Birthday 2012

Every year I always get excited when the calendar turns to September. That is when my countdown begins. Some 45 days from then my birthday is to arrive. I also check my birthday as per the Tamil Calendar. TWO birthdays to celebrate!!!

I have no idea how and why, but I have always been very very excited about MY birthday. That said, this year was no different. I had already GIFTED MYSELF two new dresses and waited eagerly for the day.


And then I got DENGUE :(


The day before:

I lay in bed, resting. The temperature was mostly normal but I still hated FOOD and I was feeling cold. I felt a bit tired and remained lying until my back hurt. And then did some sitting until my bums hurt. And some lying again. A vicious circle. A very gloomy day.

On my Birthday:

I woke up that morning. The temperature was finally normal. I had a blood test report to collect and was nervous. My platelets had been low and so were my WBCs. I worried what would happen and whether I would be hospitalised. I wondered who would take care of me and whether they would fight over it. Too many things. And lastly whether I would get an auto to and fro.

With so many burdening thoughts in my head I began my birthday. Yes, it is not in caps as I was not excited at all.

I dressed in something usual, nothing new and very somberly made my PUBLIC appearance (i.e. emerged in front of family). Got a wish from Husband who dared not forget and immediately proceeded to the LAB.

On the way I pondered about how the day had begun and how I would have normally welcomed it. Suddenly it made  me feel silly and all the gaiety surrounding my birthday frivolous. I mean I am no longer a Kid. I have to get past celebrating my birth. It is an old miracle. Too old now for excited celebrations.

And then I reached the LAB.

No big suspense here as the tests declared that I was now NORMAL. Phew!!


Unwrapping my Gifts:

1. New Smart Phone gifted by Husband

2. New Sleek Laptop gifted by Sister

3. Mild variant of Dengue sans complications gifted by GOD

Note: October 2013 will  be grander. Cause I will be celebrating the MIRACLE of my Life as I have touched the life of so many people. Celebrating my NOBLITY. Without me in their life, some souls can never find redemption (viz., my Husband-ji).

A New Addiction!!!

Have been very busy lately doing a lot of shopping. The long hours have not tired my legs though and neither do I feel dehydrated at the end of it. In fact my bank balances are also intact. Wondering how I managed to shop in such a manner?

E - WINDOW SHOPPING!!!

Have you seen those cute ads or those crazy ones? The ones where it claims to be child's play or even cheaper than your neighborhood discount store?

I have to say that the ads did not kindle my interest but the actual witnessing of successful purchase by a comrade. Probably that is how trends catch on. And ever since I have been religiously scanning all such sites. Seems like there are many such and some specialize in certain lines of product.

Despite have surfed around and having done my ground work, I am still wary of making that first purchase. A practically empty bank balance is one reason but more than that there are a few issues.

Paisa Vasool ??

Some items I feel do not really give you that price advantage. It is the same as buying in a local store. Whatever the discount shown, it only makes you doubt the quality of the product. With no means of being assured of that, for the time being I prefer to click on that little 'x' in the top right corner.

Fit hoinga kya??

I have a horrid time shopping for clothes and chappals. After many trials I finally emerge with one or two successful acquisitions. Given my peculiar taste, just seeing a picture and choosing does not seem workable. 

Since ages I have been accustomed to trying on footwear and walking a few steps inside the store. How can I give up such an illustrious tradition? And do not start about the dresses part. Sometimes my own tailored suits do not fit well. I am not yet prepared to gamble on the fit.

Agar kaam nahi kare toh??

This is one big doubt. Yes, they will take return but then they won't give  a refund. It will only be a replacement. Agar woh bhi kaam nahi kare toh?

Naya lagta hai, magar...

What about expiry dates? When I pick a bottle of lotion, I check the dates immediately. Sometimes they offer huge discounts and you are left wondering what is that all about.

DEMO NAHI HAI???

This is the most ridiculous part. Even when buying a pen we will write on a paper and then chose. But here cellphones and other electronics are sold only with the pictures to tell the story. We always check any appliance twice or thrice before buying it. 

This is like the Arranged Marriage of previous century where the groom will see his bride only on their wedding day. Such surprises are not that fun.

But kuch toh bath hai:

No pesky sales person watching over your shoulder. (C'mon how can I shoplift a TELEVISION?)

No pesky sales person (BIG ADVANTAGE hence repeated twice)

No need to dress up for the trip

No need to struggle in Traffic to and fro for your expedition

No need to allocate a Shopping time (useful for those who are always on the go)

Par KHABARDHAAR:

I have been testing the waters and plan to place a small order. That way it is not much of a risk and I can get to see the quality of service. 

Some things that I keep buying regularly can be bought online as I already know the nature of the product.

And I shall stay away from straying in to too many of these websites. There are MANY of them out there.

And one more actually, I shall not yield to temptation when faced with a BIG discount on something I do not NEED.

Having said all this, I am simultaneously searching for OSAA (Online Shopping Addicts Anonymous). Just as a back-up cause I do not know when I might need their help.

Goodness Gracious Righteous ME!!!

I have been drafting and deleting for sometime now. Either my post is boring (even for me) or they are too preachy.

Ever got free advice? Guess all hands would be up.

Ever given free advice?

I have. Despite hating free advice I have been pretty jolly when dishing out my fundas of life to some poor listener who just couldn't escape.

There have been many times where I have noticed myself, being too nice and acting too good. Righteous to a fault and saying nonsensical things that some gyan-guru should be saying. In short acting like a Righteous-Goose. I would incessantly list out my experiences and my inferences and therefore Lessons for Life kind of opinions to that one poor listener. An after thought would make me feel foolish for having said those things.

My basic life principles are simple. Live and let live. I believe in non-interference. And yet I go against my own principles and punish those poor souls who unwittingly get caught in my net.

There are some who are gullible enough and come ask for advice. Such occasions are like Feasting and I enjoy them to the core. But then these are few and countable and I can hardly imagine what use my words have been.

I, Whom am I? A person who has not been able to figure out my own life, creating and clearing my own mess, confused and conflicted about my own interests, unfocussed and unbalanced at many times, unforgiving and un-forgetful of my own sins, a person with so many other vices that cannot be framed in to pretty words here.

Surprisingly though, the gullible folk do come back for more. Does that mean what I said really worked for them? Am I really that Wise? Am I really underestimating myself?

Well the simple answer is that, I was experiencing a Brief Spell of Smartness and knew what to tell. And the other party experienced a Brief Spell of Understanding to interpret a deeper meaning to what is being said.


Advice has never worked for me though. I only seem to learn through my own experience. The idea of reading a Self Help book seem so repulsive that I do not even walk near that aisle in a Library. That is the same way I got to realise that I am FREE ADVICE MANIAC.

But lo and behold! Return for my Imperfections where I forget my own Lessons and do the same mistakes once again. But with a small difference. Earlier it used to take a long time to realise what I have done. Now I seem to realise a little quicker. An improvement nevertheless. Hoping that some day that I will be able to realise in advance and avoid the MISTAKE altogether.

Till then I should probably continue declaring that I am a Perfect Human  because Humans are IMPERFECT. (But then by being perfect I am being a imperfect Human and therefore a perfect human and therefore an imperfect human....aaargh!!!!)

What was the point in this post anyway?  God Only Knows!!

to to to Aaauttoooo....

So here I was today morning, walking in the bright hot sun, slowly yet kicking up a dust storm and impatiently chewing at my lips and thereby having lipstick for breakfast.

It is an auto strike and therefore I was forced to walk a few hundred meters and catch a bus. Yes, I am now in advanced stages of Lazy Bum-ness.

My trysts with Auto-wallas has left me with mixed opinions about their clan. There are the good and the bad, the smooth talkers and the ruffians, the honest and the liar and the ones who demand and the ones who beg. Quiet recently I was ditched by two autos in the same evening. The first left me stranded halfway quoting technical difficulties and the second charged me extra extra for no extra effort by him. Since my Jhansi -ki-Rani avatar had gone on a holiday, I turned in to Little-Bo-Peep and paid up.

When in Chennai, I abhor the idea of having to hail an auto to go somewhere. I'd rather travel in an crowded bus than bargain with that slimy auto-driver. When in Bangalore, I would have to repeat my destination to many autos and risk myself a strained voice and neck before finally one agrees. If luck be my side his meter would be correct and i'd be sparred with a confrontation when getting off. Most evenings, Luck would be in the driving seat leaving me to fend for myself.

Chennai :  Auto = Criminal Daring Looters.

Bangalore : Auto = Masters of the Art of saying "NO". (Outcast students of Art of Living?? I wonder!)

There are a few (understatement) BAD memories associated with autos and bet everyone who has ever boarded one would have. And succumbing to the Educated and Decent class expectations, it is I who usually bows down and pays up. One really good memory though. An Angel in disguise helped me and my friends get home when we were stuck some place late evening and the roads leading out were jammed.

But that can't be claimed to be an exception amongst these meanies, because it was a Private Auto.

All said and done, boon or bane I depend heavily on their services. I am actually pretty thankful to the fact that the autos at Bangalore ply with a Meter and I can know what I am being charged.

Finally before saying "The End", I'd like to say "Thank you and Have a Nice Ride back Home"

Unleash the Terror!!

Some people are born with that natural flair for doing things differently from others. I have always stayed in the side-lines admiring them. Then in some attempt to be different and cool myself, I give it a try and make a Fool of myself. Or rather no one even notices but I personally feel Foolish for having done such a thing.

Let me elucidate:

Scene 1: It is an AD-ZAP event. We are split into teams of 5-6 and asked to think of some Product and think of some cool Ad jingles and skit - ads. Like usual my luck on doing something COOL is always low and therefore I end with up like minded people a.k.a NERDS. End result, there we are (I am) on stage, trying to describe an out of the world, insanely super efficient, PEN / PISTOL / SPY CAM et all rolled into one, un-imaginable and super-nerdy Product. With such a product at hand, the DUD of an Ad need not be elaborated here.

On the other hand, a team stands out with its Product. Gone to the dogs they say. I believe they came up with something on the lines of AXE for Man's Best Friend. At that time Angels were yet to fall, but they showed that the B*#@%^S did. Needless to say that they were the winners.

How easily were they able to be Humorous and Successful and we(I) Dull and Dudly.

Scene 2: It is a college event. They were selecting contestants for Singing Competition. It was one of the few times that I actually had the courage to sing in front of Judges. I had been rehearsing an English number. Definitely a stand out from the Kollywood Bollywood numbers the others were to sing. Suddenly I felt like a FOOL for choosing such a stand out gaana. So when my turn actually came, I chose to sing a song that was a Male solo and even before I could get past Line 1, the judges decision was made. OUT.

Then in the heartbreak of being rejected, I got on stage later and sung before the whole college "Aye Raju" parody of Alane by Devang Patel - the eunuch song.

Then I had to leave college that year itself.

Scene 3 to n: There are many other embarrassing instances like

Trying to dress up Cool and ending up like a Cartoon

Trying to walk with panache and then tripping on a gap in the tile.

Trying to talk in a stylish manner and muddling and mixing up the words with the accent.

Trying to eat with etiquette and ending up with the food all over face and dress (happens every time with a Pizza or burger or soup)

Ultimately whenever I TRY I GOOF up big time. And I am yet to develop the attitude of being able to laugh at myself and therefore I largely feel embarrassed at these shortcomings. I am also yet to develop an acceptance of myself and stop TRYing to be something that I am not. With more of my concentration on being myself probably I could have avoided most of these accidents.

But here is the irony. It wouldn't be me if I didn't try to be something more than just me.

Probably all this thinking and analysing is a sign that I am FINALLY growing up. Here's to OLD AGE. Here I Come.

Makings of a blog..

I love to write, yet there hasn't been a single blog drafted in the last 3 months. Probably somebody/something JINXED my regularity. I do remember someone asking if they could share my blog (is it really worth it). Feeling really ashamed of the quality of my work here, I dismissed the idea. Frankly I fear being READ. Yup! That is strange though as I keep checking my blog views and ensure I deliver my blog copies to friends and family. Yet a strange Fear of feeling exposed and laughed at. Guess I worried too much.

So what was I going to write about finally? The Makings of a Blog - what made me put words to my thoughts Once Again.

The Technology: The first and most important aspect to be able to blog is Internet and a device to access. Check and check. Yes, I did have abundant connectivity and no gadget trouble. Well not exactly. I had ceased to use a computer in a long time and taken to blogging via a touch-screen device. Now that was too delicate and uncomfortable for my fingers which were used to beating up the keyboard with every letter that I would put in. The small screen view and certain App problems ensured that I could not enjoy the TYPING part.

Lets just say that the ZEST for blogging returned the day I laid my hands on a LAPPY TOPPY.


The Space: This is a tricky thing. There is no ideal space for the brain to work. The brain starts working on wonderful things even at times when your body is busy off-loading. But for QUALITY creative work, the mind and body need some Special Space. Poets and Writers have their favourite spots wherein their creativity will ebb and flow. Space is vital. Did I have Space? The Right Space? I did have my BEDROOM all to myself. But that did not inspire anything other than SLEEP. Hence the river of creativity went dry.

Since I am blogging now, that must mean I have found the right space, right? Picture this, Temp job, not much work and a cabin all to myself, peace and quiet.

The Time: I should have just said Time and Space and gotten over with it. Getting both together was the Key to this post.

The Best time to write a blog is Office Time. (OMG!! What if my Boss sees this?).


The Thought: Un-interrupted thought flow is key to a sensible blog. Having spent the past two hours with just "the thought" and numerous diversions, I am now once again faced with a DRY spell. Which therefore brings us to the end of this blog.

To sum up.

HAPPY READING.