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.