Love the rains...

And the first thing that comes to mind each time I'm getting soaked is -



The number of times I went through this exercise as a teenager... Heh! A splendid way to enjoy the rains, no?!

Update: (6:45 PM) Another favorite during rains -

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In the last few hours

Scene 1 -
Baba: "Mazha dokka dukh-tay"...
Me: "Kashaani?"...
Baba: "Maahit naahi"...
Me: "Goli ghetli?"...
Baba: "Naahi... nantar gheyil"...
Me: "Hmm"...

Scene 2 - (Two hours later)
Baba: "Me challo zhopaayla"...
Me: "Huh?" (had headphones on)
Baba: (lip-syncing) "Me zhopaayla challo"...
Me: "Oh... Ok"...
Me: "Tumcha dokka banda zhalaka?"...
Baba: (just stares, trying hard not to laugh)...

A second later... all 3 of us are quacking bigtime!

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They can use your help

As usual, I get this from my brother, in my email -

| View | Upload your own

I've done my bit of search and found The International Federation for Red Cross, an easy way to donate online. They're even Verified by Visa, so you can safely use your State Bank, HDFC or other cards to give as much as your heart (and bank account) will allow. Make your donations... without a hiccup!

Have a good day y'all!

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Kudos...

...to this album, to this acoustic-guitar singer-songwriter. Like Heather rightly puts it -

"If you're looking for something to help you heal, no matter what went wrong, go buy this album."

I am my mother's only one
It's enough

I wear my garment so it shows
Now you know

Only love is all maroon
Gluey feathers on a flume
Sky is womb and she's the moon

I am my mother on the wall, with us all
I move in water, shore to shore;
Nothing's more

Only love is all maroon
Lapping lakes like leary loons
Leaving rope burns --
Reddish ruse

Only love is all maroon
Gluey feathers on a flume
Sky is womb and she's the moon

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Finally moved

Drove down airport road for an ice-cream. Passed the last stretch of the airport. Witnessed a quite skyline, a barren flying strip and no improvement in traffic :).

15 long years in this part of town; I miss the sound of planes taking-off and landing. I miss being 'close-to-the-airport' *sigh*.


* Photo courtesy Rajesh Dangi

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Hmm...

I was looking up the meaning for -

"Mangalyam tantuna nena
Mama jeevana hetuna
Kanthe bhadhrani shubhage
Twam dheeya sharadam shubam"

...and I was directed to this page :)!

P.S: Meaning -

"By tying the 'mangalyam' (sacred thread) around her neck, the husband entwines his life with his wife's"

...phew!

Also, I just tried making some Babycorn Masala... YUCK! I'm so sorry, but it really wasn't upto my taste :\.

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Lists

Here's Deepti's post and here's my list -

1. Addendum
2. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
3. Anna Karenina
4. Crime and Punishment
5. Catch-22
6. One Hundred Years of Solitude
7. Wuthering Heights <--
8. The Silmarillion
9. Life of Pi : a novel <--
10. The Name of the Rose
11. Don Quixote
12. Moby Dick
13. Ulysses
14. Madame Bovary
15. The Odyssey
16. Pride and Prejudice
17. Jane Eyre
18. ATale of Two Cities
19. The Brothers Karamazov
20. Guns, Germs, and Steel: the fates of human societies
21. War and Peace
22. Vanity Fair
23. The Time Traveler’s Wife
24. The Iliad
25. Emma
26. The Blind Assassin
27. The Kite Runner *
28. Mrs. Dalloway
29. Great Expectations
30. American Gods
31. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
32. Atlas Shrugged
33. Reading Lolita in Tehran : a memoir in books
34. Memoirs of a Geisha <--
35. Middlesex <--
36. Quicksilver
    
37. Wicked : the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
    
38. Frankenstein
39. The Count of Monte Cristo
40. Dracula
41. A Clockwork Orange
42. Anansi Boys
43. The Once and Future King
44. The Grapes of Wrath
45. The Poisonwood Bible : a novel
46. 1984
47. Angels & Demons
48. The Inferno
49. The Satanic Verses
50. Sense and Sensibility
51. The Picture of Dorian Gray
52. Mansfield Park
53. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest <--
54. To the Lighthouse
    
55. Tess of the D’Urbervilles
56. OliverTwist
57. Gulliver’s Travels
58. Les Misérables <--
59. The Corrections
60. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
61. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
62. Dune
63. The Prince
64. The Sound and the Fury
65. Angela’s Ashes : a memoir
66. The God of Small Things
67. A People’s History of the United States : 1492-present
68. Cryptonomicon
69. Neverwhere
70. A Confederacy of Dunces
71. A Short History of Nearly Everything - SorryMr. Bryson <--
72. Dubliners
73. The Unbearable Lightness of Being
74. Beloved
75. Slaghterhouse-five
76. The Scarlet Letter
77. Eats, Shoots & Leaves
    
78. The Mists of Avalon
    
79. Oryx and Crake : a novel
    
80. Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed
    
81. Cloud Atlas
    
82. The Confusion
    
83. Lolita
84. Persuasion
85. Northanger Abbey
86. The Catcher in the Rye
87. On the Road
88. The Hunchback of Notre Dame <--
89. Freakonomics : a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
    
90. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : an inquiry into values *
91. The Aeneid
92. Watership Down
93. Gravity’s Rainbow
94. The Hobbit
95. In Cold Blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences
96. White Teeth
97. Treasure Island
98. David Copperfield

• Bold - ones I've read
• Underlined - ones I read for school
• Italicized - ones I started but didn't finish

P.S
(*) - ones I liked and would (or did) read again or recommend
(<--) - books on my wishlist

Thanks Deepti!

Here are a few other's I'd recommend personally -

1. Jonathan Livingston Seagull *
   
2. The Day of the Jackal *
   
3. Roots *
   
4. Mister God, This is Anna *
   
5. Marley and Me :) *
   

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Of people & vibes

Baba's enjoying IPL whole-heartedly. He's even got Aai hooked to it. Come 9pm and you can hear him go, "Ahh... this team's out..." or "That's a stupid shot bugger...". Aai chips in with comments too, which is fun to hear!

So a couple of days ago, Ujji asked me why I wasn't interested in cricket and that got me thinking - why? I've never been a cricket 'fan'. Then again, I've been a 'fan' of no game really; definitely not the kinds to sit in front of a screen either booing or cheering a team or person. I guess I'm not a TV person. I'm not even fond of any particular movie personality, now that I think of it. As far as sports go, I've always enjoyed participating in person. I enjoy my time at basketball courts, badminton courts, race-courses, etc. Basically, I like being there, doing it myself. It gives me a 'kick' of sorts; one that seeing someone perform or do the same, doesn't.

I have to agree though, when I do watch some people on screen, they leave behind a 'good' feeling. Ofcourse, not one to make me go buy their posters or watch their every game or movie. It's a few seconds feeling - like sparing them a few thoughts and that's about it. Stefanie was is one of them. More recently (blame this on IPL), Glenn McGrath has been added to this list. Again, he's an old-timer, but it's not his game or his performance that earned him his spot in my list. It's a feeling - a vibe :)!

So there, I've just explained the title for this post.

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Lucky me

I had an episode with my bike some time ago. I parked it on a quite road in Indiranagar, spent sometime on CMH and got back to find it lying flat on the same spot. Not much damage... just the front left hand portion had a major dent. So when I left it at the service center, the guy asked me if I'd like to get that portion fixed. He said I could claim insurance for the damage and I'd get back 80% of whatever I spend on it. I agreed.

I just received my insurance cheque today - a 110% refund... Heh!

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Road Trips

Lack of posts?... Blame it on the roadtrips. First to Pune, then to Munnar. And it's been fabulous indeed! They're doing a splendid job with the Golden Quadrilateral. It makes road journeys all the more agreeable. While Pune trip included visits to relatives, Munnar was altogether a 'break-from-the-mundane'. And what a refreshing break... phew! Here's a glimpse of this beautiful place -

Between these 2 trips we've had a brief stay in Bangalore and Aai was busy tending to her garden. She's got her Ashoka trees trimmed and the place looks barren without them *sigh*. On the other hand, she's had some wonderful blooms too - 

All-in-all it's been a busy yet happy time :)! Now... back to work. Heh!

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Exhilarated

So I finally got to a bookstore... Yay! I was hoping to pick up one other book along with 'god is not Great' and my mind was trying to choose between - 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Maximum City'. I ended up buying - 'The Secret'! And WOW!... what a book this is!

I'd only heard of the movie (in passing) from a friend sometime in 2006, but never really had a chance to catch it. The book is exactly or maybe more that what I've been looking for! I immediately began reading it and wasn't able to put it down until I'd finished!

Whether it'll ring with you or not, I'm not sure. I sure hope it does :)! Fill me in on your experience!

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6 months and counting

I've been trying to get a snap of his for a whole week now. All I manage is him sleeping or barking at Munnu (he hates it when Munnu barks at strangers! Weird dog!) or hidden under some chair. So finally today, I put my efforts to rest. I bribed him with biscuits for snaps! Here's Sheru, 6 months old -


I'll try and put up a slide-show here sometime soon! This one looks like he changes every other day!

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Hot under the Collar

I came across this post today by another of my own species. The title reads - 'Awesome girls' profiles ........taken from Shaadi.com!!!'.

For a moment it didn't register. And when it did, I could feel blood rising to my head! Reading the post initially made me sick, then hateful and finally pitiful towards the author. To my dismay, the author turned out to be a woman too!

It's such a pitiable society we live in, isn't it? Here are some women trying to rise from their otherwise mundane and ignored lives to find a special someone. Agreed, their choice of words isn't anywhere close to yours or mine. Or even the author's who wrote that post! But hell, how good are you or me or she when compared to let's say Tony Morrison or Ayn Rand or Pearl Buck?!

How can you possibly find humor in something that could mean the world to another?! It's just beyond me! Oh and ofcourse, I'm sure there would be the lot that comes up with - "Hey, it's just a gag!" Sheesh! Where do these specimens come from?!

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Sarcasm

Another forward from my brother -

A world-wide survey was conducted by the UN. The only question asked was: "Would you please give your honest opinion about solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world?" The survey was a huge failure! Here's why:

In Africa they didn't know what 'food' meant,

In India they didn't know what 'honest' meant,

In Europe they didn't know what 'shortage' meant,

In China they didn't know what 'opinion' meant,

In the Middle East they didn't know what 'solution' meant,

In South America they didn't know what 'please' meant

And in the USA they didn't know what 'rest of the world' meant!

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Take Heed

This is a report produced by 'The GreenPeace India Society'. It gives a detailed survey on the effect of climate change on the Indian Subcontinent.

Not interested?! How about this - Atleast 120 million people will be rendered homeless with the rise in water level, in India alone! Still no effect?! Consider this then - People are expected to migrate inland from as early as 2045! That's the same 120 million people who might lose their homes.

Think we're prepared for that?!

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Fussing over food

Aai has always complained about my eating habits. I've always had a sparse appetite, but that's just one of her concerns. She's making a big deal about what I like and don't almost every other day. Well, I guess that's quite understandable being my mother and all (and I guess I should appreciate the fact that I'm quite lucky in a million ways), but I thought I'd put the matter to rest once and for all. If I'm really that choosy, I should make room for more variety, right? So letsee, I'm making a list of things I think I consume & not -

Consume -

• Milk & milk products
• Eggs
• Cereals & Pulses
• Green Vegetables AND Other (er...um) selected Vegetables

Don't -

• Beans
• All types of 'gourds'
• Vegetables that appear as fruit of a plant - Pumpkins, Eggplants, etc.

Hmm. I still think I have a healthy diet. My mom should see this list maybe! (Heh!)

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City Cleansed

Bangalore still looks beautiful when it rains. Many might say there's trouble with roads, with basements in apartments, with traffic - which is all true and yet, there's something mystical about the rains in this city. It's almost spiritually healing! Ofcourse, you're looking at Bangalore from the stand-point of someone who barely gets out of home (no traffic nuisance!), is pretty much confined to one room that overlooks a beautiful garden (thanks to Aai) and enjoys her mug of hot-coffee, all alone, slumped in a bean-bag at 2:30am, watching thunder and lightning from this confinement of hers! Rains are fun, aren't they?!

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Google 'Quote for the day'

"At the age of eleven or thereabouts women acquire a poise and an ability to handle difficult situations which a man, if he is lucky, manages to achieve somewhere in the later seventies."

- P. G. Wodehouse (Uneasy Money)

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Jeremy Camp

Spent the whole day listening to Jeremy Camp. Here's one of his numbers -



Artist - Jeremy Camp
Title - Give You Glory
Year - 2007

Lyrics -

We have raised a thousand voices
Just to lift Your holy name
And we will raise thousands more
To sing of Your beauty in this place
Well none can even fathom
No not one define Your worth
As we marvel in Your presence
To the ends of the earth.

We give You glory,
Lifting up our hands and singing holy,
You alone are worthy
We just want to touch Your heart, Lord, touch Your heart
Glory, lifting up our voice and singing holy,
You alone are worthy
We just want to touch Your heart, Lord, touch Your heart

As we fall down before You
With our willing hearts we seek
In the greatness of Your glory
It's so hard to even speak
There is nothing we can offer
No nothing can repay
So we give You all our praises
And lift our voice to sing

We give You glory,
Lifting up our hands and singing holy,
You alone are worthy
We just want to touch Your heart, Lord, touch Your heart
Glory, lifting up our voice and singing holy,
You alone are worthy
We just want to touch Your heart, Lord, touch Your heart

Our hope is drenched in You
Our faith has been renewed
We trust in Your every word
Nothing else can even measure up to You.

We give You glory,
Lifting up our hands and singing holy,
You alone are worthy
We just want to touch Your heart, Lord, touch Your heart
Glory, lifting up our voice and singing holy,
You alone are worthy
We just want to touch Your heart, Lord, touch Your heart

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Frequenters

Every morning, at around 9-9:30 am, there's a clatter on our terrace. A group of no less than 10 monkeys find it a convenient place to hang-out! Some have little ones pinned to their fronts, others simply jump around making merry :). It's quite a sight! This one mother-child pair, never fail to keep me company for atleast half-an-hour. After which I'm compelled to feed them :)! The little one's quite a handful. The mother's delight at being offered something she can have herself without sharing with the little one, is quite obvious!

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Hiatus

It's been a long time! The culprit? - my dial-up connection. I've been waiting for broadband in our native town for 3 weeks now (*sigh*)! And I've finally managed to get one (Heh!). So hopefully I'll be more regular at posting and keeping accounts of our exploits at Amravati :)!

Hope you guys still stop-by :)!

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Recieved through email

My brother forwarded this email to me today. The subject line read - 'She makes babies out of clay'. It instantly captured my attention! So I visited her website and read up everything I could. She truly has a God given gift! Hope you enjoy the pictures as well.

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Valentine's is around the corner

...and here's a wonderful way to say you care -

Gifts That Give More

You can make a difference!

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Everything

A skit performed on 'Lifehouse - Everything'

Yenjoy!

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Confused? Maybe an editor can help!

I read Heather's blog religiously. Today she had these 2 video links - 'Wiener Poopie' and this -



Hope they brighten up your day, as they did mine :)!

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