Perception

I sense my senses

experience the magic;

A twinkle in the warm sunshine

when my fingertips brush the leaf tip

A glisten of the morning dew

when I hear the pitter patter of rain

A flutter in the autumn breeze

when my long hair falls on my face

An aroma of sweet smells

when I caress a rosebud

I shiver in the winter cold

feeling goosebumps on my skin

I pray a solemn prayer in His abode

To those who have the power of sight

May their life be as magical

as I 'see' it without light

(c) Gkam

I am participating in the WeBlog's Sleepy Sunday contest! You may read other participating posts HERE

Vino

I may not be a Sommelier or an Oenologist but I just adore the aromas of Wines.
This photograph was taken by me at a fine dining restaurant in Mumbai, India where for the very first time in my life I saw a plethora of choices for Wine lovers. Be it Bordeaux, Pinot Noir, Chianti, Merlot or even the famous Napa Valley wine of California  - They had it all.

If only I had the bank balance of a Liquor Baron, I'd sit in the very same restaurant with a stem glass full of fine Bordeaux. Ah! the finer tastes of life....

To see the others' Thursday Challenge for Theme Beverage, visit here

Goodbye

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 13; the thirteenth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

THAT'S IT!!! I'VE HAD IT!
I'm coming clean.....
YES! I'm having an affair. So listen up.....

I cannot stay away from you. I really really need you now more than ever. You see, its the bond that we have for more than 20 years. How can you forget that? Okay, so it was me who moved away from you since I had to start a new phase in my life but then again its your fault that you entice me into your captivity all the time. I cannot help myself.

Be it the drive at Worli Sea Link, the catamaran ride near The Gateway of India, the evening frenzy at Juhu beach and the Chowpatty mania, the lush green view at Chhota Kashmir or the escapade at Essel World, I can always seem to recall all those beautiful moments with you. I still vividly reminisce the deliciously tempting Sardar Pav Bhaji, crisp goldenVada Pav, tasty Zunkha Bhakar, tangy Paanipuri, yummy Bhelpuri, or Bandra's Jays Sandwich that I so relished. The countless cutting chais, juice at Haji Ali Juice centre, Keema Pav at Stadium's, Martin's Goan fish curry or steaming Momos- I cannot tell which was most appetizing.


Damn! Why does being away from you drag me back in a BEST bus or Local Train ride to the nearest station. So what if you've changed your name?... I still see people calling with both your old and new names. Who can forget the time you suffered on 1993 blasts, the twin train blasts, 26/11 attack and 26/7 floods? I cannot. You were hurt and so was I. But, you came back strong alive and still kicking. All thanks to prayers sought at Siddhivinayak, Mahalakshmi, Haji Ali, Parsi Agiary and Mount Mary Church.

Year after year we rejoiced and celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi, colorful Holi, holy Durga Puja,  joyous Mount Mary Bandra Fair, Koli Mahotsav, Nag Panchami, Gudi Padva, Id, Pateti, Onam and the splendour of Kala Ghoda Art Festival.
That doesn't mean that I adore the frequent water-cuts, roads in potholes, hawkers on foothpaths and flyovers that you have created. I still haven't come in terms to them.

Yet it is because of you that the Tatas, the Ambanis, the Jindals, the Mangeshkars are grateful and many those who aspire to become like them some day, come to you.
Be it Marine Drive, Film City or the Bandstand you have avid followers. The Khans, the Bachchans or the rest of the Bollywood are forever indebted to you and are nothing but mush without your spotlight.

I know it is not fair to love you too much. Like a million other people you have stolen my heart too.
But I'm adamant, my love affair with you will continue.
Be it Boston or Bostwana, Melbourne or Madras, Chennai or Chinchpokli....

I still love you MUMBAI. Always have and always will..... :)
I can NEVER say Goodbye.

Dear Navi Mumbai,
I love your pristine clean right-angled roads, adore your hawker free footpaths and cleaner and greener gardens.  Hey I'm sorry that I'm cheating on you. It might take me more than 20 years to love you like I love Mumbai ;)

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

This post has also been published by me as a part of the Writer's Island prompt on Spellboud. Check here to participate

3WW #1

"OUCH! Please be gentle John!" Janet creased her forehead in wariness of the pain that she anticipated.
"Oh, c'mon don't be such a baby! It's nothing but a scratch." John said to her condescendingly while examining the wound.
It had been no more than a few weeks since the brother sister duo had moved in with their family into the neighbourhood.
"Really? You try falling from a bike on a rough sidewalk whilst wearing a frock." Janet harrumphed in defense.
"Praise the Lord! You are safe and sound!" John said sarcastically and rolled his eyes.
"Hmph!"
"Listen Janet, We need to get back to the house now, I-"
"I won't be able to walk three blocks, dummy! I have gotten hurt real bad!" she said as if she was stating the obvious.
"Oh! alright, fine. I'll be back in five to get some more ointment. Are you sure you're going to be okay?"
"Yes, yes go quick! I have to go to Macy's house later."
John left towards his house, a few blocks away from the spot where Janet had had her fall. As much as he disliked his sister for the unnecessary tantrums she often threw, he still loved her very much and instinctively he fought the wariness that had crept in his mind for a fraction of a second that leaving his sister alone there, even for five minutes, was perhaps not a good idea.
Little did John know what vulgar ideas were germinating from the deep set eyes hiding behind the brick wall around the curb, a few yards away from his darling step-sister.


This post is in dedication to the grieving families of the Nehru Nagar Kurla child rape murders. Let justice be done, though the heavens may fall.


P.S. This is my 51st post! :)

Wish

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 12; the twelfth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

“Send this to 50 other people or….”
Jim knew what the “repercussions” were of not forwarding chain e-mails and so mechanically he clicked the forward button and sent it to his only pal in the office – ‘Princess Forward’ Fiona. She was the go-to girl if you wanted any forward e-mails. She could bombard your inbox with forwards like pick-a-color-and-find-your-soul mate e-mails, e-mails with Goddesses and Deities and even more. She even badgered people to post their wish-lists to a birthday website so much that Jim had to eventually give in.

Cheery and vivacious as a cheerleader Jim wondered often why she was so ‘wishful’ all the time. That very aspect of her irritated him but he did not approach her and complain. He never approached her. He did not appreciate too much wishful thinking. Infact he disliked the very thought of it.  Like clockwork Fiona peeped over her cubicle and gave Jim that pleasing smile as if it was the only thing she was waiting for all day.  

‘At least it works for someone’ wondered Jim. So, forwarded e-mails and a warm smile were only exchanged between them on a daily basis. Somehow, Jim wished it was more....But he wouldn't.
Sub-consciously Jim felt that smile of hers was different today, or was he imagining it?….he put his thoughts to rest. Fiona is as happy as sunshine, always. The chain e-mail then found its righteous place in the folder labeled ‘Junk’.
Yet, somehow he did not have the heart to delete it. He never knew why.

Day was as boring as a snore Jim felt if the clock was punishing him by ticking ever so slowly. He needed to get out of this miserable office. He pondered countless times on why he should quit this job that was squeezing the happiness out of his life. However, he was often shocked back into reality by the burden of the mortgage of the house he was planning to buy, the impending education loan he had to pay for and most importantly saving up for retirement. This job’s salary was the reason, the ONLY reason he was working there. He couldn't care less otherwise.
Fiona’s charming smile was only enough to ignite some passion to read a drone of a expense report but perhaps not for the other problems in his life. Poring over the expense sheets and graphs he thought why he was so very miserable a week before Christmas. ‘Tis the season to be jolly?…Bah! Humbug!

Why couldn’t he be happy as a daisy? Others hid their misery so well. He often wondered. He wished so much to be like Fiona. Cheery and upbeat regardless. He sighed.

Rumble rumble.
It was his stomach grumbling.
Involuntarily Jim got up and slouched like a zombie to the kitchen and poured him some decaf. He let out yet another sigh. Tapping the mug he leaned with his back towards the kitchen counter mulling over life and its insane possibilities. He was tired, very tired. He yawned and chugged down the decaf in a swish and headed back towards his desk. Having his boss catch him asleep was the last thing he needed today. Slouching back unwillingly into his chair, he fought slumber as he stared into the excel sheet.

It read: ‘The Sales office expense report dated January ………….’

And no sooner a moment had passed, Jim shook himself up with a start; quickly looked around afraid whether or not the boss had heard him snore or had used his desk as a pillow- he didn’t even know how long he was out.

‘Guess nobody saw me’ Jim thought.

His stomach now rumbled louder to a growl. He was very hungry. Looking at his watch he remembered that he missed his breakfast today again in order to catch the subway train. He got up and went to the kitchen again and rummaged through the fridge for a fruit or condiments for a sandwich or a piece of celery at the least.
Strangely, he found a wishbone. Right in the central compartment of the fridge, nothing but a wishbone!

‘And its not even Thanksgiving!’
He thought. He mulled for a while, and putting his aversions of luck and wishfulness to rest he gave it a firm snap. It broke into two. It’s believed that if one has the larger portion of the wishbone his or her wish would come true.

‘As if my day would get any better with a wishbone’

He catapulted the pieces into the trashcan. Turning around he waited for a familiar sound but instead came a metallic crackle. Was his hearing affected? Middle age was perhaps getting to him, he thought. Surprised, Jim turned back and looked over to the trash can. The bone had hit a metal lamp of some sort. Shiny gold and with intricate designs on its surface Jim examined the lamp against the kitchen light aghast thinking what in the world was a lamp doing in a office trash can?
Examining the lamp carefully, he found an inscription on the bottom of the lamp:

‘Make a Wish’
Was written in gold.

Chuckling silently, he headed back to his desk and sitting down he decided to give it a shot.
‘Perfect! Now I await a genie. Hmm.. 7 wishes was it?’
Perfectly aware that it wasn’t any good he chuckled some more and rubbed the lamp uninterestedly once.

Nothing happened.

He rubbed it twice.

Still nothing.

Yawning, he placed it onto his desk and yawned some more.

*Beep*

An e-mail flashed into his inbox.
‘Must be from Human Resources’, he thought
Nonchalantly he clicked open his inbox and it read-

Sender: Genie@goldenlamp.com
To: Jim
Subject: Re: 3 wishes
Message:
Your wish is my command master!

Aghast Jim sat up in his seat. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was awake.
‘What’s this?! Oh wait, relax, must be a joke or something…’
Convinced it was an office joke doing the rounds, he examined the email and tried to trace back the address but to his surprise it showed it didn’t exist!

‘How is that possible?’
His heart was beating fast. In complete disbelief and he assumed he was imagining things he rummaged his desk for his spectacles and he something unusual caught his eye.

‘What the-‘

A bouquet of clover leaves held by a smiling leprechaun was placed right on his desk.
He was taken aback as to how he didn’t notice it all morning! Something didn't seem right. His heart now raced.

But what got Jim gasping was a smiling elderly lady dressed as fairy godmother tapping on his shoulder.

‘OH MY GOD!’ He yelped out and in a flash he was out of his chair, outside his office floor and into the empty elevator and frantically pressing the Basement button.

‘What the hell is happening to me!
Oh my god I’m hallucinating!
I gotta go to the hospital. What’s happening to me??!!’ he gasped aloud in the elevator.

No sooner did the elevator ding open into the basement there was a flash of light and cries of:
.
.

.
.

‘SURPRISE !!!’


'Happy Birthday'

Yelled everyone in the basement in chorus.
There was Fiona carrying a large cake and all the rest of the office mates including the fairy godmother (who turned out to be the cleaning lady) all in confetti and balloons happily smiling towards Jim. Fiona giggled as she saw Jim’s panicky yet confused expression. He looked dazed and confused as everyone pulled him out of the elevator and into a colorfully decorated basement- it never looked the same dingy basement like before- and were exchanging hugs and laughs all around. Every one named Fiona as the mastermind behind the birthday prank.


'How could I forget my own birthday!' Jim smacked himself in the head and chuckled in disbelief that he fell right into their trap. Correction: Fiona’s carefully crafted trap.

He laughed out loud as he learned of the details of her plan to freak Jim out right before him rushing to his car. He now realized, she knew him so well. At that very moment ignoring the crowd of people around him, Jim noticed her again and noticed her noticing him- her smile was different, more mischievous, more loving-and he smiled back, in kind acknowledgment.

After the party came to an end and everyone had left for the day, Jim asked Fiona as he escorted her to her car.

‘So…. You did all this for me? But why ?’

‘You know Jim; you should start believing things more. Perhaps it would come true’ she said and smiled kindly.

‘Huh?‘ That wasn’t a straight reply. ‘But-‘

Before Jim could probe more, Fiona gave him a quick but tight hug and rushed to her car.

Jim looked dazed and confused as before.

With a smiling goodbye wave she left in her car and Jim waved back, still stunned.

He then noticed something sticking in his shirt pocket-

A note, it read:

"
My dear Jim,


Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling through
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
the dream that you wish will come true


Loads of Love,
Fiona
'"

At that very moment, Jim smiled widely as he now knew his coming days would never be the same again.

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Mumbai Blog-a-toners meet

What do you get when you have 8 complete strangers meeting up having never talked, chatted or seen each other before over a hot tea in humid Mumbai? An awesome time!
4th of July Sunday was the usual lazy Sunday for me. The weather was just right, not too humid not too hot. Initially not to keen to leave the comforts of my abode, I slouched unwillingly out of my couch and left for Prithvi Theatre, Juhu. I've never been to Prithvi Theatre, so it got me wondering 'Are we gonna watch a play?'

Being a Sunday and horrible time for those who wanna travel from Navi Mumbai via the Harbour Line, all thanks to the Mega Block, it wasn't different this time either. So I had to resort to travel via buses. Luck had it in for me as I clamoured into a jam-packed bus and then waited for almost an hour for another bus to reach Juhu, my destination, a good hour later that the 4 pm time.

Unknown territory and with unknown company has its unprecedented-ness and excitement. On the contrary I was greeted as if they'd known me for years. It was a warm tete-a-tete after the typical introductory session round the quaint table at Prithvi Cafe. The Blog Marshall was remembered with PC declaring the agenda. Maverick was surprisingly dressed in formals while Dishit was the smarter one who brought his trusted digicam, one thing which I forgot. Anu, eldest of us all was the most jovial and as was PC plus her blackberry :P Our banter ranged from what got us motivated to write our blogs to traveling to the Prithvi warning bells to Parth's Irish Coffee! None of us can ever forget Parth's visibly livid expression of 'What Bachcha!' :P

 BAT-Mumbai

And our rendezvous came to a rather cheeky end when we asked one rather famous theatre personality to click our group snap. Neither of us know who exactly he is yet! :P

And so as I reached home, I recalled the surreal experience that I had never met strangers today because we were bonded to each other through a medium of words and a platform called BAT. Guys, it was completely worth the tedious travel and would love to meet you all over again.
Happy Anniversary BAT!

Hidden

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 11; the eleventh edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Mrs Sharma and her brigade was at the door. As usual.
“He’s so naughty Neeta. Not that I am complaining” she said as matter-of-factly while biting into the sandwich; “He needs to be- you know- taught to behave” She flashed her fake smile at me.

“Look at my children – Simple and Dimpy- So well behaved. No?”
I flashed my fake smile at her. The other day I had seen them sneaking out Mrs. Sharma’s make up and forcefully applying it on their maid’s face. It reminded me of the movie Chalbaaz. Yes the Sridevi one.

Draining her tea, Mr. Varma adjusted herself on our couch and asked “So, your Mister…. Is he not at home?” She asked speculatively. “Today is Sunday- No work No?”

“Well- er- he’s out of town on government work” I gave my well rehearsed reply. “You know the summers are about to start. He’s been asked to help with the Government Project”

“Of course of course. I understand.” She cleared her throat and made a face. She sure masked any signs of "understanding".
“ I just asked because the last time I saw him…” she pretended to mentally calculate and said “… was ten months ago” “Right after you moved in here”

Some of the ladies took a mini gasp at my statement minus the background score of a televised soap. In a town like ours, for a husband to be away from his family was the second most gossiped topic at the kitty party circles, building corridors and playground parks for unemployed wives of rich businessmen.

I sighed. “Yes, but his work is important. You know how government projects are. Er- please have more cake. I baked it” saying that I glanced at my plate to see the leftovers of my son’s birthday cake. I quickly excused myself to refill more potato chips and rushed to the kitchen.

I could still hear the chatter of the ladies and munching of crisps as I absentmindedly filled the bowl with more chips. A sideways glance and I saw my son all tired and angelically curled up in his bed still having his brand new sneakers on him clutching his brand new Iron Man figurine.

Banter in the family room ceased after the neighbours had left. I started to clean up and then-
“You sure know how to make an entry” I said.

“Well. Its my son’s birthday. I wouldn’t miss it for all the stars in the galaxy.” He said while climbing through the window.

“Well then you should have been there to help me field the questions. You heard them-“ And unconsciously I had started to well up. He noticed this and in a flash he was right beside me.

“I know my dear. I cannot apologise enough. It is- difficult – for me. You do understand don’t you? See, I have got something for you”

I turned to him and a shining stone gleamed out of his hand. It shone with such a gleam that I could not be angry at him for long. It was beautiful. Just like him.

I sniffed. “Ah! All the sacrifices I need to make while being married to a super human” I mocked lovingly at him.

He chuckled. “Being hidden from the eyes of world is easy. But being hidden from you….I cannot even think of it”

While his cape billowed in the cool night breeze, I forgot all my worries and the surrealism of it in his sweet embrace.

~~~

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Renovation Frustration

Here Ye Here Ye!

And I am back to blogging… once more.

Sabbatical. On a break. What-cha-might-call-it. And its good to be back. And will stay that way.

Although I passed out of college in July last year still the euphoria of friends around me all the time was strong. Reminiscing all the good times, scandals and the likes. Some left for gora desh and other gora desh-es.

Some even left for further prospects in apna desh.And I was still pondering at the crossroads.

Sitting at home and wondering whether I’d be fitting as a researcher or as a manager was indeed torture topped with dollops of renovation work driving me to my wits’ end aaand a persistent brother persisting me to coax my Pop to buy “us” a 2 wheeler.
That wasn’t it, since now I was home ALL the time the chores’ burden rest on my shoulders. It was as if I did not move a finger at all! Not fair, I did move to Cuba and Bangkok for indefinitely when I had to complete a job for my Mafia on Facebook :P

Thinking about those choices (Management vs. Research) and in the situation (or dump called my home) I can’t say that I didn’t explore those choices.

See, I had to search for a house to live in temporarily while my home was getting renovated not forgetting rummaging through the designs of bathroom tiles, hunt for a contemporary kitchen designer, and also learn enlightening things like what happens when wall tiles and floor tiles are switched or to know how a perfectly good kitchen bowl can be turned into a cocktail of cement puke.

That was the research part.

Management part was inbuilt:
Operations Management was the result of the workers’ research. Cutting granite into 3 inch long strips first and then joining them together into a single whole was their idea, and at the receiving end of my dad's wrath.
It was also managing the space at home i.e. Human Resource(s) management. Since my research to find a spare apartment was hopeless, my bedroom turned into a kitchen; bathroom was the dressing room and living room was out of the house. I cursed myself for having so much furniture lying around that banging my toe each time I entered any room was so routine I did it once to see if I was still conscious.
Noise was nothing. Meaning it was so goddamn much you could hear nothing but it!

I mean it was the constant drilling, cutting, hammering, breaking, welding which felt like listening to a badly recorded death metal CD. Two days of hammering later our maid was absconding and was heard to have been advised by her doctor to go to her native to treat her ears.

There was so much cement and rock bits lying around the house that I wouldn’t be surprised to have inhaled from the air or ingested some with my food like a garnish.
I think while asleep at night and dreaming; I must have dreamt to have woken up just out of the blue laughing out loud and then coughing out a cement block- which later I would have used to upgrade my chop shop in Mafia Wars. :D

Some neighbours were empathetic and some lauded our effort to stay alive in the mayhem of muddle and misery. I used to beam and receive the compliments gracefully.

Little did they know how desperate I was to just stay out of my own home. Thanks to my really good friends I was kept virtually sane by hanging out with them from time to time; out of my house obviously; else I would have shrieked with agony and crouched into a fetal position with the remotest prospect of having to hear another hammering sound.

Food was next on the management agenda. Call it (Not-visiting-the-)Hospital and Healthcare Management.
Since the kitchen was officially in the bedroom, the idea of sleeping next to the cylinder is like sleeping with a ticking time bomb.
Thus we had to order food in, so much so that the regular joint anna had my address by heart and sometimes my order too. It goes like this:

Me: Hello, VinVin Hotel??

Anna: Haan, bolo..

Me: Address likho. V for- (interrupts)

Anna: Haan. Veee for victory, Duss-a number-a?

Me: Haan haan barabar. Order hai- (interrupts again)

Anna: Duss-a Chap-pati, Ekk-a Bhindi Masala aur-a… aur-a… Ekk-a Daal Fraay??

Me:  (Surprised) Haan bhej dena.. (Slams the phone)

Then I get a call. It was anna.

Me: Hello?

Anna: Haan. Madam-a aaj-a Rs. 500 ka change-a nahi chaiye?

Me: :O

A week later Anna calls me and tells me that his chapatti-wala has gone to his native and he insists that I switch to roti now.

Our daily dependence on Anna’s vegetarian fare was so much that I guess he must have recovered the costs of his daughter’s wedding.

Finally the renovation work got completed, and so did my “pondering”, a good 3 months 20 days later. The work done was great. Beautiful marble and granite flooring, larger windows, wider space, brighter walls. I didn't feel like I lived in an Adam's Family-ish home.

I was happy. My hope was beautiful, livable. It somehow paid out handsomely for bearing the so called torture and misery. Cloud called renovation had a silver lining afterall. 

I was happy. So happy that I screamt my lungs out in joy and punched the air in the jubilation of not having to see another stranger lying around my house.

It was then that dad broke the news.

Dad: I think the bathroom needs to be redone….

Me: (Swoon) (Thud)

Will power- (Blog-a-ton 6)

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 6; the sixth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Tick tock

Never before had time flown by so quickly.

Red oozed.

Staring at the paper, Lee closed his eyes and strained.

Everything went before in flashes.

Tick tock.

Eyes opened to stare at the paper.

He wrote: 'I, Lee, being of sound mind and…'

Door creaked. Gunshot.

Finally it read: '…NIL to my son.'
_______________

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Edit1: My Dear readers, thank you for your comments and valuable feedback. They keep me motivated to write more and better. The essence of 55 fiction, I believe, is to keep the reader guessing till the end. I am a novice at this genre of writing, and on an impromptu decision I composed this post. Looking at the feedback, I shall put up my original thought process behind the post on 11th Jan 2010. All the best to all the participants! Thanks and keep reading!

Edit 2: As promised, here is my original POV:
Lee is an aging old man and has a son. The color pink represents his rosy picture that he had in his mind about his son. But, as time progresses and his son grows up, his rosy picture turns to a blood red color because of his son's greed. In the end, Lee's son kills his father, but to former's dismay; leaves him nothing (NIL) in his will.

And the award goes to....

 

Thank You Blogadda!

As 2009 comes to an end and the winter of ever sunny Mumbai kicks in, I reflect back into this year on all its events. Although I did not receive any awards in the real sense or on my blog, so I thought 'why not create my own set of awards'. (Its here you say: Aahhh! ) I, Gkam, now present to you:

Gkam's Award Ceremony 2009

Nominations-Shominations! These Winners are above and beyond that....

And the winners are: 

*Drumroll please*


Wordsworth Award: Shashi Tharoor, Deputy Minister for External Affairs

Big Boss Award: S. M. Krishna, Minister for External Affairs

Humble (American) Pie Award: Peace Nobel Winner U. S. President Barack Obama

SEXagenarian of the Year Award: Former Andhra Governer N. D. Tiwari

Quickfire Response Award: Liberhan Report on Babri Masjib Demolition. (Yeah, the "leaked" report is 126MB)

Bharatiya Naari Award: Rakhi Sawant

Little Bo- BEEP Award : Kamal Rashid Khan fondly(!) known as KRK

Tom and Jerry Award : IIM and Prometric

Miss Congeniality: Serena Williams

The Dark Horse Award : Vindu Dara Singh on winning Big Boss 3 and coincidentally also wins Mirror Breaking Material Award!

Best Rendezvous point: Copenhagen, Denmark

Most popularly used four letter word: H1N1

Award for the Most Considerate: Kanye West American Rapper

Aquasure Award: Chandrayaan, India's maiden Moon mission

Sweet 17 Award: Sachin Tendulkar (on completing 17000 runs in ODIs  in 20 years)

Best Employer of the Year Award: Air India

Atithi Devo Bhavaha Award(Guest is God): Australia

Bankrupt Award: Ramalinga Raju

Two to Tango Award: A. R. Rahman on winning both Oscars and Grammy

United we Stand Award: Now, this award will be (un-)evenly divided amongst Telangana, Harit Pradesh, Gorkhaland.

Alive and Kicking Award: BJP; This award will be received by L. K. Advani

'Baby one more time' Award: UPA; isssssskoooo receive karrrrengiiiii Mrs. Sonia Gandhi

Maid-en over Award: Shiney Ahuja

Husband of the Year: Tiger Woods

Golfer of the Year/ Golden Glove: Elin Nordegren


Last but never the least....


Best Actress of the Year: Rohit Verma in Big Boss 3

Best Actor: Terrorist Ajmal Kasab



Now, now, give the winners a big round of applause!

This is my last post for 2009. I wish all my readers a very very Happy New Year 2010!
May happiness and success be all round the year and May your troubles last as long as your resolutions :P

Signing off.
Optimistically yours,

Gkam :)

3 IDIOTS: Dont be an IDIOT!

   Image Copyright: Rajkumar Hirani & V V Chopra

The Aamir Khan starrer was laugh riot indeed. But let me present to you, the REAL life idiots:

Idiot number 1: One who jaywalks

Image Copyright: Cartoonstock

 

Idiot number 2: One who crosses railway tracks (even though knowing that there is a foot-over bridge)

Image Copyright: fineartamerica.com

Idiot number 3: One who drives after getting intoxicated and/or while talking on the mobile phone.

 

My humble request to those falling in the above category:

DONT be an Idiot! Because: Idiots Do Increadibly 'Orrible Things

Happy 2010.

Seasons' Greetings!

Wish you all A Merry Christmas, 

May the Joys of the season 

Fill your heart with goodwill and cheer. 

May the chimes of Christmas glory 

Add up more shine and spread Smiles across the miles, 

To-day & In the New Year.

-Rosie Cash

Image copyright: www. adom.de

Gkam wishes all her readers a very Merry Christmas and a 

Happy New Year!

Target Forty

Hey! I'm baaack...

*crickets chirping*

Hello? Anybody miss me???

*crickets disappear*

Well, even if you didn't know, I've been away from blogging for more than two months, and find it as difficult as ever to put together a post. Although there are many thoughts and ideas swimming in my mind at the moment waiting to be turned into masterpieces (modest aren't I?) and grace this very Blogosphere (*rolling eyes*), but I shall post this "random" of a post anyways.

Happy Holidays in advance to all my blog buddies! My only activities in this nippy winter is that like of a mountain bear in hibernation; it seems I spend way more time sleeping than a Mr. Teddy usually does. And I had my birthday last week. There is nothing "fun" about turning a year older and stepping even closer than before to perhaps start the use of Anti-Age Wrinkle cream, but what made it special is that, somehow the people who I wanted to wish me- even though they were thousands of miles away swearing at the bitter cold of winter and cursing the very existence of the month of December- did.

I saw HIMYM last week where it had Marshall Eriksson (one of the lead characters) reading out his things to do before 30 list. And it made me wonder...

And so off late, I've been pondering (pardon the cliche) about what I would see myself fifteen or so years down the line to have accomplished. And so I decided, making no commitments in cement, to make a To-Do Wish List* before I turn forty.

So, here I go:
1. Author a book
(If Stephanie Meyer can get her bestseller storyline in her sleep, I should have been writing sagas by now)

2. Travel to atleast 5 different countries
(Home country and taking a stopover flight does not count)

3. Create a headline/ Be interviewed on TV
(The good and non-scandalous kind)

4. Be fluent in a Foreign Language
(Accented English does not count)

5. Invent something
(A word or phrase...anything, but something!)

6. TRY to enter into the Guinness book of world records
(then again, TRY)

7. Still run this blog
(..And criticize this post and the warmth of the winter that made me write this in the first place)


If I don't make any of them from this list, feel free to mock. (Be nice)

OK, wow, this merry season is getting to me. I've kept this post as raw and unedited as my thoughts (I know its gonna bite me in the a** later)

*No. No. Not THAT list is private.

Cheerio folks!
Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year 2010 in Advance....

Speaking of a post

Speaking of a post....
I literally have nothing to blog about. My TV is back after a 3 month hiatus. I can't seem to be reading anything, just watching. Hence "exploring" and "learning" about the current affairs. Maybe that's why I can't seem to think- from the vast expanse of the meninges folds and gray matter of my brain-of one decent blog post.

Speaking of decent....
I cannot believe that of all people Rakhi Savant was allowed to take care of a toddler! I pity the toddler who will soon grow up and wonder out loud "Oh Jhejus! Which of these outfits would show more cleavage?!!". She even dressed the boy like a girl, and with MAKEUP while his biological mother was tearing her hair apart. Why couldn't NDTV Imagine just throw the infant to ravenous hyenas? Hyenas would be less brutal. And more eye pleasing!! Wolves even! Mowgli turned out fine.

Jungle Book's beloved character: Mowgli

Speaking of Mowgli....
I don't seem to understand the unnecessary fuss and brouhaha over Bollywood actresses wearing bikinis onscreen. They do it all the time in beauty pageants, fashion shows, casting couches and the like. Hollywood actresses don't make such a fuss to be on Playboy! Grow up! If you have it, flaunt it. Big Deal! (I can sense fervent nods from the Indian male population)


Speaking of Big....
Big Boss season 3 is out. There is a season 3? Arre baba, does ANYONE care?

Speaking of Baba...
Baba Ramdev has been "gifted" a Scottish island. Newspapers say "Baba Ramdev will also teach the people of Scotland how to perform 'Yoga' to make your life better." Yoga is good. Somehow, I just can't imagine the Scotts in their quilts, armed with a pint performing the Halasana. I remember my yoga class back in school. Early morning at 6am, doing yoga....nothing like the Shavasana. Zzzzzz.

  Above : Halasana (Hala= Plough), Below: Shavasana (Shava=corpse) No, the kitty is alive.

Speaking of  Zzzzz.....

Actor Shiney Ahuja is out of jail after being convicted for allegedly raping his maid. Which movie was he in? Did anyone REALLY miss him? Well... apart from his wife. Media, media! Unnecessary attention, I tell you!

Speaking of unnecessary....
President Barrack Obama was honored with the Nobel for Peace. Hmm. Lets see.
Elected this year.
9 months into his presidency.
Did not decline by stating that 'there is a lot that he needs to achieve before he feels worthy of it'
Why, then that's completely justified! Hey, why don't we give Shashi Tharoor one for Literature? OK I better shut up before Mr. Tharoor hurls abuses at me in his tweets.....


Speaking of  tweet...
Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave you met Neil Patrick Harris (Barney Stinson of How I met your Mother fame) on Twitter? Its nice to find celebs on twitter; but I wish there were more politicians than celebs.

Laloo himself with his trademark Kulhad(r).

Imagine if Laloo Prasad Yadav was on twitter. He'd allow you to subscribe to his updates only if you'd buy a yearly supply of kulhad(r)s (earthen pot). Anyhow, I tweeted Barney and he didn't reply back. Bet he realized he's got competition at Awesomeness :D

Speaking of competition....
MLA elections are about to start. And somehow, this time my name IS on the list. My correct and legible name. Unfortunately I've shifted my residence. Full on canvassing even with SMSs being bombarded to me by a certain "English-loving" political party. Although I had no qualms to vote from my old residence but still I was being persuaded to vote from my new one by a pack of power-hungry wannabe "student union".


Speaking of hungry...
I am. I smell cookies. Gkam out.




(Disclaimer 1: The images in this post are under the sole copyright of their owners and I just google them.
Disclaimer 2: I do not intend to hurt sentiments of supporters or crazed fans of the above mentioned by being sarcastic and rude. The purpose of the post is just to tickle the readers' funny bone)

Trust me on the Sunscreen

While rummaging through my music collection- among the Floyds, Metallicas, John Mayers, Didos- I've always been procrastinating to sort out the unsorted music that I posses in my laptop. Yeah, the one or two folders named "#Categorize" or "#To_be_sorted" that always meets my eye every time I pick my oft-listened-to Aqualung track (Brighter than Sunshine); and get demoted to my peripheral vision which quickly goes to neglected status.
These folders contain a diversity of music in their genres worth of an Amazon rainforest. The deleting of same songs with different versions (acoustic, orchestra, stage live, this DJ, that DJ mix) with varying megabytes is as heartbreaking as choosing which of my metaphorical/hypothetical kids are dearer to me. I had to oblige, once my trusty 180 Gig D drive started gasping out S.O.S.s constantly in the form of "Low Disk Space".

And so this lovechild of indolence and procrastination (me!) today started sorting out those unsorted and multiple copies of the same song with similar names like "Nirvana-Smell's like teen spirit" and "01 Nirvana" and "Smells lyk teem spipit" or even "Neervana" which found their ways into five various folders labeled "Nirvaana" or "Rock muzzic" or "Rocking songzzz" or even "Guitarwallah(!) Songs".

I don't know how many of you have this O.C.D like I do, but I like to arrange my files or folders into thumbnails-provided they assimilate within my vision without the need to use scrollbars-and then by type, and in alphabetical order. Also, I make it a point to remove any numerals, unless necessary and refrain from using any SMS lingo in my files. Thats the basic. I plan to innovate by sorting them into the year of their release, their album cover as folder picture, adding lyric page, and....O.K. Geek alert!! :D

That not only helps me locate my favorite Carter Burwell symphony orchestra track from Twilight or ACDC track (TNT) but also helps Rover (the Microsoft Search Dog) to fetch my files in a heartbeat. I wish I could give it treats or a nice rub sometimes. Good boy, Rover! :)

Talking of one song; which caught my attention today. I read its name, but, surprisingly I could remember how it sounded like. See, the thing with me is that I can't recognize a song unless its been taped in my head atleast seven times-Yeah! thats my magic number-till which I'm like tone/melody deaf. I pick up a couple of seconds later or till the beats start.This time my audio-sensory part of my brain caught up well.

So about this song, its called "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" by Baz Lurhmann and its unusual because its a narration of advice.
I did a bit of "research" to find out who it was written by: aaaaand it turns out that after an erroneous claim circulating in the Internet a couple of years ago that an MIT guy named Kurt Vonnegut addressed it, it was actually written by Mary Theresa Schmich, which was published in the Chicago tribune.
You might have come across it already via forwarded e-mails. Its wonderfully written. Here it is, word to word.

Image Courtesy- Discovery Education

"Wear sunscreen. 
 
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now. 
 
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine. 
 
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday. 
 
Do one thing every day that scares you. 
 
Sing. 
 
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.*
 
Floss. 
 
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself. *
 
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements. 
 
Stretch. 
 
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't. 
 
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone. 
 
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's. 
 
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own. 
 
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room. 
 
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them. 
 
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly. 
 
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. 
They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. 
 
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. 
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young. 
 
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. 

Travel. 
 
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders. 
 
Respect your elders. 
 
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out. 
 
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85. 
 
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth. 
 
But trust me on the sunscreen. "


Most points are really reassuring. The ones with the asterisks on the end are my favourites. I never knew sunscreen is that effective. :)
 

Let the Festivities begin....

Hey All!

Firstly, Happy Dusshera/ Vijayadashami to all of you!

Image courtesy geet_kunal

The victory of Lord Rama over Ravana; Victory of Goddess Durga over Mahishasura.

I just got to know what all of the10 heads of Ravana signify:
(1) Kama vasana (Lust),
(2) Krodha (Anger),
(3) Moha (Delusion),
(4) Lobha (Greed),
(5) Mada (Over Pride),
(6) Matsara (Jealousy),
(7) Manas (Mind),
(8) Buddhi (Intellect),
(9) Chitta (will) and
(10) Ahankara (Ego).
Talk about split-personalities! What will I do without you Wiki? :D

So Time to Celebrate! Stuff yourselves with all the fafda and jalebi and cham-cham and rosogulla and sandesh and... and...and......
*mouth waters* (OK. Gkam. Focus now. No drool on the keyboard. Focus!)
*ahem*....you can lay your hands on...


So you see, THIS is my favorite time of the year... So many festivals! So much fun. So much food! Yummy!....I mean....Yipppppppeeeeeeeeeeeee!


Not to mention the shopping sales, parties, weddings, buffet.....(Oh STOP it Already!!)...and brand-new-designer-outfits-no-longer-fit....

Oh boy, I can't wait for Diwali.!!! :) :) :)
Halloween! (OK, I don't celebrate it, but I like the idea....Trick or Treat anyone?)
And Christmas and then New Year!!


Oh, the year just ended. Yikes.*Gulp*

I gotta lie down. :|

Erm, Enjoy!! :)




P.S. I got issues with "Time Flying" and "Not Studying". Yeah, I'm the love child of Procrastination and Indolence!

P.P.S. I would have posted this earlier yesterday had my internet connection not thrown a fit. Getting too cranky after 18 hours.. Ho-Hum!

Top 20 ways to kill boredom while Shopping

My family and I rarely visit the friendly neighbourhood Supermarket. How much ever the adverts try, they don't entice us into shopping for their products with "Rock bottom prices" or "earth shattering discounts".
Whenever we do its just the habitual, casual first-day-of-the-month-I've-got-my-paycheck-will-"splurge"-Look!-new-offers type of shopping. It isn't walk in the park actually, when we have to go when the rush hour is at its annoying best.
Personally, I ain't a compulsive or impulsive shopper; I like to shop at my leisure albeit sticking to the list. My family, on the other hand, insists on shopping according to the "routine".


The "routine" is when the four of us are out to shop, it isn't just shopping anymore, but rather turns into more of a military operation. My mom and I would be (wo-)manning the condiments and food-grain aisles and swiftly grab each item as if the Salvation Army needed it for their next mission to Rwanda. My brother and my dad station themselves with a cart each, eyeballing queued up customers for the next empty (or least crowded) spot at the cashier. We keep ourselves updated and communicated on our status with respect to the completion of our target list cum dossier (read:half-a-shopping list) via satellite communication (read:pointing at product and nodding vigorously or yelling at top of our lungs).

That's us. But I feel shopping becomes an "enriching" experience when you have some fun at it, without getting bored. Having said that, I present to you,

The Top 20 Ways to Kill Boredom while Shopping

20. Set all the alarm clocks to go off at 10 minute intervals.

19. Jump into a shopping cart and try to race your way up to the exit screaming "I'm freeeeeeeeeeeee"

18. Make a trail of orange juice on the floor to the restrooms.

17. Challenge other customers to a duel as Darth-Vader with tubes of gift wrap.

16. Walk up to an employee and tell him/her in an official tone, "I believe we have a code 3 in housewares" and see what happens.

15. Convince you've lost your friend and insist that the announcer at the lost and found department announces:  "Thoswana P Badlee, please come to the Lost and Found, immediately!"


14. When there are people behind you, walk REALLY SLOW, especially thin narrow aisles.


13. When someone asks if they can help you, you begin to cry and ask, "Why won't you people ever leave me alone?"


12. Block a lane with stray shopping carts leading to the Cashier and speak like a sage:
“Say the Magic Word. Only then shall you pass”

11. Look right into the security camera and use it as a mirror while you pick your nose.

10. Take up an entire aisle in the Toys department by setting up a full scale battlefield with Pokemon and the Barbies.

9. While handling guns in the hunting department, ask the clerk if he knows where the antidepressants are.

8. Dart around suspiciously while humming the theme from "Mission Impossible".

7. Switch signs on the Men's and Women's bathrooms.

6. When an announcement comes over the loud speaker assume the fetal position and scream "NO! NO! It's those voices again!!!"

5. In the Auto department, practice your Madonna look using different size funnels.


4. Take 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they aren't looking.

3. Dart back and forth from the Cafeteria to the Restroom making retching noises. When have caught somebody's attention say: "It must be the (insert-name-of-food-they-are-eating)"

2. Hide in the clothing rack and when people browse through say "PICK ME! PICK ME!"

and the numero uno:

1. Go into the Changing Room and yell real loud...."Hey, we're out of toilet paper in here!"




P.S.: Sniped some points from an e-mail. For more click here

P.P.S. The blog and Gkam neither sponsors or advises its readers to implement/suggest/ameliorate on the above "enriching" activities nor takes the blame/guilt on the lawsuit filed against you by your friendly neighborhood supermarket.
In short: At your own risk... :P

Sweet Agony

She looked at the ceiling and closed her eyes. It was the only comfort she sought.
She couldn’t take it anymore.

She grabbed the bedspread harder and tugged it. She had to stop it, but how?


She couldn’t. Not yet. It wasn’t time.
She would know when it was time.


But the pain…the agonizing pain...


She then saw his handsome sweaty face. He held her hand.
She let him.


He leaned to kiss her.
She turned her face away.


She didn’t know what to think.
Pain tortured her body. But his face brought back memories.
Sweet memories; didn’t alleviate her from suffering.

She had to be strong. No matter what.

He had given her this pain. Of the sweet agony with him that made her suffer.
Why now? She wondered.

He held her hand tighter.

Sweat beads shone over her forehead glistening in the light.

She bit her lip and turned to face him again. He was smiling. The same smile that made her fall in love with him all again.

Her body contorted with every ache. Numbness set in.

She had enough. It was time.

She let go with all the force she could muster. Her lip bled.

And then it was all over.




A sound she was longing for filled the room. It was melodious as ever. She could feel her body again.

“Here you go Mrs. Smith, It’s a boy!” said the doctor.

She held her baby in her arms and cried. She was a mother now. And nothing- not even the excruciating pain- mattered now. It was all worth it.

She looked lovingly at her bundle of joy. Her own blood, flesh and bone. Their eyes met.


He smiled. Just like his father did.





(PS: My first time in such a mode of writing. Need honest advice/suggestions/brickbats/rotten andaa-tamatar in comments section please :D )

India: not so FAQ

With the schools and colleges closed and most paranoid Mumbaikars confined to their influenzaless homes- unless they brave outdoors only with a green phantom mask-I was bored and browsing through my e-mails when I came across this hilarious one I received ages ago. I ROFLed all over again! :D

The answers are the actual responses by the website officials, who obviously have an excellent sense of humour.


Q: Does it ever get windy in India? I have never seen it rain on TV, how do the plants grow? (UK).
A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.

Q: Will I be able to see elephants in the street? (USA)
A: Depends how much you've been drinking.

Q: I want to walk from Delhi to Goa- can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden)
A: Sure, it's only three thousand kms, take lots of water.

Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in India? (Sweden)
A: So it's true what they say about Swedes.

Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in India? Can you send me a list of them in Delhi, Chennai, Calcutta and Bangalore? (UK)
A: What did your last slave die of?

Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in India? (USA)
A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe. In-di-a is that big triangle in the middle of the Pacific & Indian Ocean which does not.. oh forget it. ...... Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Goa. Come naked.

Q: Which direction is North in India? (USA)
A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.

Q: Can I bring cutlery into India? ( UK)
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.

Q: Can you send me the Indiana Pacers matches schedule? (France)
A: Indiana is a state in the Unites States of...oh forget it. Sure, the Indiana Pacers matches are played every Tuesday night in Goa, straight after the hippo races.

Q: Can I wear high heels in India? ( UK )
A: You're a British politician, right?

Q: Are there supermarkets in Bangalore, and is milk available all year round? (Germany)
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/gatherers. Milk is illegal.

Q: Please send a list of all doctors in India who can dispense rattlesnake serum. (USA)
A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca which is where YOU come from. All Indian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.

Q: Do you have perfume in India? ( France)
A: No, WE don't stink.

Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in India? (USA)
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.

Q: Do you celebrate Christmas in India? (France)
A: Only at Christmas.

Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? (USA)
A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first.

Q: Can I see Taj Mahal anytime? (Italy)
A: As long as you are not blind, you can see it anytime.

Q: Do you have Toilet paper? (USA)
A: No, we use sand paper. (we have different grades)


Happy Independence Weekend y'all!


(PS: Trying really REALLY hard to get outta "writer's block")
(PPS: Thanks to Rach for the e-mail :) )

You know you are in Engineering....

My four years at engineering took alot of hard work(puh-leez!), dedication(yeah! right!! *rolls eyes*) and commitment (AHAHAHA!).
So here goes the routine.-> Enjoy!

SUBMISSIONS/EXAMS/VIVAS/PROJECTS

1. The local xerox-wallah and Google search engine become your life savers at the last moment study routine
2. When you become a call centre executive on the eve of a major exam, answering to hassled and traumatized peers
3. When you turn into a CIA agent hunting for every note(s) visible and Xerox them all, only to end up with 5 sets of the same notes!
4. Where phrases like “dimag ka short ho gaya yaar!”, “jherroxx kar lena”, “abbey, “proxy maara kya?”, “chalta hai na”, “kuch nahi pada yaaaaarrrrr”, “array, JHOL ho gaya yaar!” are the lingo generated especially during the Preparatory leave (PL)
5. When you confess on your “haaalat” of too-much-portion-too-little-time to your confidante when you’ve already revised the syllabus ;)
6. When you work more on your final semester project than any other assignment in your 4 years of engineering

TRUSTED NUTRITIONIST:

7. Where your local SST hangout is the anna’s canteen or tapri outside college
8. Where cries of “baaatermelaaaaannnnnnnn jooooooozzzz” “vhegg cheeeeeeeejjjjjjjj tosttt” are alluring to your ears and fulfill your daily dietary requirements
9. When opening of 'dabba' at 8.05 am is having breakfast and is natural even when the first lecture/practical of the day is going on amidst professors.

ADVANCE BOOKING:

10. Where your CR is the most dependable person; who can even convince your professor to cancel/ postpone his/her lecture for weeks to come

LABORATORY MANIPULATORY

11. When night-outs in college labs are not just….er…. for completing project work ;)
12. When you realize the importance of hidden files and folders in Windows and root directory in Linux :D
13.When you rather stay up all night discussing “tactics” for the Java practical than studying for it
14.When you complete your journals whenever and wherever feasible as if your life depends on it
15. When you have backup of backup of backup plan(s) even when SOME moron gets a CD written of answers during final exam dry lab practicals
16. When the Alt+F4 combination saves you from getting your ass whipped when playing Slayers and Mob Wars on FB :P
17. When you know the college network administrator’s password better than you know your own e-mail’s
18. When you value MS Word's auto-save feature when completing an assignment /project due next day and power-cuts have no mercy

DANCE OF ATTENDANCE

19. Where even the students who have left the college clear the attendance cut-off percentage even before you do
20. When you spend more hours on traveling to college than on attending lectures
21. When you attend college ONLY to either pay fees/ attendance defaulter’s fine or get notes or claim your hall ticket

PUNCTURING PUNCTUALITY

22. When coming to college at 8.30am for an 8.00am lecture is “thoda late” but 8.35am is “kitna late yaaaaarrrrr!!!”

23. When you frantically chat up a “new admission” in the corridor, only to realize that they’ve been in your class for the past four semesters :O

GTalk + Facebook

24. When you are “busy” on GTalk/Facebook, doing nothing
25. When you are “Not at my desk” on GTalk, you are playing games on facebook
26. Your idea of 'multi-tasking' is chatting simultaneously in multiple GTalk/Facebook chat windows

LIBRARY? (What’s THAT?)

27. When you hunt for e-books and print them rather than stepping inside the library to issue the same for free
28. When “Research” to you is limited to the first 10 hits of Google search to your query
29. When you consider the Handwritten notes of professors as the Bible while research papers are sedatives in paper form.
30. The only time you step inside the library is to get Xeroxes from the xerox-wallah
31. Even if you manage to get further than the Xerox-wallah inside the depths of the library, (G-E-E-K!)you meet the librarian who acts no less than a prison guard guarding the pile of books
32. To ask the librarian to lend u a reference copy (OK, my life depends on that book now!) is equivalent to engaging in mortal combat with her, and you DEFINITELY get KO-ed!





I would like to dedicate this post ESPECIALLY to my wonderful BBI batch of 2009 pals:
Especially,
•Amu (woman, you’ve been there through my mood swings, frantic notes collection, et. Al. Thank you for being there for me all these four years!)
•My project gang… the four of us, who ALWAYS stuck as a team: Vidzy, Kanni and Monts.
•Vicco (Just chatting away at late nights; anything under the sun and transmitting loads of *ahem* information :P)
•Shaily, my sweet friend and support who’s always been a dear friend throughout the 4 years.
Last but never the least,
•Raniji who was the life saver of our class, on whom each and every BBI-ite depended on him for something or the other, and never failing on patience. Cheers man! And you \m/

Also like to give a call out to Dhruti, Sangya, Mahak, Shiny, Anindita, Saumya, Sindhu, Sneha, Rucha, Anish, Shibboo, Nutty, Anks, Manni, Shruti, Sunil who've helped me in one way or the other.

Glad i am done with engineering!
Peace out! :D

Fantastic Four

Curdrice aka KarSub has tagged moi.
Without further adieu, I shall torture entertain thee!

Four places that I have lived in

Mumbai, Navi Mumbai (Its different from the former, Mind Ittt!), Indore, Bangalore

Four TV Shows I love to watch

House M.D. :...."Theme Music.".. from Teardrop by Massive Attack
The Little Lulu Show: "...always in and outta trouble, but mostly always in!..."
F.R.I.E.N.D.S :"....i'll be there for you oooooooooo...."
How I Met Your Mother: "..dhan dhan dhan...pa papa pa pa pa..."

Four places I have been on vacation

Goa: Is like my second home
Singapore: Although been there once, would love to visit again
Japan: Moshi moshi! Hajimemashite. Doozo yoroshiku.
My couch: I [heart] my couch, sweet slumber!

Four favorite food items

Missal pav: Give it to me anytime of the day, I'll ravish it!
Coriander Chutney Sandwich: Made by my mum ONLY!
Phanna Dalithoy(Tadka Dal): All u konkanis out there will get what I mean.... :D
Chicken Biryani: Lucky's Bandra wallah :P

(I'm salivating already....)

Four Websites I visit daily

Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro

Four places I’d rather be

Harvard University, USA
Fine dining with Brad Pitt (after unceremoniously kicking Angelina Jolie out), George Clooney and Richard Gere
Inside Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory
In a daily comic

Four things I hope to do before I die

Fly a helicopter over the Australian coast
Ride a Double-Decker bus
Eat ice cream at the Antarctic
Meet a person who's name starts with a !

Four novels I wish I was reading for the first time

Calvin and Hobbes Comics
Rage of Angels
Harry Potter series
Yes Minister

Four movies I can watch over and over again

Liar Liar: Jim-Carey-is-the-BEST!
Home Alone 1: Love it!
Beauty & The Beast: Disney's finest...
An Officer and A Gentleman: utterly romantic

Four people I want to tag

(cracking knuckles)


And behind Door number One
Door number Two
Door number Three
Door number Four




(mirthful laughter) :D