Thought-for-the-blog

I have a decent collection of quotes: Primarily because I love reading them and I have net access for 5 days. Secondarily I have had the privilege of having no work for quite some time. (FYI, that’s history now…. I have landed with quite interesting work now… Yippee)

I inaugurated my search for quotes, hunting for motivational and inspirational quotes ( I just love them). I was flabbergasted by the heap of quotes waiting to be read (3 Cheers for Google.com). More importantly the varied topics on which thoughts are quoted is amazing.

Right from school days we must have come across quotes on life, honesty, motivation, attitude, right &wrong, and a lot of more serious stuff. We have heard a few on each of theses since then. As I said, the variety of topics is heart warming.

We can find a quote for anything from the morning sun to the bed tea/coffee. Coffee/Tea??? Yes!!! Well with all the coffee joints and all the vending machines in offices (The lifeline for software engineers), I guess coffee and tea definitely deserve this adulation.

Tea...is a religion of the art of life. ~Okakura (and sometimes people say that I exaggerate… hah!)

Conscience keeps more people awake than coffee. [ interesting one]

Being a software engineer (I seem to stress this a lot...), how can I forget some quotes on our breed… Well, there are some pretty interesting takes on our profession and us.

Programming is like sex. One mistake and you have to support it for the rest of your life. ~Michael Sinz [ nobody else put forth the point SO RIGHT].

Programmer - an organism that turns coffee into software. [Coffee runs in our blood]

Passion! Everybody has a passion. And everybody has heard loads on passion too. What I am talking about is, my passion, dance. (I haven’t learnt any form of dance… nor am I doing anything about it... I just love to shake my leg)
.
There are short cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them. ~Vicki Baum [I vouch for this]

The dance is a poem of which each movement is a word. ~Mata Hari

Traveling back to school days, I can remember all the autograph/slam books that we filled. Some of the favorite quotes at that time were on friendship.

There are big ships and small ships. But the best ship of all is friendship. [so simply put]

Roses are red, violets are blue. Friends like you are very few. [Us innocent little brats]

Roses are red, violets are blue. Friends like you must be kept in zoo. [By the smarter kids per say]

I guess the importance of friends in our life is profound, coz even today once in a while we still do quote it for them.

Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things.

Quotes sometimes silly, sometimes exaggerated, hard hitting, sometimes just a matter of fact… But many a times it just soothes me… For me, if I am feeling low just reading a few good ones puts me on track… Maybe that’s just me… And sometimes they help a few of us show off some interesting thoughts on the status bar of gtalk.

Happy Quoting!!!

My Devil.

Am Empty Mind is a Devils Workshop!!!

Oh Yes it is! Adding to it I believe that the devil in my mind is the ultimate epitome (Ya ya... I know everybody feels that way). But My Devil Strongest (Coz this is my blog). Gosh!!! Its so much fun when I have a lot of things to do. I love myself then. People around me love me too (alirght, I am being self obsessed). But I need to put my devil to sleep. I am just trying to sing a lullaby. (Bear Me).

God help the Devil’s imagination. She can think crazy (I am a female, My devil cant be male). I am sure she possesses the ultimate destruction weapon. Damn its self destructive (I over exaggerate again). But she does keep pricking at my weaknesses( no I am not publishing them) Working as a software engineer (I love my job), I love the work I do. So whenever I am doing it My Devil falls into coma, not even sleep. Plus I know the exact words which pulls her out of it : “Mujhe Bore ho raha hai.” It seems to have a profound effect on her. Its instant awakening. And she is so active, she does not waste a single moment and starts using her weapon right way (Damn Her).

I must confess that I never realized why at times I behaved like a horrible child. I kept chanting the mantra and the Devil kept getting stronger. But I turned out to be stronger than that duh! Now I know the cause and effect. I need to keep doing things I like. The best part is there are a lot of things I like (self obsession again?.. Naah). Writing being one of them.

This post is a result of this happy realization. My Devil is back in coma. Hurray!!!

[Aint it cool? A few lines and She is off to sleep. Well today I just didn’t have any workto do. So I blurted out the horrible words. But I have found out the antibody for it. I am on the look out for a permanent vaccination]

Celebrating Commitment :)

Marriages maybe made in heaven.. But they are celebrated right here!!!!

A marriage is always fun with all relatives around and hustle-bustle at its peak. It brings along with it a whole new drama.

Coming from a Mallu ( ok… malayalee) background, I have been only to marriages where after the pheras (similar to walking the aisle, in English) people have lunch then everybody goes back home.

2 years back I happened to land in a room full of marwaris. And now all of sudden they all seem to be getting engaged, married left right center ( and I am not exaggerating). 4 out of 6 are married/ engaged. (believe me now?).
Well, having attended 2 marriages, it dawned upon a malayalee (me) that these people “celebrate” marriage. Its fun in its purest form! For a dance fanatic like me, sangeet is on the hit list. The amount of preparation and enthusiasm behind it is unbeatable. Right from the kiddo in the house to the elders in the family, everybody puts on the I-am-the-dancer hat. Some great person once said ‘Hard work never lets you down’, and in this case too the hard work is paid off and Sangeet night turns out to be the BEST of all the functions on the agenda.

Pheras is “The Common” thing in all marriages. Of the weddings that I have had the privilege to attend , the panditijis ask the couple to take some oaths. We all had a nice laugh at some of them. They do sound funny for people my age (as in for young people ;) ). But that does add to the traditional flavor of the whole saga.

Competition. Yes! Popularly known as “Jutey Churana”. The bride’s family are on the look out to pick the grooms chappals, and we have the defendants in the form of the grooms family. I also had an opportunity to witness the war of a lifetime. Right from pulling and pushing to snatching and even biting. People do go to lengths to defend their honour! (and I do exaggerate!)

Bidaai, even though it has the bride in tears, caught my attention. The ladies of the house sing special songs (which by the way will make even the toughest to shed a tear). I felt like being a part of a Sooraj Barjatya movie. Does “Sajan ghar mai chali” of HAHK ring a bell?

When the bride walks in to the grooms place there is the pooja. A few other things are also done which signifies the importance of a girl in a family. The bride is definitely made to feel special. Then there are the numerous games pipelined for the bride and the groom. Everybody is cheering them up. The atmosphere is all charged up. It really is a cool way to make the bride comfortable in the new place and with all the new people.

The whole celebration is a mix of tradition and fun. It is a chance where every one comes together and has fun together. It’s a celebration of a commitment. And what a celebration it is!

Oprah Winfrey said, “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”

These marriages epitomize this thought.

I had a lot of fun. (That’s the bottom line)

F5... :)

Well the Dreams post really got to me… with all the comments and off the blog discussions have put me in some other land … A land that is beyond my imagination right now…
And a friend said with all these posts you seem like a sad person… not happy with life…
WHOA!!!!

I need to refresh!!! F5! F5!!!

What refreshes me? (in random order)

Music (current fav.. Mauja hi Maujha from Jab We Met)
My Books (love Harry Potter)
Tea (ginger mandatory)
Conversations (not the heavy dose… right now I am staying clear of them)
Shoppinggggggggg (All girls in unison say Hurray)
Dance (Ahh!! The ultimate stress buster. Dance doesn’t care what the mood thinks.)
Laughing my head off with my roomies. (nothing we talk makes sense. Sonica, Pinky, Renu, Khushi, Prachi... I love them all)
Just laughing my head off.
Walking alone form the bus stop. (I sleep in the bus. The moment I get down I am not thinking anything and then slowly thoughts return. I love it)
Mums half-sleepy hug when she sees me at the door step at midnight after I come home from Pune. (I feel safe. Moment of bliss)
Jab We Met!! (Damn!! I love the movie.)
When my mobile rings and it’s a call form US. (Sejal calling)
Neha, Pallvai and me chatting and all the discussions which make us feel like angels on earth (we always end up screwing our lives with our over the top ideas about it)
Fighting with Pritam. (I guess it will exhaust his patience soon)
All the nautanki I do with Kunal. (and he really is amazed at what new I can come up with)
Saturday.
Tropical Iceberg of CCD. (nasik CCD… me and my friends)
Make ups after the silly fights!!! (and with 6 roomies… what else can we expect.. Well Sonica needs a special mention here... She always takes the first step)
Going home to fried fish and lots of chicken ( i live with veggies)
Yana. (not another person… sizzlers!!!!!!!!!)
Shahid Kapoor (oooooooooo damn he is soooooooooooo cute)
SMS from Bank ( your xyz salary has been credited into ur acoount.. RELIEF :) )
Someone coming up and returning money which I had totally forgottena bout ( I suck at managing my finance)
Sitting and cribbing how marriage is a big responsibility (singles discussing the same thing all over again)
Coffee break from work. (although most of the time I am void of work)
Scanning through all the silly snaps I have clicked from my mobile ( they make great memories)
Finding that exact shade of dress which I had in my mind ( merawala greeeen!!! :) )
Picking up a dress and realizing that it fits me RIGHT. ( with my size.. finding clothes of size is a miracle.. I do blv in GOD then)
A compliment. (well it refreshes anybody)

The list can go on…
But I guess I can take my fingers off the keyboard… I have achieved what I set out to do.. Refresh myself….

Haa!!!!!!!!!! Life is beautiful!!!

Adding to the list .. Writing a post on my blog…


Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures. ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr., Life's Little Instruction Book

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. ~Robert Brault

Dreams!!!

With Dreams Begin responsibiltities...

I dreamt of flying high,

I looked at the birds and sighed.
The Wright brothers dreamt of flying high,
They built the plane and their dream soared high.

I know it seems like I have just picked it up from the books of a kindergarten student.
Rather Twinkle Twinkle is far better.

Dreams! Everybody has them.

Turn the pages of a slam book from school. “To be rich and famous”. Every alternate page will flaunt these famous words. It’s been 8 years since I left school. Have yet to meet the rich and famous. We can argue that was silly, it was school.

Traveling back to the present. “Kuch karna hai yaar.” “This is not what I want to do.”
Great!That’s good. Ask what is it that you want to do. And the answer is silence.
Abhi socha nahi hai.. maybe this maybe that….Aage life bohot hai yaar… abhi se kya tension.. sochenge kuch…
RIGHT!!! Ask parents!! They will give us the theory of tensions in precise words.

If I am pointing a finger, 3 are pointing back at me. “Padhna hai Padhna hai.. aage padhna hai”. I wanted to do PG. There were some issues, yes. But the nail was that I never tried. I always had reasons to not give the exams. Dreamt of big colleges. Never woke up to them. Finding reason as to why I studying was not possible, I gave up.I was responsible for my dreams failing. Neither finance nor the prospect of shaadi… (Man what lame excuses I had).

We are responsible for our own dreams. Dreams just don’t fulfill themselves while we are sleeping. I guess we need to wake up and take a step towards it.

I know a real life story of a young man chasing his dreams with passion.
Meet Yash Mody.
We both started with the same organization. We both quit. I went looking for another job. He went looking for his dreams. He wanted to be on his own.
A heart break. No job. Lost friends. I guess he had pretty reasons to fail.
He didn’t.
With some hefty job offers he could have just given up and started the same life all over again. He had faith.Started on his own. Started a consulting agency. Today he is training engineers in every big organization. Today he is hiring. And he is still dreaming.

I still have some friends who want to be on their own. I don’t really see them doing anything about it. And most of the times I feel it’s the cluelessness about where and how to start that pulls us back.

As of now I have no BIG dreams. I am yet to find out what I really want. When I mean dreams I am not refrerring only to the flamboyant dreams.

I have a dream. I want to be physically fit. Healthy.
Stop laughing!!!
People say I am thin. Very thin. I know absolutely that my stamina is poor.
I started with my gym and healthy eating habits. A month and it’s down the drains.
All I needed was some dedication. I needed to be responsible.
I will start again. Hopefully this time history won’t repeat itself.

I have no rights to write this post. I am no preacher or motivation GURU. This blog is just a relief for my over worked thoughts.

I have a few questions… Someday I hope to get them answered…
Is it mandatory to dream?
What if we tried but still the dream is distant?
What if a new dream is better?
Are dreams such a big deal?

Don't be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.

Everyday

Everyday I wake up to a new horizon,
New bliss new joy.
For a wonderful life I make great plans
Lock it up and simply enjoy.

Everyday I want to be a nice person,
True at heart and mind.
But I go ahead and complain about someone
Make a remark; Be unkind.

Everyday I decide to reach for my goal,
Work hard and stretch.
I back off with fear; Make a new excuse
And make a new sketch.

Everyday I mean to remember GOD,
And bow my head in prayer.
I never find a few moments to thank LORD.
I neglect to adhere.

Everyday I resolve to practice what I preach.
To think and then be.
I go ahead and be a hypocrite all the way,
With rules bending for me.

Everyday I know the right from the wrong,
And the path cut for me.
But I spend a day again with the same old song,
And walk a path of the lazy me.

Today I decide to make it right everyday,
Give my best to all I say.
Today I decide to make it right everyday,
And live a great life all the way.

The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot. (Michael Althsuler)

The Art!!!

Flirtation …. Attention without intention

Being a book fanatic I have read all kinds of books, even the Slef-Help genre books which seem to be the current rage. ( No..I am not diverting from the topic.) Since some time I am wondering why there are no “Ready to flirt in 10 days” kind books.
And why do I want to read it? This is the only topic I have never read anything about. (Khud ke mu miya mitthu). Well PJ’s apart. In 24 years ( ah I reveal my age) my paths have crossed many a flirts and many wannabes too I have tried my hand ( mouth and brain) at it too. And I am really good (when the opposite sex is really dumb). But I have met some real smoothies and some real terrors at flirting.
Coming to think of it. What makes somebody a pro and what makes somebody a total looser at this wooing-art. Can flirting be learnt? Or it something you are gifted with.
The same pick-up-line or whatever it is called and 2 different people. When you hear it from one you fell like responding back coaxing for more. But with the other case all we can do is role our eyes and create an expression which radiates “get lost looser”.
Since I started pondering on this question (I am on bench and got noting better to do) and really didn’t have my own answers I thought of enlightening myself with the valuable inputs from the divine people that surround me. (and I had to bang my head for this too..everybody was out with the definition of flirting when my question was "What according to you makes a good flirt")

Replies:

Yash : someone who is warm and nice at the same time not too clingy
Dhanveer : woman pleaser, sweet talker,super diplomat can please every person or has awesome time management skills
Harshal : presence of mind
Kshitij : seducing.. givin more attention..
Friend : One who manages to scare me gutless
Neha : the ability to flirt without being cheap..Person should be charming and not desperate
Pritam : one who can leave his or her thoughts in the other persons mind …
Kunal : Must make it obvious
Renu : a good flirt generally feels a lot good abt himself / herself...they think themselves better than others and transmit this same thing to others when they flirt....

Yadnee : one who would make the other person feel like he/she is the only one getting the speaicl attention

Some special insights for guys…
Supriya : etiquttes and chivalry
Sonica : being caring and helpful

So I guess that flirting is not congenital. Yippeeeeeeee. Maybe now I will give it a good shot.

I will have to be a warm nice sweet talking diplomatic person with presence of mind who can seduce/scare the opposite sex ( I am straight u c) without being cheap in such a way that I can leave my thoughts in the other persons mind and make sure that my flirting is obvious!!!!!!!!!! Phew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And at the beginning and end of it be feeling good about myself and transmitting the feeling too.

Now thats what I call hard work.

"If you're a gifted flirt, talking about the price of eggs will do as well as any other subject. " ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960”

Love You Always!!!

A look at me and he lost his heart
Love at first sight for him it was
With an overwhelm he stared at me
“You are going to be my life”, believed he.

His presence I began to realize
Whenever I saw him I broke into a smile.
A bond so special was on its way
Always together happy and gay.

The Best of friendship we began to share
All through the years he loved me he cared
He the saint was, I the rebel
But my whims and fancies he understood so well.

I was his life, his purpose of existence
My wish his command, my life his dream
Sometimes I ignored his presence
Sometimes I dint bother it seemed.


But, he rejoiced in my joys, even when he was fighting his demons
Encouraging me to live my dreams, to smile in all seasons
When all was low for me, and seemed that nobody bothered
I bounced back I fought, all I needed was his “I love you sweetheart”.

A day came to move away from him, to fly with my own wings
He gave a hug and a smile, for me that said everything.
Many a times on my new found path I forgot to look back,
But like always he was there my strength my pillar, where I could fall back…

I went to my friend to tell him I was in love
To tell him how this man loved me how he cared
That no one other than him had ever made me feel special this way.
He just took my hand and told me I was blessed to feel this way.

I came back with a broken heart
I came back to my friend
With open arms he soothed my pain.
All through he was my pillar my strength.

Today I know he is;
The one who loves me most
The one who never forgets to say “love you sweetheart”
The one who can perk me up in time of pain
The one who always reminds me I am his life’s biggest gain
The one who still scolds me for my irrationality
The one who still understands my stupidity
The one I know I can always fall back on
The one who has made me what I am
The one who I love the most
My friend, My critique, My gift from GOD.
I am a daughter, proud to call him my DAD.

Any man can be a father...
... It takes someone special to be a dad.

Make it worth watching!!!

One day, your life will flash in front of your eyes...Make it worth watching.

“Wake up!!!!! Its 6... You will miss your bus.”
“Its just 6!!!!”, I pulled up the cover over my head. But wait a minute, My mum??? Its not the alarm yelling. Its my mum. Confused, I get out of the covers. Yes its mum and hey who’s this lying beside me.
‘Me????? Whoa what’s up???’ “What are you doing here?”
“Oh Hello!!!You are the intruder not me.”, says the very familiar looking face. Younger face.
“What is happening? Will somebody explain?”
“Nothing much. Sick and tired of your cribbing I called you back. I guess you like this life better. We will live this again”
Am I drunk? No. I don’t drink.
While she gets ready for school I admire the room. The posters, the drawings…well, she is interesting.
As we say bye to mom I realize she can’t see me. I guess 2 of me would be a major torture for her.
As we board the bus she yells out “hey”.
“Hey Raji”, the remaining shriek.
“You are a nosy bunch”, I claim.
“Well I am better than you. All you do is board your bus and doze off. You don’t even smile at the people who have been boarding the same bus with you since more than a year. You are such a snob. I hope u remember smiling wont cost you a dime. Even if it does you are paid enough.”… She lectures.
“No I am not a snob. And right you know about money!!!”… I retort.
“Well I can manage with Rs.100 a month. And I do have savings”…. exclaims with a triumphant look on her face.
I hate her.
As we cross across to the school there are a million hi’s and smiles exchanged.
She stops. Looks into my eyes and says “You used to love this. What happened?”
Then again back to her snobbish self scans me and remarks, “Look what have you done to me.”
We go through all the lectures. Finally, its lunch time. We sit together gobble up our Tiffin’s and then take off to play lock and key. The recess bell gives away. Huffing and puffing we rush our way to the classroom.
“Half an hour lunch time”, she quotes. “You don’t even take a walk after your lunch. Correct me if I am wrong, but you have a longer lunch break, don’t you?”
I just ignore her remark and look at a small tyre forming at my waist. “I have loads of work to do”, that’s the best I say.
After school we rush to her tuition. After class is over she and her friends gang up in a corner and chat incessantly. I nudge her to want to go home.
As soon as we reach home she dumps her bag. I lie down. She yells “Hello!!! I don’t have time for this. Mom will allow me to play out only for another hour.”
“What? Are you not tired?”
“Tired? Of what? I just sat my way though the lectures. Oh!!! I guess you must be tired since we didn’t have AC. Or that we played lock and key during lunch break. Get up move your growing butt. 1 yr of sitting in front of the computer in the AC has made you so lazy. NOW LETS GO. I don’t have time for this.”
She plays lock and key again .Its the current favorite. As I watch her play I realize I enjoyed this so much. Her life is so much more exciting than mine. Even though I have money to spend it on whatever pleases my senses.
“Rajiiiiiiiiiii. Its time come down. You have homework to finish.” A yelling mom makes her way to the terrace.
Another 15 min pass by. We make our way home. As she is freshening up I make myself comfortable in front of the TV. As I am scanning with the remote, that oh-i-am-so-smart thing comes up to me and says “TV? Ur favorite pastime. What a waste. Lets go. We will do something you like.”
As we reach her room she pulls out her drawing board and crayons. My face lights up. We sit and color for a while. Then as we are done with it. She starts with her homework. I just sit beside her looking at her.
“Why are you staring?”
“Don’t you get bored of doing the same things over and over again?”
“Same things?” she questions as if I said something horrendous. “I play lock and key, sometimes we skip, sometimes we paly hide n seek. We like doing different stuff”, she grins.
“School everyday? Isnt it boring?”
“Have you gone insane? If I don’t go to school how will I become a software engineer, like you.”
The moment she said this she froze. With a look of terror in her eyes she screamed “I don’t want to be you. I don’t want to be an all-time-cribb. I don’t want to stop playing. I want to live. I have an amazing life now. Please don’t spoil it.. Please don’t spoil it. Please don’t spoil it. Please don’t spoil it… ”
I shut my eyes tight. I can’t do this to her.
“Wake up …. You will miss your bus”
With an aching head I open my eyes. My roommate is yelling at me.
I sit up. Look around at the mess in the room. As I turn I see her sobbing “Please don’t spoil my life. I want to grow up to be you but not this way. With me your life was worth a replay. Our older self should also feel like visiting you and not just me.”
My roommate comes back and she is gone.
An hour later.
“Hey!” I smile at a colleague at the bus stop. He smiles back “hey.. Good morning”.
I guess I am going to have many more good mornings.