DEWDROPS

Six Strings

2005-07-13T14:48:00.000-04:00

Here comes Johnny singing oldies, goldies
Be-Bop-A-Lula, Baby What I Say
Here comes Johnny singing I Gotta Woman
Down in the tunnels, trying to make it pay

Juliet, the dice was loaded from the start
And I bet that you exploded into my heart
And I forget I forget the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong?Juliet

We are sailing to Philadelphia
A world away from the coaly Tyne
Sailing to Philadelphia
To draw the line
A Mason-Dixon Line

We gotta install microwave ovens
Custom kitchen deliveries
We gotta move these refrigerators
We gotta move these colour TV's

And then the man steps right up to the microphone
And says at last just as the time bell rings
'Goodnight, now it's time to go home'
And he makes it fast with one more thing'
We are the Sultans... We are the Sultans of Swing'

… so what does this say? Simply that I WENT FOR MARK KNOPFLER’S CONCERT YESTERDAY!!!

2005-07-06T10:58:00.000-04:00

Please go to this link http://hemanginigupta.blogspot.com/2005/06/train-to-chennai.html and read the post that Hemangini has written.

I do believe that it takes lot of SOMETHING, I don’t know what exactly but definitely something more than guts, courage, grit to do what she has done.

Thanks and please don’t add any comments here.

News from India: Scribbling on Bangalore Mail (June 3, 2005)

2005-06-13T10:20:00.000-04:00

Today was Chennai day. Y’day night boarded the train to Chennai. My friend R did a Michael Schumi in B’lore’s pouring rain to get me to the station on time. Got an upper birth in AC II tier. There was a young married couple, a young mother and a loud Sardarji (some relative of theirs I guess). When it looked like that the Sardarji wont keep quiet much I volunteered to exchange my seat with his side lower and hurriedly moved to my new found haven. The whole day had been very tiring, having walked the length and breadth of Residency and M.G. Rd I was looking forward to a peaceful night ahead. I don’t remember much of what happened next, with my ability to sleep like Kumbhakarana, I was lucky to get up at the unearthly hour of 6:00 when the train chugged into Chennai station. I wud not have been a least bit surprised if I had found myself in Muzzafarpur, that’s where the train is headed to. Anywayz once in Chennai it was just auto – office – auto – bank – auto – office – auto – Central. Now I am on my way back to B’lore.

BTW, I met L y’day . I gave him the shock of his life. I landed in his office and the receptionist called him to tell that one Ms. Reena Mathews was there to see him. He asked the receptionist to give me the phone and asked me a thousand times what the hell was I doing there. Finally I told him if he doesn’t get his sweet self to the reception in 2 minutes I am getting out of that place. From there we headed to Coffee day on Airport Rd and got stuck in the torrential rain till R came and rescued us.

Today is R’s mom’s b’day. He is taking them to Leela. If i make it in time I will join them else will crash early and sleep like a log. Come to think of it I haven’t slept properly since memorial day weekend. Shopping, packing, dreaming, more shopping, more packing and more dreaming has left me like a zombie. And now here with trips to Blore and Chennai, I am going crazy. Will be glad to go home on 9th, hug mom and sleep (k, dun u dare laugh)

Oh forgot to mention that on the flight from Atlanta, there was a tall Armenian hunk sitting beside me but like all dreams, this was short lived too. This chap was so tall – almost a head and a neck taller than most others on the flight and he was having a hard time fitting himself in his seat & so the stewardess moved him to a better seat leaving me to my lonely self. Tsk tsk.

THUD!!! Oh oh … whats that? A big heavy bag just landed on my head. I am so darn accident prone. I mean there were several other heads, some better than mine but that thing had to land on my head only. Now I have got a bump but I will survive.

The hawker selling vada just passed by and smhow it reminded me of Saravana Bhawan. The guy sitting next to me is reading a movie mag and Kareena babe is looking out from the pages at me. The TT is coming my way, I better start searching for my ticket or do you think a smile will do? No, the smile did not work but the ticket did.

Realized (again!) the AC chair car has better seats than in the flights. More leg room and semi sleeper means semi sleeper and not 1/4th or 1/8th. Realized that Chennai has left its mark on me – my ice blue jeans has turned a dark dirty grey. T.shirt was already grey so its hard to make out unless I wash my face and wipe it with the sleeves J

The guy sitting beside me (yeh, the Kareena babe one) has been trying desperately to talk to me. He has already given me a few, what he thinks is, compliments. He told me that I look very serious about my work, that girls are very good at writing. He also tried (and failed) the weather topic. Yeh, all very lame, rt. Me think so too & hence this silence. Now b4 he comes up with something new but equally lame I am going to pencil down & take a nap. Oh oh, I am late & here comes – “Closest airport to Kodai?” – Not so lame but sorry I dunno. Havent heard of anyone flying to Kodai from B’lore but anywayz. And now sleep beckons as B’lore mail continues to softly rock me and I am giving in – complete surrender. So lights off & g’nite! & if no more bags fall down from the sky I will reach B’lore in one piece.

Rest laterz … miss ya!!!

Goodbye Nashville, Welcome Atlanta

2005-05-23T22:54:00.000-04:00

I finally decided to break my silence (read laziness) after a month and 20 days. Quite a few things happened in between that kept me really busy – I changed jobs, moved places, and attended my oh-so-late convocation. Then of course there were technical problems – New location, new apmt but no internet (& I don’t enjoy blogging from the office much). In between juggling work, setting up my house and making new friends I did not feel like taking time out to write a blog entry until an almost-stranger told me that she enjoys reading my blog. Well, who doesn’t mind a stroke to the ego once in a while so here I am …

Moving out of Nashville turned out to be harder than I expected. In mere 8 months I had gotten to like the place more than any other I had been to in my 2.5 years stint in US, which strangely amazes me cos in Nashville I was a complete stranger. With absolutely no friends, I got more time at my disposal to do things that I always wanted to do like long drives, spending time in bookstore and library, going for swing lessons and even getting back to drawing and cartooning. Then ofcourse I miss Nashville’s pubs and cafes – they are simply the best with a completely different atmosphere. If u ever happen to be in Nashville don’t miss the B.B. Kings and Wild Horse Café on 2nd Ave.

Then out of the blue this offer landed in my hands & within two weeks I found myself on I-75 S headed to Atlanta. Yep, that’s where I am now and its been a month. Haven’t gotten much chance to explore this place but I do know two things – the traffic here is simply killing & this place has a couple of awesome restaurants that serve great Indian-Chinese (Paul r u reading this?). More on Atlanta later till then I’ll keep posting arbit entries like I always do.

Ciao!

Songs For A Lifetime

2005-04-03T05:23:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I was reading a book called 'Songbook' by Nick Hornby. It is about, as the title suggests, a collection of the author's favourite songs. Favourite in the true sense i.e. by virtue of music & not by any time, place or person connection. So if u like a song cos it reminds u of your first date or break up or any specific memory then that can't be included in the list but if u love a song & now I quote, "love it enough for it to accompany you throughout the different stages of your life ..." then that can be added to the list. So after finishing the book I decided to compile my own list. I am not sure why I shortlisted these songs but just that I love them & can listen to them anytime of the day & in any kinda mood. So, here I list (in random order) my "Songs For A Lifetime":

1.) Sultan's of Swing - Dire Straits (Live version with a 7 minute guitar piece)
2.) Crocodile Rock - Elton John (Cool Rhythym - so unlike Sacrifice, Candle in the wind & the likes)
3.) Layla - Eric Clapton
4.) Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head - B.J. Thomas
5.) Wish U Were Here - Pink Floyd
6.) Nothing Else Matters - Metallica
7.) Hysteria - Def Leppard
8.) Across the Universe - Beatles
9.) Sound of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
10.) New Kid In Town - Eagles
11.) Come Undone - Duran Duran
12.) Stars - Simply Red
13.) Breathless - The Corrs
14.) Smooth Operator - Sade
15.) If it makes U Happy - Sheryl Crow
16.) Dancing in the Dark - Bruce Springsteen
17.) I've had the Time of my Life - Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
18.) Black Magic Woman - Santana
19.) Horse with no Name - America
20.) Who the F*** is Alice - Smokie (For the sheer pleasure of saying F*** so many times :)

More can definitely be added to this list but enough for the time being. So, what about your "Songs For A Lifetime"?

Hazaar Raahen ...

2005-04-03T01:22:00.000-05:00

Unhe Yeh Zidd Thi Ki Hum Bulaate
Hamen Yeh Ummeed Woh Pukaaren
Hai Naam Hotho Pe Ab Bhi Lekin
Aawaaz Mein Pad Gayi Daraaren

Hazaar Raahen Mudke Dekhin
Kahin Se Koyi Sada Na Aayi...

I have been playing this song in my head in continuous mode since yesterday ... I just had to put it down somewhere.

I Wish ...

2005-03-16T21:47:00.000-05:00

I Wish Life had ...

A Preview Page - U could just hit the button anytime and see what its gonna be like.

A Delete Button - To selectively delete the bad memories that just wont leave u in peace.

An Undo Key - Actually, I dont need an undo button. If even after a preview I'm going to go ahead with something then I better accept the responsibility and live with it. Plus Erase button Kab Kaam Aayega.

Sometimes Blessings Come Wrapped in FedEx Packages

2005-03-12T02:43:00.000-05:00

Few days back I was just feeling down - U know one of those days when u are just simply utterly depressed. I had a grueling day at office & I came back home with a long face. As soon as I entered my house my landlady handed me a bulky FedEx package. I don't get mails often other than the occasional letters from home & the Netflix DVDs so this was surprising. I immediately got down to work on it with a letter opener but the FedEx people definitely use good quality cardboard so I had to change my selection of tools. Now, armed with a knife I got down to work, all this while I kept puzzling over what could be there in the package. I had recently seen Kevin Spacey's 'Seven' & the parcel delivered to Brad Pitt was still fresh in my mind (Ok, so that was an exaggeration but anywayz ... )Finally, it came open & I let the contents fall on my bed & out came a letter, then a large portion of coffee cake followed by an MTR packet of 'Appam' mix (For the uninitiated, its rice batter used to make something resembling Dosa & a delicacy with chicken curry or stew). Crazy things to send via FedEx- Yep, thats what I thought. I read the letter. My friend had taken pains in bringing the stuff from India - he had gone home to attend a funeral and still managed to get those things from home and parcel it to few of our friends here in US. I looked at the cake then at the appam mix & wondered at the long journey it had to make to reach me.

So what if the cake had hardened a bit, so what if my culinary skills suck when it comes to appams (& lot more), its the thought that counts, right.

I smiled to myself thinking people are crazy but I am glad they are & I am GLADDER that some of them are a part of my life.

A Flight to Cherish

2005-02-22T02:13:00.000-05:00

I went on a short official trip to Portland last week - flew in our corporate jet. The added perks were - no security checks (which really are a pain in the 'wherever-u-want', esp if u are brown skinned), munchies, foodies, wine, beer, etc but the most interesting part of the journey was that I got to spend close to two hours in the cockpit. The pilots were more than willing to chat with me and explained the gadgets and the autopilot mechanism and demonstrated how they balance the yoke, throttle & pedals all at the same time (I dont think they come across such keen audience like me very often). At one time, they tilted the plane to a cool 45 degrees while I stood there wedged between the seats. I felt like a kid watching in awe the magician's tricks. U may find this silly. In this age of internet, all I need to do is search on google and I will find more information than the pilots could ever give me but seeing it all in real was totally different. If it werent for my project mates I would have happily yelled 'Eureka Eureka!'. It was an amazing experience, more so bcoz I know that that was the closest I would ever come to see what makes a machine fly. The pilots were really nice and allowed me to stand even as we began our descent (thats when we are required to buckle our seat belts) & finally, when we were a minute and a half away from the runway, they asked me to buckle up. And as I returned to my seat, all my co-passengers thanked the Almighty aloud, relieved to know that I wasn't landing the plane.

Anywayz, it was nice to know that the kid in me is still alive and this will definitely remain a cherished trip for me forever.

All Sorts of Blues

2005-02-21T23:35:00.000-05:00

I hate Mondays! I wish weekdays would start on Tuesdays and end on Wednesdays.

------**------

I learnt one thing today - I am not bad at Swing. As long as my partner wears steel-toed boots and I wear flats, we can keep the damage to the bare minimum.

------**------

Read that Mark Knopfler (of Dire Straits) is coming to India. What a stroke of bad luck. I spent a good two years of my life in B'lore and all they could bring in then was Bryan Adams and now that I am here, Sting rocks B'lore & MK & Eagles are lined up for the coming months. These are some of my favourite bands and I am pissed, I really am. Seem, Rahul, u guyz out there in B'bay & B'lore, u gotta go for MK's show to cool me off. In the meantime, let me see if 'Sultans of Swing' would help.

Oh! I Hate Cell Phones

2005-02-13T19:43:00.000-05:00

This is why I hate cell phones - the other day I had a fight, no lets use a more sophisticated expression 'difference of opinion' with, hmm ... well, thats not important. So there we were talking & then the conversation moved onto this topic on which we refuse to see eye to eye which lead to raised voices & eventually to shouts. When I finally realized that its a no-win situation I disconnected.

Disconnected - its such a sad thing to do. I mean when u are in the middle of a heated but LOSING argument, the most satisfying thing to do is 'BANG !' - u bang the phone down. But try that with a cell phone & the next thing you'll be doing is find yourself buying a new one. So much for technology!

I Love You?

2005-02-13T19:37:00.000-05:00

What does it really mean to say 'I love you'?

U think you've left your past light years away, u move on & then after months, maybe years U meet - a hug, a kiss, a touch & u know u are back right where u had left it. Is this love, an obsession or just a desperate attempt to make things right again?

Just close your eyes, Reach for the moment, Before it slips by
Here's your second chance, Take it & FLY ...

P.S. To all you out there - Have a lovely Valentine's Day!

Just Some Trivia

2005-01-24T21:13:00.000-05:00

"I do not know where family doctors acquired illegibly perplexing handwriting
nevertheless, extraordinary pharmaceutical intellectuality counterbalancing indecipherability, transcendentalizes intercommunications' incomprehensibleness."

Thats the longest sentence in English where the Nth word contains N letters & the shortest one is "I am" or "I do".

-----**-----

These days I spend a lot of time with Henry, our very own O.Henry of 'The Gift of The Magi' fame. The collection called 'The Best Short Stories of O.Henry' is a wonderful read. Before I list down my favourites let me tell u some trivia about the famous author:

- He was born William Sydney Porter in Greensboro, North Carolina
- Before he took to story writing, he worked as a columnist for Daily Post in Houston and later as a bank teller in Austin, TX
- He was sentenced to 5 yrs imprisonment for mismanagement of the bank's funds
- It was while he was serving his term that he took to serious writing & also acquired his pseudonym from the prison warden named Orrin Henry and
- The Hindi movie 'Raincoat' is inspired by one of his well-known short stories

& here's my pick, which I believe should not be missed

The Cop & The Anthem - for Satirical humour
The Making of a New Yorker - for metaphorically describing the cities of US
The Last Leaf - Touching
The Pendulum - Plain funny. Based on the theme Men are from Mars.

Enjoy!!!

Its Infuriating!

2005-01-24T16:45:00.000-05:00

Read on rediff and I am disgusted to the core to know that there are a few cheap and opportunistic priests and nuns who are trying to convert the poor Tsunami-struck fishermen by offering them aid. Thanks to these so called helpful Christians, decent people like Mother Teressa might be turning in their graves. Which world do these people come from? Haven't they seen/read enough about the 1984 Sikh massacre, Bombay riots, Godhra - Gujarat carnage? In a country which is as volatile as ours, we don't need big issues to cause a bloodshed. So please go home, take up your Bible and study and not just read, understand and not just learn the verses and passages by rote and what I told my friend last weekend is what I'm saying now & I am as sure of this as of the fact that I am breathing - the God that I believe in is above all trivialities of life. He'd rather see us all live in peace than kill each other in His name.

"God, please forgive (& FORGET) them coz they know not what they do."

Start of Yet Another Week

2005-01-24T14:54:00.000-05:00

Has it ever happened to u that u wake up with a song in your head? I mean the moment u open ur eyes there is no blank (possibly from a hangover), no trying to focus on the alarm clock, no mental calculations that if u lie down for 5 more minutes, will u be able to make it to office on time but ur first thought itself is a song? That happened to me today - I woke up with Kishore Kumar humming 'Yeh Jeevan Hai ...'. Its strange cos I haven't listened to Kishore Kumar, for that matter, any Hindi song for more than two weeks but its definitely a nice song to start the week.

-----**-----

Weekend went off smooth. It snowed here - just a bit but enough to keep me from venturing out. Watched 'Wizard of Oz'. Nice movie. Even though it was released in 1939 (& the book was published much earlier) it still retains its freshness. Here's some of life's philosophy by the wizard himself -

"Hearts will never be practical until they are made unbreakable."

"A heart is not judged by how much u love, but by how much u are loved by others."

& the most important of all...

"If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again I won't look any further than my own backyard b'coz if it isn't there, I never lost it to begin with."

My Personal 'Will Knot & Mr.Watt' Tale

2005-01-09T18:50:00.000-05:00

Its nothing new when someone calls us and v r not able to recognize their voice or we confuse them for someone else. It happens to the best of us. But its heights when your own parents confuse u with ur sibling over the phone (& no, we are not identical twins). Infact until this incident happened I never thought there's any similarity between my sis & me, whatsoever. We don't look alike, we dont dress alike, our tastes ranging from food to fashion to men are poles apart. In short, we are anything but similar.
But every once in a while something like this happens that just proves me wrong. This incident happened when I was still in school (just after my 11th exams) and sis was doing her MBA in Pune. I, alongwith a few friends of mine had gone to bid farewell to a friend who was moving out of town for good. The train had got delayed by an hr and was now arriving at 10:00 pm instead of the scheduled 9:00 pm. In a small town like ours, 10:00 pm is considered quite late & so to save my parents a sudden fluctuation in their heartrate and blood pressure, I thought of calling them & telling them about the delay. Here's how the conversation went:

Daddy: Hello
Me: Hi Daddy! Its me.
D: Hi sweety, how are u?
(M: eh, Whats this formality about? I just saw them half an hr back)
M: I am fine. How r u? (If Dad wants formality then so be it)
D: We are doing good. Hows your studies going on?
(M: Is this a trick Qn? Is he being sarc that I am out with friends? Did mom squeal about my marks?
M: Hmm ... well, studies are going on fine.
D: Thats good to hear. Listen, you have got an interview letter.
M: What interview letter?
D: Its from xyz (it all sounded greek & latin to me, anyway) company in Bombay.
M: xyz? Whats that?
D: How do we know. You applied for it.
M: When did I apply? (Which company? When did I apply? They responded ... cool)
D: (After scanning through the 'supposed' interview letter) last month.
M: (What the $#%^? How forgetful can I be - cant even remember something that I applied for? How am I gonna pass my 12th board?)
D: Its at 10:00 am, Sunday morning.
M: Sunday? Its day after. How am I gonna go there? (Logistically, its impossible. Can I postpone the interview but WHAT INTERVIEW IS IT? Damn!)
D: Take a train or bus.
M: What about reservation? Will u not be coming with me? (I will have to start tonight ALONE! How come he is letting me travel all by myself???)
D: Ofcourse not. U take some friend with u.
M: (Friend? %#$@ I knew it - its always about my friends. Why are they after me & my friends? Dad must be really pissed that I am out so late.)
D: Ok, here talk to Mom, she is trying to pull the phone out of my hand. (& gives the phone to Ma or maybe Ma succeeds, whatever)
Ma: Hi muththe (pearl). How are u?
M: (Oh no, here we go again. Whats come over them?) I am fine.
Ma: Did u have ur dinner?
M: No, will have it when I get back. (Hope the samosas get digested before I reach home)
Ma: Good. Don't get thin. Dont diet.
M: (Diet & me - why is she pulling my leg?) No Ma, I wont.
Ma: Ur phone bill must be running high. Keep the phone. We will call u once u r back in Pune.
M: Pune? (& now just like the reality of Keyser Soze's identity dawns on the cop in 'The Usual Suspect', the reality behind the extra sweetness, interview, Bombay, no dieting instructions, everything, also dawns on me. Everything falls in place & I almost yell on the phone) Ma, this is Reenu not Beenu. I just called up to say the train is delayed & I will be late.
Ma: Oh, so its u, we thought its your sister. Yeah, ok ... come back soon. (Her disappointment so evident in her voice).

Since then everytime I call my parents I start with: "Hi Daddy, its me, from US" saves them a lot of disappointment and me, a lot of confusion.

If

2005-01-02T19:06:00.000-05:00

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

... Excerpts from 'If' by Rudyard Kipling

Tsunami Relief Organizations

2005-01-01T02:56:00.000-05:00

If you have any ideas or opinion about some efficient NGOs working for Tsunami relief, please visit: http://ravikiran.com/archives/000231.htm and post your comments.

For others who want to contribute to the relief and are finding it difficult to decide on the right organization, there are few good responses already out there which may be of help.

To Whomsoever It May Concern

2004-12-27T20:34:00.000-05:00

"You could have a change of heart, if you would only change your mind ..."

You know, you may take your own sweet time to get over things but you may not really succeed because unlike popular belief, time is not such a great healer as its made out to be - its the people who come into your life, sometimes in the strangest fashion, who help you see things beyond the pain and misery and the whys and why nots and take you out of that dreadful place called loneliness.

And yes, mostly love just blossoms on its own but sometimes its a conscious decision on one's part to be happy again, to start afresh, to allow someone else to share one's life with.

Peace!

My Two Cents

2004-12-27T19:16:00.000-05:00

During my last trip to India a few months back, I happened to visit Bombay. It was the day I was flying back to US and the sole purpose of being in 'Aamchi Mumbai' was to shop, shop & shop as if there'll be no 'clothes' tomorrow.

Have I ever mentioned that I love this city? I absolutely love it. I love its pace - always moving, never stopping, come what may. I love to see the people running everywhere and anywhere, always seeming to know the direction they need to take, always in a hurry to get to some place and the way they ignore each other as if no one else exists but them. Even New York doesn't seem to fascinate me as much as Bombay does but now I am digressing.

So coming back to my shopping saga - sis & I landed in B'bay late morning & headed straight to Colaba, from there to Dadar, VT & finally, Vashi. We shopped for 10 hrs straight (yes, only girls can do that), taking breaks in between to have some delectable snacks like vada paav, chaat, sundaes & a sumptuous dinner. After a heavy stomach and a much much lighter wallet later we reached Vashi railway station to catch a local to VT. We were running late for my flight, the train was due in two minutes, we grabbed our tickets and as we turned to rush to the platform, a kiddo, barely 10 yrs old, tugged at my sis's T-shirt begging for money. Before I had a chance to react, my sis asked, "Kya Khayoge?". Both, me and the kid looked at her with a quizzical expression when she took hold of his hand & almost dragged him to the nearest eatery and asked again, "Kya Khayoge?". A bit taken aback at what my sister meant, the kid found it hard to utter anything. My sis looked over the counter, ordered a few things, paid & gave the rest of the change to him. Then she looked at me, grabbed my hand & we broke into an instant run, hoping against hope that we will make it in time to catch the train & as I turned to have a last glimpse of the kid, I saw him cheerfully waving at us with one hand and holding his dinner with the other. And that's when I realized that was the BEST thing we did in the whole day.

I do agree with the saying, 'Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life' but when you don't know how to fish yourself, giving a fish is not such a bad idea. And that's my two cents.

What a Coincidence ...

2004-12-27T18:21:00.000-05:00

A few weeks back, while I was in the library, a guy approached me with the usual 'Hi, who are u & how are you' thing. Well, when you are so engrossed in reading something like the conflict between Israel and Palestine, a date is certainly the last thing on your mind. Plus, a library is one of the best place to spend some quality time with yourself so I viewed this as an intrusion to my privacy. But above all, since this was the first time in US that a stranger showed any interest in me :), I didn't know how to put the message 'You are bugging me, mister' across in a milder tone so I just glared at him and mumbled an unintelligible 'Sorry, I am not interested'.

Well, I would have conveniently forgotten this whole episode if not for my St.Louis trip yesterday. So there I am standing in the queue at the car rental's and I chance to see none other than our library guy. It'd have been fine if he were just another customer like me but no, he had to be the guy behind the counter. Finally my turn comes and I walk upto him, praying silently that he shouldn't recognize me, but his grin tells me otherwise. And as I stand there, he painfully repeats the whole library incident, leaving no room for doubt, while I desperately try to hide the flush thats creeping up my face and then he asks me my name, phone no, address and ofcourse, my credit card info, which I provide without any reluctance this time. Then with a satisfied look of a lion that has just devoured his prey and a smirk on his face, he coolly tells me, "Thank you Ma'm, you have a nice trip".

!@#$% Coincidence or What!!!

(Not-So) Random Drug Test

2004-12-19T17:15:00.000-05:00

Ok, so we do get RANDOMLY picked and tested for drug intake under the substance abuse prevention policy in the office. But did you know that you can fail this even if you had pain killers like aspirin or carbonated drinks just before the test?

But that doesn't bother me much, what really bothers me is it being called a 'RANDOM' Drug Test. No, really, will they randomly pick the CEO for a drug test? And what if he fails - will they hand him a pink slip? hmmm ... I would like to see that.

T-Shirt Graffiti

2004-12-19T13:48:00.000-05:00

Saw this printed on a T-Shirt yesterday - "So you want my number, call 1-800-GET LOST".

The World That I Live In - I

2004-12-18T13:57:00.000-05:00

Had read a book long long time back, I have forgotten most of it now except for these two characters - There's this hot shot guy, working for some hi fi firm, who happens to call up someone from another firm and in the process talks to their receptionist. The receptionist is this husky voiced, sexy sounding lady. Our hero goes absolutely bonkers over her seductive voice. It drives him so nuts that he just can't think of anything else but her and finally after many more such calls and lot of persistence, they meet and he finds out that the receptionist is the most ugly looking lass that he has ever met.

So, does our hero do a vanishing act? Oh no, not him - he goes right ahead and sleeps with this woman coz its the voice that does it for him.

What I want to know is does this kind of thing really happen? Can you get so enamoured by just one quality/characteristic of a person so much so that you can ignore the rest? Forget voice, not even looks or physique does it for me. I must be meeting all wrong kinds of people. Where are all the brawny, Greek God looks, TDH hunks? WHICH WORLD AM I LIVING IN???

To Friendship!!!

2004-12-05T04:55:00.000-05:00

This is my first entry in the world of blogging. I don't have any misconceptions about my writing abilities and knowing that well, I don't know how regularly I'm going to post. Anywayz, I wanted to make this first entry very special one - special for me, so here it goes ...

Hey teddy,
3 more weeks & u will be starting a new innings in your life. On one hand I'm happy that u've found that special someone, happy that u've decided to settle down, happier that its Nike but on the other, I just have this nagging feeling that u & me are going to drift away (not intentionally though) just like most other of my married friends & so just wanted to walk down the memory lane, when u are still single, when u are still JUST MY FRIEND & take u alongwith me ...

Sep '98 - Pooja Holidays - Scheduled Current Cut - Our first proper 1-on-1 - U & me sitting on the front steps of LH & wondering if it'd have helped if I'd accepted the chem guy's proposal. My answer's still the same - it wouldn't have mattered.

Feb '99 - Moving into the same room with U, buddy & neddy - the greatest roomies I have ever had. Hail DPeeRS!

All those weekends when I've used your left leg as my acoustic guitar & we sang ourselves hoarse - competing for who could sing the loudest and not the sweetest.

Our first puff together & feeling like we are the coolest.

Our first drink that strange sat'day nite - wine mixed with fanta (Yuck! Can't believe we mixed those two).

Our bet on the average male size.

The dance on the Ricky Martin song on final year's day, when we forgot the steps and came to a complete standstill on the stage and the booing after that.

Last day at LH - The LH Corridor - me kneeling in front of u, trying to fix up a safety pin on your jeans ka zip coz your darn zip won't work & the warden's steel grey (black, actually) eyes, piercing on us, with the wierdest expression on her face coz she can't see the damn pin from so far.

Man, we rocked & we still do. So, here's wishing u all the success that u so deserve & all the happiness in the world.

Here's to u & Nike.
Here's to us & our 6 long years of friendship (& still counting).
Cheers!!!

-Huddy