wha...?

You know it's funny how kids have this knack of getting back at you with your own words. Never could defend that attack. And they're real quick with it huh? Something like a samurai, up on their feet, thinking, talking and then 'zzzppp'. You won't know what hit you until later. Like that ad were this samurai brings down the blade on a scarf and it's not until it floats gently to the floor that you see it's been actually cut in half.

Phew!

Catch 22 if you can...

You earn more so can take care of your family well which in the modern world mostly comes in exchange for that green, blue, or red (whatever...) paper that gets printed in that mint called RBI, but to earn more you gotta spend a lotta time in that place called office and that means staying away from family and not being there for them but you do want to be with them and take care of them and earn more for them but then if you're not gonna be with them and earn more what are you gonna do and how're you gonna make them more comfortable, buy them things that they like and take them places they dreamed of in this life time?
So, which came first? The chicken or the egg? Whichever you ordered first.
I think I'll go vegetarian soon.

Radio rodeo

I know it's no big deal, but when it happens, it irks me no end. I take out my teeny-weeny FM player, plug the earphones to my ears and am all set, when the person sitting next to me, fishes out a mobile phone and goes 'yak, yak, yak,yak...' as though the conversation was happening in person and they had all the time in the world to decide on the color of the curtains being discussed or whether or not they should meet at the Forum or some other mall in the city to continue their conversation. Hmpf! Meanwhile, the FM guys have been benevolent enough to play that nice number I wait for once in a bluemoon between all those stupid ads (these days, FM is more an advertising station than a music station)...aaaand...'crackle, crackle, hmmmmmm...krrrr...' goes my player, like an irritation mosquito hovering around my ears. The waves from the mobile phone wrestle with its waves, making me wince in between like a referee of the WWF..
Next time somebody brings out an FM player, I must remember to call my friend in Mumbai. Haven't spoken to him in a while and have lots to catch up.

opposites...

When we say we don't have or own something in particular, the opposite holds good. I mean, the moment we don't have it, we have something else that compensates for it. Of course, you can't look too deep, then other complications arise, but more or less it holds good in any situation. It's like, when a physically different (formerly 'challenged') person doesn't have something, he or she has something we don't. It's life's balance, I guess. It all gets evened out in the end. Oh, one of those rants 'o' mine, I guess.. I was thinking about it this morning and realization dawned. Like they say, "in a crowded room, the one who's silent is heard the most". Go figure...
Have a great weekend, folks!

:|

Sometimes, I can't help but feel philosophical. I mean, I know we all have our blues and we do relate to those feelings every so often. Traveling to work this morning, something similar overcame me. A serene flow of just 'feelings'; no thoughts, just feelings.. you couldn't call it a feel good kind of a thing, just neutral, can't explain it. I was totally in peace with myself (if that's the phrase to use, cuz I can't even explain that).

Boom, Dhoom and finally...

Hmmmm, so finally what we'd been only secretly dreaming of, will materialize. Those techies who (cross your heart) sincerely stay back in office coding into the wee hours of the mornings, or those who stay back, chatting and browsing into the wee hours of morning would disagree I'm sure, but the fat pay packets that we get notwithstanding, many of us wish frequently in the middle of a project that the building got blown up or some smart psychopath (smart sycopath???) fancied the daughter of the project manager and decided to kidnap her for a project to be shelved as ransom. Well, whatever and however our individual fantasies might be, we all know that we've dreamed of several ways of letting out steam from our pressurized behinds. And now we have professional help. Just this morning, I had to rub my eyes a few more times than normal when I saw the headline playing with my senses - "LeT planned to attack Bangalore!" The New Delhi super cops've managed to lay their hands on a top secret diary belonging to a terrorist outfit that claims to have targeted 'namma bengalooru' as the next destination for their fire games. How lovely! That being the case, I work in India's silicon valley and though the superficial worry lines on my brow did their politically correct dance, deep down my heart leaped! So, finally I will indeed be freed of this necessary evil called IT and masses like me would scatter around to find a new safer profession, like say running an ISD-STD booth.
I only hope it's all a dream and when I wake up, I find my workplace intact.Remember that fat pay packet I mentioned?

Ab bus...

The good thing about riding in a bus is you rediscover your city. I sat in one today after almost..well, don't even remember the years. And boy, did I enjoy it! Buildings, streets, shops, parks and even the people looked different from that high seat. And the best part was, there was this shop I would always try and watch closely whenever I drove to work - "what brand is that? It's a factory outlet. Lemme just read it once"...err.. oops, a bus came in my way or somebody honked my ears off from behind me and I had to turn my eyes on the road again. Not now; I not only read the brand displayed in the shop, I even noted down the shop timings and contact no. and the % of discount offered, and...well, you get the idea. But that's just a small part of it. There were many more buildings I rediscovered, many landmarks I'd missed earlier. "ohhh, so THAT'S the Diamond plaza my cousin would always ask me to watch out for..". I'd driven right under that board several times, never could actually get around to seeing it.
Now that I know my city better, I'm gonna carry a novel tomorrow. (Human beings are incorrigible, ain't we?)

all that glitters...

I observed something the other day, while watching filmfare awards on the telly, donno if you guys've noticed it as well. The observation was actually at hindsight, when I was watching the Oscars a few days after. In bollywood awards night, most actresses came with minimal makeup. Yeah, some of them who had to be onstage did come decked up. But generally if you looked in the crowd, most were in plain jeans and shirts, with no or little jewellery. And then in contrast, if you watched the Oscars, you could see, whether or not the stars where onstage or off it, they were glittering. And by this I mean, literally. Some were too blinding to watch. Know why? Our heroines wear so much makeup and adornments for their 'item' nos. and screen presence that they prefer to shed it all when they appear in public. The exact opposite happens to their LA counterparts. They play some of the most non-glamorous, realistic roles that when they come in public they come dressed like mannequins (I'm never really sure of the spelling)...I guess they prefer to be recognized for their onscreen talent but like to be highly visible in awards functions. Maybe our gals can take a cue from that. This is changing lately, I think..even our girls are taking on meaningful roles (Read 'songs with more meaning than one').

life, or something like that

Fewer things in life are more comforting than your child's warm smile after a hard day at work. You forget all the headaches and tension the entire day had given you. Walking through the front door as I take my shoes off, my li'l one peeks from behind the door, covers her eyes, playing 'koo' and then shoots to my open arm.
Just thinking about her refreshes me. Ah, bliss!
In the movie 'good will hunting', Robin Williams as the psychology prof tells matt dammon that our little imperfections are the ones that make us special to our loved ones. They are something that only we know and cherish. And that's so true.