati, Kamdaev's wife, beseeched Lord Shiva to take pity on her and restore her husband's life.

Shiva relented and granted a boon that Kamadev would live but he would remain 'anang', or without the physical human form. In Tamil Nadu, Holi is known by names like Kamavilas, Kaman Pandigai or Kama Dahanam."

THAT WAS a SURPRISE for me. In such a case, I wonder when and where was this festival forgotten and is now associated only with the Holika mythology and North Indians.

More interesting facts about the festival that I found on the internet:

This festival is also associated with the immortal love of Lord Krishna and Radha, and hence Holi is spread over 16 days in Vrindavan as well as Mathura - the two cities where the playful god is said to have lived.

In West Bengal, the festival is called Dol Purnima and revolves around what is considered an auspicious full moon night.

This is a day when people let go of all inhibitions and smear each other with gulal (coloured powder) and water with playful abandon. Needless to say, it is a NATIONAL HOLIDAY (Surprise!!!!!!!. I am wondering why this is not happening. Right now I am sitting at office and typing this blog).

Holi ofcourse is considered incomplete by many without bhang, a traditional Indian intoxicant made of ground cannabis leaves, milk and dry fruit. This gives a high and adds to the merry and naughty atmosphere.

Being an Indian festival, sweets always are a part of it. A special delicacy made of flour, coconut and jaggery called gujia is prepared in most households and relished by one and all.

As gujia and other sweets do the rounds, singing and dancing to the beats of dholaks follow. Many nowadays prefer to celebrate with hit Bollywood songs.

Once the fun and frolic is over, people retreat for an elaborate bath - in a symbolic cleansing of one's soul and the starting afresh of a new season.

One of those Tags.......

2006-03-01T15:10:00.000+05:30

It has been long since I posted my last blog post. But even this does not have anything important. I was tagged by Hari and I have been postponing this for a long time now. Hence this post. Till this tag I was free of the tagging concept that has been going on around in the blogosphere. So here it is.

Ten Years Ago

I finished my 11th standard.

Five Years Ago

Was in Hyderabad as a project trainee.

Last one year

Been with AdventNet for the past 3 years as a technical writer.
Married Bharath and moved up the ladder from spinster to a married woman.

Yesterday

Busy day … Nothing major happened …

Five Yummy things

Adai …
Pizza from Pizza Hut …
Bhel puri and Pani Puri
Palak (keerai)
Chola Battura

Five Songs I know by heart

Poomalai vaangi vandhal
Neetru illadha maatrum ennadhu
Hum Aapke Hain Koun.
Dil To Paagal Hai.
Chaand Ne Kuch Kaha.

Places I escape to

Home Sweet Home is the place I would love to be.

Five things I'd do if I have money

Make life comfortbale for my loved ones.
Donate for the welfare and studies of a kid that needs the money most.
Buy a flat for ourselves and set the interiors to blend with our taste.
Share the joy of having money by planning a tour with my close ones.
Invest for future of our family.

TV Shows

Tiny TV on POGO.

5 Things I can't Live without

Constant learning at home or at work.
Books
Basic amenities & Money
Family and Friends
Tatting

5 Cuisines

South Indian
Punjabi / North Indian
Chinese

I am not much of an experimentor with food and cuisines.

People whom I would like to Tag …

I don't think I would like to tag anyone.
____________________________________________

I may be off the blogosphere for some more time, unless Bharath decides to post any article of his choice.

Random Thoughts in Search of the 'Soul' !!

2006-02-09T17:00:00.000+05:30

"The individual who is mistake-free is also probably sitting around doing nothing. And that is a very big mistake" (John Wooden). I am writing this piece to make you think, while you are probably sitting around doing nothing….

Life is a wonderful thing to have - as confusing or simple as you might think. Have always been wondering what "Soul" or "Spirit" means, can it be seen or felt, has it anything to do with natural state of mind, our death etc. Lot of people believe that when we die our 'Soul' goes into some sort of re-birth or an unknown world, where it manifests/purifies before being re-born in another living form - the belief is that the 'Soul' has to experience all aspects of life ! It is known that the Egyptians believed in reincarnation or the transmigration of the 'Soul'. Bible described the 'resurrection' and many Hindu epics elaborate about Karma, Avatars and Re-births. Yet what happens to the 'Soul' upon physical (clinical or biological) death? Where does the 'Soul' go?

Has it anything to do with Spiritualism, Religion, Science, Gods, Ghosts, Afterlife - or an interconnectivity of all these things? Is it the so-called "force" we think an aspect of Mother Nature - all forms of energy - a physical-chemical-electromagnetic-spiritual makeup? Is it purely a human perception? Throughout history, human beings have worshipped different gods, made different attributions to these "good" or "evil" forces, that reacted different ways. Many religions, cults, researchers have poured out tons of 'gyan' and philosophies on Life, the Soul,the Mind, Emotions and Death....

How would an Immaterial 'Soul' interact with our Material Body? Feelings (like anger, stress) are proven to be purely a result of chemistry and biology - with no need for spiritual or supernatural phenomenon. What controls the functions such as the respiration, heart-beating, blood circulation, etc and what powers the brain? Without a 'Soul', the body is proven to be completely inactive and lifeless. Have you ever heard of an out-of-body experience where the person has 'woken' up from death, to discover their body has continued normally, going to work, etc? - No. In that case, if Ghosts are not physical bodies, then, they must be souls too !! Is the 'Soul' a 'backup' of the data in our physical brain that is somehow liberated, transformed to spirit form (whatever that is) and can live on?

Another serious contradiction is about 'Death'. In a clinical death, those the person is declared "dead", his cells are still alive. This allows us to pinpoint which aspects of life are 'Soul'-sensitive, which parts are affected by the presence of a 'Soul'. This implies that many animals do/might not have the so-called 'Soul' - or more accurately - that their souls do not affect their functioning even if they do have them. For example, all single-cell organisms (virus or bacteria), plant life are all clearly unaffected by their 'Souls'. Higher mammals like humans, in fact, appear to be the only type of life with the brain and other organs which appear to be 'Soul'-sensitive. Many thousands of scientific experiments have been carried out yet none have produced quantifiable results.

Evolution is the next problem for the 'Soul' theory. The fact that animals and such evolve through complex statistics and simple biochemical change ... there is no part of evolution from one species to us that requires the addition of a 'Soul' along the way.

The 'Soul' seems to me like a sort of an invisible phenomenon, yet it would require our bodies to exist somehow. It is impossible to resolve these contradictions... if 'Souls' exist; they are not part of us. If they exist, they are not 'Souls' as we think of them. Many of the theories lack any logical explanation and it defies the actual facts we have on the table. Wanting something to be true does not make it factual.

Think about these highly-contradictory 'Soul' Concepts !! With the advancement of science and exploring the inner self, soon we might understand... the 'real' meaning of Life and what our dear 'Soul' is all about!!

- Bharath

CSA - Child Sexual Abuse

2006-02-07T15:12:00.000+05:30

Had wanted to post about this yesterday when I read about the articles on Child Sexual Abuse. You must read the story written by my friend in his blog about CSA. It was very touching and clearly brought out the trauma that the child and its family undergoes when a CSA is committed.

From this place, I chanced on the post that inspired him to write the story.

http://educatethechildren.blogspot.com/2005/12/conspiracy-of-silence-child-sexual.html

It is so disheartening to see that our society that talks so much about culture and heritage refuses to put a stop to this. Infact even more alarming is that such cases of CSA and AIDS victims are high in our society. Rapes happen in huge numbers in our society. Why is it so?

My humble opinion in this is that, in a place where culture and heritage matter so much, the readiness to accept that such incidents are also happening is very less. People live in a state of denial. They refuse to accept that any person is capable of doing things that the child is telling. Another aspect is fear. In most cases of CSA, it is relatives or friends or family members who are the perpetrators. So the mothers either shun the statement of the child due to denial or refusal to believe that the person in question is capable of committing it or due to fear of complicating the relationships.

When I was browsing the blogs and google for information CSA and what can be done to minimize this, I chanced upon various sources, that gave information on the symptoms that indicate a case CSA in a victim.

Details on what can be classified as child abuse, indicators and effects of CSA, how to overcome the advances of a CSA perpetrator and more are available in abundance. The organization Tulir is working towards bringing about awareness about CSA and help the victims also. Creating awareness in children as well as parents is one of best modes of reducing the occurences of CSA.

Let us all try and make the world a much better place for our kids to live in by contributing our best efforts possible to spread the word around and create the necessary awareness.

Yeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaah....

2006-02-03T11:17:00.000+05:30

Finally.... finally..... .Finally I am also joining the club of the employees who have been given Laptops...... It feels so nice to work on a Laptop... Less strain for the hands and back.... No need to worry about ergonomically designed workplace as there are no other additional components that I need to access .... Everything is a part of the laptop itself... No more adjusting the keyboard and mouse to be at the same level.... No more adjustment of the monitor to be inline with my eye height and no more struggling to adjust my chair so as to reduce the strain on my back and leg and wrist...........

A Great Man, Mr.Subrahmanyam - My Grandfather

2006-01-02T15:50:00.000+05:30

Yesterday (Jan. 01) was my Grandpa's 11th death anniversary. It is over a decade now since he left all of us. My Mom used to say that I would always prefer to stay with my Thatha (Tamizh for Grandpa). He was a my 'Role Model' in many ways in my life.

First quality I admired in him was his 'Patience'. But if you ask his children (my Uncles), they would probably remember few occasions when he had scolded them. But I refuse to believe that he was even capable of getting angry. Such a loving and caring person he was. Everytime I say something about him in the past tense, I have to do so consciously, coz he is still alive in my memories.

So naive and close was I to him, that after his first anniversary, I got a call on my birthday in 1996, wishing me "Happy Birthday". The voice sounded so much like my Grandpa, which shook me. In the confused tone, I asked who it was, to get the answer "Un Thatha" (Ur Grandpa). For a moment, I really thought it was him and was about to shout to my Mom saying Thatha was on the phone, the hard reality hit me.... He was no more there to talk to me on the phone. And exactly the same moment, the person on the phone said, "I am ur uncle speaking. Can't you recognize my voice?". I was almost in tears but managed to finish the conversation and kept the phone down.

Even today, I try my best to keep my Grandpa alive by consciously trying to imbibe the qualities I admired in him, in my life.

He was a strong believer of "Thought Force". He says that what you think in your mind will eventually become reality. So always, think positive. From the time I have known him, he used to keep saying that he will live only for 75 years of his age and the day he dies will be celebrated by the whole world..... And guess what? He died exactly on a New Year (January 01, 1995) when the whole world rejoices. He just completed 75 years of his living in September 1994.

He died in Rai Memorial, where he was admitted for treating his colon cancer. It came as a terrible shock to all of us coz, just the previous day we all met him and wished him new year and saw him recovering back to normal. We were informed that he died of a cardiac arrest. He used to feel that he is a burden on his children coz when he was hospitalized, his sons and only daughter (my Mom) took turns to be in the hospital to help him out. He always liked to be on his own and never wished to be a burden to others. Probably, the very feeling that he was being a burden must have brought death to him. Everytime I talk about him to Bharath, he tells that he missed meeting such a person, and wishes that he came into my life earlier or my Grandpa lived longer.

When my Grandpa stayed with one of his sons in Besant Nagar, I used to go to the beach for a brisk walk with him, early in the morning. On the way back, we used to get milk packets for my aunt to prepare coffee and Boost (for me !!).

His standard phrases "Om Shanthi" and "Amma Thaaye Parashakti Lokamaatha" keep ringing in my ears. He used to say these when he felt tired or when his back hurt due to which he could not continue his work. Though my Grandpa is physically not present with me now, he still lives in my memories... very alive and he still guides me and is there to support me whenever I need him. I love you Thatha. And I miss you a lot.

- Aarthi

Wishing you all A Very Happy New Year

2005-12-30T12:12:00.000+05:30

Another year ends and a new year is on its way. Let us all greet it with a happy heart and open arms. Wishing one and all of you a very very happy new year and a wonderful year ahead.
Bharath & Aarthi.

Latest News on Super Star's 'Sivaji'

2005-12-23T15:00:00.000+05:30

Sivaji Rao alias Super Star Rajnikant, is the "Thalaivar" - Matinee Idol of millions - including me. This film persona has fans distributed across three generations since 1975, recording the maximum number of fan clubs across the globe. With his recent blast 'Chandramukhi' running the 250th day in many theaters worldwide, he continues to rule. Rajni's autographed photo (which I received for commenting on his movie 'Valli') is one of my priced processions. For some of you who might not recollect, my name is one of Rajni's hit movie - "Mr.Bharath".

One word that each of his fans think of everyday is 'Sivaji'. The most-hyped movie in the Indian Film history has the shoot rolling . The combo includes three giants: Rajni-Shankar-A.R. Rahman, a 'dream-come-true' venture for his fans. Needless to say, Super Star's 'Sivaji - The Boss' is the latest buzz in the media all over the world.

Sivaji, is most probable to be released on Deepavali day next year. But the expectation is sky-high and all distributors (including overseas) are very keen on getting the rights for the screening of this blockbuster of 2006. In this column, I will be sharing with you the latest media reports / gossips about this mega-movie in the making:

1. The opening scene & punch dialogues is of paramount importance for the fans. In 'Sivaji', Rajni's introduction scene will have the Superstar walking in the streets of New York downtown, Manhattan. The punch dialogues are penned by script-writer Sujatha. (Do you have a punch line in mind for the Boss? Visit http://www.chennaionline.com/film/News/2005/12rajni.asp )

2. Rajni comes in two get-ups, young son, old father. The Rajni you see on the ad promos is the young Rajni. Shreya pairs with him. Old Rajni has the looks as he appeared in 'Murattu Kaalai'. Who is his pair? Does he have one at all? We have to wait and watch

3. Rani Mukerji has been signed up as another heroine of the movie. Mohan Lal/Aishwarya Rai are also in discussion with the unit

4. The first shooting schedule had a song sequence canned in Ramoji Rao film city, Hyderabad. The 2.75 Crores worth set resembling a palace was used. The grandeur and richness associated with Shankar's song sequences can be expected in this song as well

Do you have an update? Please share it with us.

- Bharath

Rain.. Rain Go Away...

2005-12-12T15:07:00.000+05:30

Whenever rain lashes Chennai, Velacherry (where we stay in Chennai) hits the headlines for the wrong reasons. This fast developing locality and its neighbourhood reel under massive inundation due to the recent cyclone and 'fanoos' (should appreciate the media for hyping words like these - Tsunami??).

The flooding of the Velachery main and bye-pass roads got confounded with many apartments and a couple of factories pumping out water from their premises. Being one of the victims at Ground Floor, we had taken shelter at R'thi's uncle's place at T.Nagar (Thank god, it was on the second floor)

Adyar river going in full spate gave some residents jitters as any overflow would virtually isolate Velachery and surrounding areas from the rest of the city. In many of the households including ours, the residents woke up, after a horrifying night battling mosquitoes without electricity, to find rain water entering their apartment premises. Scared by waist-high water on the roads, some of us were even frightened after seeing some strange "reptiles" and other insects in the water. You will not believe we had a raft floating into our apartment. Also, we could locate fresh-water fish species, in our parking area !!

Glimpses of that horrifying weekend which I captured, while wading through the once "common area" and "entrance", on my way to buy some essentials for survival !!

Sunday Morning with 'Chiyaan' Vikram

2005-12-12T14:46:00.000+05:30

I had won a Slogan contest, as a part of "Cool Coke Dhool Diwali Offer" - An Ad behind Coke 500ml pet-jars. Needless to say, I am a major fan of Coke - despite R'thi's "health" warnings. My winning slogan was "Vikram and Coke goes together because both of them are cool, have great taste and an exciting treat to have".

Vikram promoted his latest film "Majaa", spent time with his fans and played his role as brand ambassador for Coca-Cola. We got four tickets for the special screening of "Majaa" at Albert theatre, Chennai.

About 200 people turned up for the show bright and early, a good number of them with children in tow. Vikram sportingly provided the sound effects and back-up vocals for the singers. The highlight of the interaction was supposed to be a game of Housie, the winners of which would get prizes and a photo with the actor. But due to much confusion about the rules, the game extended for over an hour.

However the audience seemed to be having a good time, with many false alarms about getting a `Jaldi Five' or a full row. And every time a winner was identified, Vikram would ask for an `O' and the fans would delightedly oblige. And when it was time for the photo shoot, the docile crowd turned more aggressive as they tried to get an autograph from their idol.

Unfortunately, we could not get close to Vikram or even get an autograph, but managed to click couple of photographs !!

Our "Thalai" Deepavali & Aquarium Special !!

2005-11-25T16:20:00.000+05:30

We both had a great “Thalai” Deepavali. Celebrated with fun and sparklers !!

The Chennai rains did not dampen our spirits.... The night before, we all had a get-together dinner at Aarthi's home terrace. Later, we had an interesting Pictionary game (trying to depict words like pegasus in a drawing!!), which went on till midnight. It did not end there.... We saw two movies - Sound of the Thuder and Manichitrathazh (Malayalam source of 'Chandramukhi'). Simultaneously, we were playing cards (Rammi !?!) !!

After the Ganga Snanam, we set the road rocking with a 5000-wala (@ 5:30 AM !!). With lots of sweets, lights and relatives around.... it was a memorable day.

We both had gone to my hometown during the next weekend - phase 2 of our Deepavali celebrations. We had gone to Vijay starrer "Sivakaasi" - the great masala mix of the season. My parents are planning to visit us in Chennai during mid Dec.

Seeing quite a lot of movies - ranging from Sci-Fi / Action genre (The Myth, The Island, The Cave, Harry Porter 4, i-Robot etc.) to cartoons - courtesy R'thi (Mulan, Prince of Egypt, Ice Age etc.).

We have recently setup a cute aquarium, which I am passionate about. Have got a lot of Cichlids varieties - including Severum, Blue/Rose/White Morphs, Rainbow/White/Tiger Sharks, Avaratus etc. !! Will try and post more articles on this soon.

I saw it, I enjoyed it, and I loved it.

2005-11-21T15:46:00.000+05:30

Hey you all know what... Am so excited and thrilled and happy..... Ever in my life did am I go to a movie on the second day of its release.... Yes........ I saw Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire on Sunday (Nov. 20, 2005). Bharath also liked the movie for a change.... Coz.. the 4th part has dragons in it. But overall, the fourth part was more like what the book was.... Infact most of it was as I had imagined while reading the book.

The best part of all this was that yesterday we completed six successful and happy months of married life!!!!!!

Waiting for the release of the next book very eagerly.

Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire Movie!!!!!!!!!

2005-10-14T16:29:00.000+05:30

All ye Harry Potter fans out there.... I was so thrilled to see that Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter - Part 4) has been made into a movie!!!! It is gonna hit the screens in November 2005. (that is next month!!!). Am just waiting for it....

Am so excited and thrilled. Eagerly awaiting the movie also...

After the break....

2005-10-05T12:20:00.000+05:30

I think I am running out of ideas for naming a title for my blog articles. But anyway, I guess I have been away from my blog for a long time now. So I just thought maybe I could post something. But then, as usual... writer's block....

Well...... I guess a review on the movie "The Island" would do the job.

Last Sunday, we had gone to the movie The Island. A nice plot which deals about a similar concept as described in Chromosome 6 of Robin Book.... Yes... It is about cloning your double and use its organs for your survival, when your organs fail... But here it goes one step further and we see that it humans that are clonned instead of creating a xenograph in an animal, which was the core of Chromosome 6 story.

Here rich and famous people who have some kind of genetic abnormality or health problems take an insurance policy which helps them survive longer by another 60 or 70 years. This policy would approximately cost them around 5 million dollars or more. This policy is nothing but a clone of their being engineered in the labs which will have a physical growth equivalent to the age of the insured while their mental growth will not be more than 15 year of age.

But as we all know it... Nature has it own way of breaking human barriers which is what happens in this case also. Though the engineered clones are not taught to think on their own and are not matured enough to have a thought process that is as advnaced as in a full grown adult, some of the clones that were the first ones to be engineered, develop some kind of infection that their mental growth exponentially increases at an unimaginable speed and they start thinking on their own.

But the insurers are led to believe that their clones are not mobile human being but are just vegetative. In reality as this is not possible, and the clones need to be humanized for the organs to function normally, the clones would be led to believe that they are sole survivors of a global contamination and that they are kept in isolation to escape further contamination.

But Lincon and Searah (2 of the clones) escape the captivity and reach the real world. How they get to know that they are clones and not actual people and how they cope with that truth and what they do after that is the story all about.

The very fact that another living being was slaughtered for a longer life of a human was threatening to read in Chromosome 6. But this is even more threatening than that.... To realize that people would do anything to survive... even kill a co-human being... is the heights of selfishness. But.. again it was my personal opinion...

The movie was really well taken and I enjoyed seeing the movie.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

2005-08-30T16:07:00.000+05:30

For our successful completion of the third month after marriage, Bharath bought me a gift of my choice; Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I got the book on August 20, 2005 night. I started reading the book on August 22, 2005 and completed the book on August 27, 2005 early morning. It was just amazing... The way the plot unwinds is great and kept me glued to the book till I finished reading the whole book of 607 pages. Cannot wait for the next book. But I guess its gonna be a long wait before the next book (Part 7) of the Harry Potter series comes out.

Bharath was surprised at my reading speed and commented, "Booka padikkaraya thingaraya?" (Are you reading the book or eating it?). After a long gap, my reading passion has reborn again. I am waiting to lay my hands on the next book, 20000 leagues under the sea.

And achievement of the day (today) is that I have posted two articles on my blog. I was so bored.... This has been a welcome change. Now to get back to work.

What do I write about?

2005-08-30T15:45:00.000+05:30

I could not think up of a better title and hence the title of the blog. I was feeling so bored and bogged down due the daily routine so I just decided to take some time off and blog something. But when I started blogging I was not sure of what I should blog and hence the title. It is 3 full months and 10 days after our marriage... I feel that my days so full of work.

Both of us work and during weekdays we hardly find time for any leisure activity or reading. And during weekends, the only time to catch up with friends and the lagging house-hold tasks, we are even more busier than the weekdays. Hope we are able to slow down and find more time for ourselves and our leisure activities soon.

It is Bharath's birthday today and I made Gulab Jamu (his favorite) today. He had a couple of jamuns and left for the office. This being my first attempt at Gulab Jamun alone, I should say I am impressed with my cooking skills. It tasted very good that Bharath, who does not like sweets took a second helping of the jamun. That made my day.

If any of you wish to taste the gulab jamun, you are most welcome to my house. I will be more than happy to serve you with a couple of them. :))

How about BLOB awards?

2005-08-18T10:46:00.000+05:30

Something similar to BOB (Brain of BITS) awards... Want to know more about this? You can visit the BITSians' Blog. And do not forget to post your comments for that blog.

Aamir's blog in MSN Spaces

2005-08-10T11:33:00.000+05:30

It has been a long time since I blogged in MSN spaces as I frequent blogger more than I frequent MSN Spaces. Today I just chanced upon Aamir's blog and was thrilled and wanted to blog that. Am yet to see Mangal Pandey - The Rising. I love Aamir's movies a lot coz of his acting... The movies that I enjoyed the most were Lagaan and Dil Chatha Hai... The kind of roles in both these movies were like almost the opposites. But still Aamir delivered it to the best effortlessly.

I know personally he must have put in lots of effort, but on the screen he looked very natural and amazing.

Okay I gotta get back to work now. For people who want to get to Aamir's blog here is the link: http://spaces.msn.com/members/mangalpandey/. To reach my blog in MSN spaces here is the link: http://spaces.msn.com/members/aarthibharath.

Removed the MyShoutbox

2005-07-27T15:58:00.000+05:30

There is some problem with MyShoutBox. So I had to remove it. Will include it sometime later. Here is the answer for Prabhu Aryan who wanted to know how I customized the clock settings. I just did as I was instructed in clocklinks.com site for getting the local time and then generated to the code and pasted the same as is.

Our Wedding and Honeymoon Photos

2005-07-20T11:34:00.000+05:30

Finally we have managed to upload a few of the major photos from each function in our wedding and honeymoon trip. You can have look at the photos at http://photos.yahoo.com/bharathbits

I know it is quite late. But I guess it is better late than never. Bharath's Dad had got the photo CD from Virudhunagar from which we have managed to upload a few of the major photos from each function.

My Marriage @ Virudhunagar - Part 2 (Muhurtham)

2005-07-18T16:52:00.000+05:30

It has been a long time after I posted the Part I of my marriage rituals. Been help up with work both officially and personally. My in-laws were here for the past ten days and hence I had to finish my work as early as possible in the office and ruch home to get their dinner ready. The work load at office is also increasing that I am unable to find enough leisure time to pen my thoughts. Anyway, today I decided to take some time off and finish the second part of my wedding rituals.

On May 20, 2005 (the D-Day awaited by both of us - Bharath and me) I woke up at 3:30 a.m. I did sleep at only 11:30 p.m. the previous night. But still, as these are once in a lifetime affair, I got up and got ready and reached the Mandapam by 4:15 a.m. (Me was staying in my uncle's friend's house).

Started getting ready from then on. At 7 a.m. as planned the Oonjal function happened. Some of Bharath's relatives had also particiapted. This went on for about an hour after which he wore a panjakajjam in which he returned back to his mandapam (Hanuman mandapam). Everyone seemed to have liked him in that attaire. At 9 a.m. Bharath and his relatives started from their mandapam and came to ours (VVS). He was riding on an elephant!!!!!!!!!!! They arrived at our mandapam at around 9:15 a.m. after which 5 ladies from his relatives had entered my room with the muhurtha saaree (weighing 1 kg in all). I was ready by 9:40 a.m. and our marriage was performed by Mr. Muthu, proprietor of the Idhayam group. The marriage rites were performed as per their custom without the agni or homakundam.

After he put the thaali, I was wearing 4 garlands while he was wearing 2 garlands. From VVS mandapam we went to Hanuman in a horse chariot. Me and Bharath were seated surrounded by 6 children in the chariot. Once I got down at Hanuman mandapam, after the haarathi session, his mom cam with 2 more garlands to welcome me as their daughter-in-law. I am sure I would have been weighing atleast 10 kg more than my actual weight that day. I stayed put with that weight for another 1.5 hrs before I was releaved of 4 garlands. After we were wished by all his relatives in the mandapam, we left to his house to light the kuthuvilakku and from there to the registration office to register our marriage. Only while going to the register office did I go without much weight.

After getting back from the register office, they left me at VVS to get ready for the Nalangu and my in-laws and Bharath went to get ready for the same. Nalangu started at 4 p.m. It was fun filled event with the usual nalangu components plus an anthakshari and cake cutting.

After anthakshari most of my relatives packed and left back to chennai in Nellai Express that night. After they all left Bharath's sister and Athimber came to pick me up from VVS to hanuman. My parents and a few of my relatives who were left headed to my uncle's friend's house for the night.

The next day, there was a small scale function organized in Hanuman.... Their version of Nalangu kind of fun events which ended with lunch. My parents and the remaining relatives left after lunch to Tenkasi and then back to Chennai, while I stayed with my in-laws for a week and landed up in Chennai on May 26, 2005. May 27, 2005 was my reception in Chennai.

Note: I guess the post has become too long. Sorry if it was too boring. I will upload the photos very shortly and provide a link to them from my blog.

My Marriage @ Virudhunagar - Part 1 (Nitchayadhartham)

2005-06-28T14:12:00.000+05:30

Finally I have decided to pen down the trip to and fro from Virudhunagar and about my marriage there before it is too late and the memories fade away from my grey matter. Our marriage was a mixture of both the customs.

I was off work from May 16, 2005 and was helping my Mom pack for the journey. 39 of us were travelling to Virudhunagar by the Nellai Exp. My Dad and my uncle left for Virudhunagar on May 18, 2005 by Guruvaayur Exp. (A day train) and reached there in the evening.

My family minus my Dad including my uncle and cousins, my perippa's family, and Chittappa's family travelled by a van to Egmore while the remaning group decided to arrive directly at the station. We all met at Egmore and had occupied our seats in the train. The next day morning on reaching Virudhunagar junction, my sis-in-law, her husband, and my FIL along with my Dad and uncle had landed up in the station. From there we went to our hall and took rest till the evening when all the work for the engagement (Nitchayadhartham) started.

The groom's family with the groom came in only at 8:00 p.m. Except for me everyone else had some snacks in the evening. I was already feeling hungry. Once they came, the function got over in 1 hour after which there were some snap sessions and then they went to their hall and we had our dinner.

As soon as they came in, my SIL and couple of her cousins came to my room with a saaree. I changed to that and they brought me to the stage. In the meantime, as per our custom, they read out the lagna pathrikai and gave the groom's dress to him. My MIL gifted me a pair of gold bangles and a chain. My SIL took me to the kitchen in the marriage hall for performing some ritual according to their custom which signifies that I am taking her role in their house.

Bharath was then called on stage and my brothers garlanded him, presented him the gold chain, wrist watch and applied a kumkum and chandan tika on his forehead. This was the end of the function after which all his relatives blessed us by applying the kumkum on our forehead.

We both were called aside for some photos. Then they left for the day and I went and had dinner.

The next day (marriage) was the fun part. I will continue this in my next post. Am yet to get the CD of my marriage photos. Once I get that, I will upload the photos for viewing.

Its one month since our marriage

2005-06-21T15:50:00.000+05:30

We just completed one month of married life sterday. It was a great feeling. After 7 long years of struggle and wait to get married, we finally got married on the 20^th of last month. I know that I still have not uploaded the photos online for all of you to view. But I will do it soon.

Sterday morning, we both wished each other for completing one full month as married couple. We just realized that there was no change in the way we behaved just because we got married. We still talk like we are friends and we lead a life that is filled with so much of love for each other. I wish that it remains the same way as long as we live. As a celebration of the day, I did not cook anything at home sterday and we had our food outside.

Just felt like sharing with the world about the important day of my life before I could post on the wedding and our honeymoon trip.

A tragedy @ my office.

2005-06-14T12:46:00.000+05:30

I just joined office after my marriage last Monday (June 06, 2005). I have been wanting to publish a post on my marriage, reception, and honeymoon, but due to the pending work load, I was unable to find time to do that. Yesterday when I started from home, I decided that whatever happens, I would surely write about my marriage proceedings. But as soon as I entered office, @ the reception, instead of our usual thought for the day board, there was a white board kept with the message that one of our senior collegues had passed away. The most tragic part of the whole incident was that he just got married on June 10, 2005 (Friday). His was a love marriage which culminated to the marriage after almost 5 yrs of struggle. And the couple were happy only for a day.

He drove to his family temple somewhere south of Chennai. He and his wife were returning back to Chennai on Sunday by his car, when the unfortunate incident happened. His car hit the median dividing the road and he was thrown out of the car and hit a bus on the opposite side of the road. The impact was so hard that he died on the spot. His wife survived the accident. He was cremated yesterday.

This incident shook me very badly that I was unable to do anything at all sterday. I still haven't been able to come out of the shock yet. I just can't imagine the plight of the girl who just lost her husband (and lover) just 2 days after wedding. I pray to God that she finds enough courage to go on with life after this and also wish that she would find some happiness in the future.

I am unable to proceed beyond this due to the tears that threaten to flow out of my eyes.

The company wide meeting sterday - An eye opener

2005-03-29T11:57:00.000+05:30

Well... The meeting may not have been an eye opener in the literal sense... Just that it made me accept the hard facts of reality that I was trying to neglect by convincing myself that it was my imagination working overtime. My friends have always told me that I am a vivid dreamer who keeps imagining stuff that would eventually spoil my own peace of mind. Very close friends who understand me well, keep saying that I am capable to jamming my mind with all sorts of garbage that is unnecessary coz such things that I fear of will never ever happen.

We had a company wide meeting yesterday evening that was addressed by 3 people: my CEO, a VP, and a product manager. All the three gave presentations, which they prepared in exclusion from each other, but somehow the topic that was discussed kind of overlapped. It was more on the fact about company vision, mission, and culture. Of course, it also talked about how faith/belief in what you do/follow and the passion for something that you want are important to bring sense to the work that you do.

Certain things that caught my interest were:

It is not a grave sin to make mistakes. To err is human. No one is gonna punish you for your mistakes.
If you do not fail in something, that means you are not doing anything at all. Only failures teach you to lessons that help you lead a successful life.
It is not wrong to be open and outspoken. (Though my nature is in no way in sync with the point, it just did catch my attention).
Accept your mistakes instead of trying to defend them.
Do not fear failure. Having a detached attachment will make it far easier to cope with failure.
Never give up. When you fave a failure, do not get dejected and give up the urge to fight back. Always learn from that failure and start thinking what next!!!
Career progression is a MAYA. There is nothing called a steady career progression.
Follow your dreams however wild they are. Someday, you will succeed in making your dream a reality.

All this was being replayed in my mind and as soon as I reached home, I wanted to share this with my Mom along with a few doubts that were still lingering in my mind. All the above can be implemented easily to any materialistic work that we take up. But when it comes to handling close relations and sorting out problem with your first circle of family members, your expectations mar your logical reasoning. Then repeated failure makes you give up at some point and you start becoming indifferent towards that person or relationship. This indifference is not a healthy sign when it starts showing up within a family.

My mom did agree with me, but unfortunately both of us did not know what would the course of action to resolve if such a situation does crop up.

Though these doubts are still there in my mind, the reality from which I was turning away hit me hard on the face and my attitude towards a lot of things changed. Today morning, I felt very different and nice when I started my day.

Marriage Preparations

2005-03-25T13:41:00.000+05:30

I will be bonded in a wedlock in May. Preparations for the wedding are in full swing. Purchases are almost nearing an end. My friends and relatives do not seem to be stopping from gifting me something or the other. My brother gifted me a pair of gold earing, my Mom's friend has offered to gift me a jewellery set while my uncle offered to furnish our house!!!!

This being one part, we need to finalize on the relatives list, which seems to be a never ending job. Infact it is also very confusing and strenuous. Hope that gets done soon so that we can start off with the invitation distribution. March is almost come to an end and there is exactly 1 and half months for the wedding.

But in a way, it is a wonderful experience... to be a major point in the planning, organizing, and execution of various wedding related activities. I am not sure how many brides and bridegrooms will be involved in their own wedding preparations. But for me it is a very enlightening experience. Now I realize how true the saying in tamil is:

"Veeta katti paar, kalyaanatha panni paar"

Harry Potter and the Half blood Prince - Sixth book

2005-03-09T14:56:00.000+05:30

Hey all u Harry Potter fans out there... the Harry Potter and the Half blood Prince covers have been released by publishers. There are going to be three different covers: one for the American Edition, and one for the Children's British Edition, and one for British Adult Edition. For more information view Wizard News.

Fired for blogging

2005-02-21T11:26:00.000+05:30

This seems to be the recent hot topic of discussion everywhere. XYZ fired for blogging. ABC fired for blogging. Why are people being fired for blogging? What is wrong. Blog is a personal web space of a person to put out their opinion about anything in their own sweet terms.

My definition of a blog is an e-version of one's personal diary. It is also used a place to broadcast your personal opinion on any topic of your interest to the whole wide world. So why is it that firms fire their employees for blogging? Is there any unwritten rule that you are supposed to reveal any company information (as simple as the work culture and atmosphere) in the blogspace?

I can understand when the case involves revealing crucial financial information or HR policies on employee performance appraisal system or such kinds... But when you are trying to talk about your perception of the work culture of the firm in which you work, why is even that held against the employee raising the thought?

Just a few questions in my mind. Am not sure if I will be able to answer them myself... But I wanted to put them down some where so that I can concentrate on other things instead of moving in circles and coming back to these same questions all over again.

Inactivity in blogging

2005-02-09T11:36:00.000+05:30

I did create the blog space with the intension of blogging about things that interest me and the about the interesting events in my life. Being at the most eventful phase of my life, I have been silent for quite a long time.

I just got engaged xactly 2 months back on the same date (December 09, 2004) to Bharath. This is not a traditional arranged marriage where parents look out for a match. He was my choice and I his. So as in the case of most love marriages, we also had to walk through fire to reach to this point. But even now, things are not back to normal.

With the marriage date getting closer, my tensions are on the rise. The worry about the merging of two different cultures and families is eating my head. Initially I thought I wud blog about our courtship period, the pre-engagement period (the problems), engagement, and post engagement life. But the fear of the unknown has taken up most of my thinking space, that I am just unable to get do anything else.

But I guess it is the same with anyone who is about to get married, coz most of the people whom I meet and share my fears tell me that it is very common and that it will all vanish once the marriage is over. I hope that what they say is true. Then maybe, I shall get back to blogging actively and share my memorable and embrassing moments with Bharath to all of you interested in knowing about us.

Looooooooong time

2004-12-20T15:20:00.000+05:30

After creating the blog, I just did not know what to post about. Now again, it is not for expressing my views/thoughts....

I have some 10 gmail invites. I have given away invites to all my friends. Now I have so many and no takers. So if anyone needs a gmail account do lemme know. I need your full name and your email ID to which I can send the invite.

Just starting

2004-05-13T15:50:00.000+05:30

Just signed up. Will actively involve in blogging soon.