absolutelyzilch

Is my mom here yet?

2010-01-27T17:20:00.000-08:00

Ayush has been a welcome boon to me personally, teaching me things about myself which I never thought about or acknowledged, my pig headedness for one :-)

He has been going to the daycare right from the time he was one, and he's almost 3 now, so quite a while. He loves going there and has a great time with other kids not to mention his day care provider whom he dearly loves. Every evening is a gala time for all kids when each parent comes to pick up their respective brats. Somehow, all of them manage to hover around the front door, and any passerby, say beyond the driveway can hear the furor created by all the howls and the squeals each time the door bell rings. And I, as a parent look forward to seeing the glee in their eyes when I ring the bell each and every evening.

Ofcourse, needless to say, there are good and bad days. Some days are blissful, one is happy and not grabbing anything from the other, then everyone is happy. Else- it's another story. Each one holding onto either the door handles, others t-shirts or the day care provider's leg and crying away to glory. In all those times, I have never failed to wonder what goes on in their minds. Do they ever feel neglected or sad? In a place like the United States where nuclear family is at its best, the one and only recognizable family they have is us, the parents. Maybe they wonder if we will indeed come back for them in the evening.

Come 6 every evening, I take a huge breath thinking what they might be thinking when my finger pushes that bell. The usual furor, and the door opens...and I see all those brilliant smiles again, and feel blessed for children being in our lives. And out comes my tyke from somewhere in there with either a dozen things in his hand trying to explain to me, or with a cartload of complaints against other kids. As I search his face every single day, can't help but wonder if they think about things we do.

And yes, the first thing he does when he sees me is break into an adorable innocent smile and I feel all better, and seems like he does too :)

Sandwich stalls in Chennai!

2009-10-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

Just found this article, very interesting :)

Balaji 'Sandwech' Stall- and that's a literal translation if you see this link !!

Raagaas to Running - 1/2 marathon 'notes'

2009-10-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

Been tossing and turning for the last one hour now-- why the hell am I not able to sleep?? Ayushibum is fast asleep and seems to be having one of his good dream days, 'the smile on their face says it all' as one would put it. Manohar is a good sleeper in general-no dumpster trucks noises, other snoring pigs or any such thing seems to wake him-God bless your soul. And here is 'me', wondering why I am just not able to sleep. It's already 4, and my legs are a little sore. Then I hear that unmistakable sound, 'ammmmmaaaaaa' and I open my eyes to see Ayushibum fully awake. I look at the clock, the time reads a little past 4 PM on October 4th, 2009. I had finished my 2nd 1/2 marathon only a little more than 5 1/2 hours ago "smiles smiles"

To share my experiences of the 2nd 1/2 marathon I ran, I should first share a little about my first 1/2. A little late perhaps in sharing, but then you know how life is!?!

My last 1/2 marathon (which was my first incidentally) was more of an experiment. I was looking at ways to lose my pregnancy fat/weight and since running was something that I liked, and had decently experimented with in the last 4/5 years, decided to take up this goal and see if it did the magic. Ran the San Jose Rock N Roll last year and clocked 2.59. I still remember how I made it clear to myself right from the very beginning, that this was not a race for me. I was in it to see how I felt about it, and a couple of my goals were these: To stay injury free, to see if I had the stamina that it took to endure 13.1 miles, and not walk anytime during the course of that 13.1 and lastly, finish it sub 3 hours. I guess this is probably the first time anyone would have heard anyone saying " I want to do a sub 3 hour 1/2 marathon!!" LOL

I successfully managed to do all of the above, and I was pretty thrilled about it. I lost more weight than I could have hoped for. And when asked if I would attempt this running 13.1 or worse still, a full marathon, I vividly remember shaking my head with an emphatic no.

It was almost August by the time I 'decided' to run the San Jose Rock N Roll again. I tried real hard to imagine myself suffering from selective amnesia and not remember those times when I had said no to any good soul on the road who might have asked me about attempting another 1/2. I still remember sitting in my cube one fine Tuesday morning in August, the official site of SJRNR staring me in the face, and being lost in thought. I registered, and then knew that I just had to start running more than my usual 3 that I did about 4 times a week. My training got delayed due to several reasons, and I finally started my training full swing in the last week of August. I pushed my pace this time. A time came when I was able to comfortably maintain a pace of 11.15-11.30/mile. This was a big deal compared to the almost 13.50-14.00/mile pace that I maintained during my last 1/2. So I was thrilled to say the least. And, the best thing of all, I was blessed to have run all this injury free.

When I think back to the training schedule I have had this last 1 month or so, I am real happy to see that I have done my fastest 5, 7 and 10 miles this running season. I diligently did my short/medium runs without compromising on the mileage so my long runs would not suffer and my body would get used to whatever it had to. The medium runs, which varied anywhere between 4-7 miles depending on the long run mileage that week, especially made such a huge difference to the stamina and ability of my body to do it injury free, more importantly.

Morning of the race was good, woke up the rooster at 5 AM, then finished all my duties as one would put it. The banana and my usual cup of tea tasted the same, no different ( still perplexed as to what I expected *LOL*) and I was surprised to find that I had no anxiety this time. I knew what to expect, knew the drill-- water, cytomax, GU gels, salt tabs, and the likes. While Manu wished me good luck at our door, Ashwin and Sunitha, pals of mine dropped me about 1/4 mile from the start line and I heard someone yelling in the microphone. I phased out, and made a beeline to the port a potty, something I rarely do :)

At 7.45AM, the announcer invited someone to sing the national song of America. She had a amazing voice, I thought, and I went off into the singing mode for a bit and started humming Jana Gana Mana, very softly. A runner next to me had that look of confusion on her face, and I, as a proud Indian told her that it was 'my' national song. She mumbled something, by which time I had phased out again.

Time was 7.58 AM, 2 more mins and I thought I should be able to decently predict how this 13.1 might go. I was happy to be there, amidst those 12000 runners all geared up to run that cold morning. I had done two 10 milers this time around, but the tapering down week was not good on me. Had a temporary setback and wasn't sure even until the previous night if I would be able to run 1 mile, leave alone complete the 13.1 or reach my time goal. I stood there thinking...............................................

Before I knew it, everyone started moving, and it took a couple of minutes for corral 9 to reach the start line. Jogging patiently, I followed the "aattu mandhai" (aka goat herd) until the start line mat when I pressed start. "Beep", the watch sounded, it had begun. Mixed emotions in tow, I ran taking in all the sights and thinking about everything under the sun from my life in India, to my life here, my family, my work, my music which has always been a major part of my life and, ofcourse not to mention some mundane things. Allowed all the feelings to pass in front of my eyes as if it were a movie, enjoyed looking at what it had to offer me, left it right there, and knew I had a goal to accomplish.

Mile 1- 4 were okay, not too bad at all. My legs were paining, something that I have never experienced in any of my runs. Leg soreness- yes, but leg pain- no. So, tried to make sure I didn't get paranoid about it. I ran a little slower than my target pace to make sure that I got warmed up. And suddenly the 5th mile came up and I knew Manu, Ayush, Sunitha and Ashwin would be in the 7th mile marker. Down went one salt tab, oh and yes w/t water.... yuck !

Mile 5- 8 were good, my legs were warmed up although a little pain here and there kept me on my toes, literally :) Saw Ashwin first, followed by Sunitha, Ayushibum and Manu. Seeing my family fueled me on. I was a happy girl, but why did I have to run to be happy is something I didn't understand. I let it pass :D

Continued on and the 10 mile marker loomed large in front of me. I had clocked in 10 miles at 1.52, my best until now. Needless to say, I was thrilled. I hoped to push hard in the last 3 miles and see if I could do a 10.15-10.30 pace. Knew it was a tough thing to do, but still wanted to try. The 3 miles were by far the hardest since my body wanted to slow down, while my mind was constantly trying to focus on going fast. Well, apparently I did negative splits in this 1/2 marathon, which I heard is a good thing from trusted veteran marathoners like Suresh aka Mindframesand Manu :P I seemed to have done my fastest in the last couple of miles. Interesting, how your mind perceives things while your body is doing another. I seemed to think that I was running really slow compared to the pace I maintained in the 1st 10 miles, and was surprised to see the published results with the split ups.

Seeing Karthi & Suresh at mile 13 was a huge huge boost for me, it was like a vitamin to see someone you knew. Manu & Ayushibum waved to me a few 100 yards before i finished, and I knew I was there.. well almost :) And, here is my chance to say that I probably missed my manners while huffing and puffing away to glory, but then many thanks to all my pals who came in to encourage me. Seeing you all there, made my day :D

My running chip crossed the finish mat, my watch showed 2.29, and "beep", I clicked the stop button. My legs kept running for about a couple of seconds and I heard them announce my bib number, and that great feeling washed over me again. I turned and looked around me, at the 1000's of odd people who had run, cheered and walked those streets, and bid a silent adieu. I shall be back next year, hopefully will finish it faster, I heard myself whispering. I walked through the maze of people, smiling, while listening to all their excited banter. Grabbed my medal, that yucky tasting cytomax, water and made my way towards the family reunion area.

My smiles still seem to continue, even 2 days past D day, thinking of how it went. From being unsure of being able to run the 1/2, even as late as Saturday, I am happy I decided to, and even happier that I shaved 30 mins off my last years time. Injury free too!!!

I am looking at myself now, wearing the 1/2 marathon finishers dry wick tee, and watching a movie on TV while my legs recuperate from the 13.1 madness. Madness it is, for sure, but will I do this again? The answer is yes, and here's looking forward to another injury free, memorable running season :)

Adios amigos!!

A gul[rum]py sequel

2008-07-01T20:13:00.000-07:00

My post titled the gulp was written a little too early I guess because the much awaited gulp didn't happen.

Chitter chatter....

Villain: I am sorry, but you said you are traveling on an advanced parole document back to the US?

Man: Yes, I am

Woman: Why? Is there a problem?

Villain: Actually ma'am, Indian passport holders will have to get a transit visa if transiting through the UK, especially if you do not have a valid visa stamping in your passport

Man & Woman: blink blink

Woman: I am sorry, but I don't think you understood us right. We DON'T have a valid visa stamping and we aren't getting out of Heathrow , we are just transiting through UK for 2 hours.

Man: An approved nod

Villain: No ma'am, What I mean is, you do need a transit visa even if you are just going to be in the airport. This is a mandatory requirement because you will be re-entering US on an advance parole document and don't have a valid visa stamping on your passport

Woman: But, this is absolutely ridiculous. I was given to understand from your US BA 1800 number that I was all set to travel on an AP and didn't need a transit visa

Man: Looks at the woman and then at the Villain

Villain: Oh really, I don't think they would have said that

Woman giving a look saying " &*%%#%)(*"

Villain: Just give me a minute ma'am.

Calls someone on his walkie talkie ( oh-- I really love saying these 2 words, long time since I used it). Villain #2 comes, quickly looks at the monitor long and hard and looks at both of us, then goes back to the monitor again.

Villain#2: Okay ma'am I am sure there was some miscommunication on the part of the US BA team when they said you didn't need a transit visa. Unfortunately you do need one.

Man with a look that says " Are (as in Hindi), somebody-isa-gonna-get-a-hurt-u now" (Russell Peters fan that I am, had to use it here :)

Woman: Okay, we need a transit visa but we don't have one. What do we do now?

Villain: I am afraid you will have to go to the UK high commission and get a transit visa. What I could do for you is cancel this existing ticket and then once you get your visa, you can rebook your tickets.

Passes on one sheet of paper which clearly states what he just said about the UK authorities needing a transit visa and the exceptions doesn't list an AP holder

Great! Now, what do we do??

For all of those with toddlers and are familiar with the cartoon "My friends Tigger and pooh", the most famous line in that is when Darby, the adorable little girl says " now, we have a problem. So, think think think!"

And, I am in the think think think mode while Manohar is seriously stroking his goti while trying to see what other options we have. Oh boy-- men are from mars and women from venus :D

A few hours pass and we are back in our old familiar bed and goti is still being stroked while I am looking at the ceiling while the think think think is happening.

8.25AM on the 1st of July and we awake from the little less than 3 hours sleep that we have had.

Make a round of calls and find out that this recent development has been in effect from Dec of 2007. Okay, the transit visa requirement is a fact and I am a little satisfied that the villain and villain #2 murders will not be in my conscience :)

UK high commission informs us that it will take us a minimum of 2 weeks to get a transit visa issued. Ok-- that will not work, so we make another set of calls and try to get 2 tickets arranged through Cathay pacific. Cathay doesn't fly out on Tuesdays. So, Wednesday it is then.

Less than 12 hours to go for the 'hopefully happening flight'

If you don't see another sequel within the next 12 hours, means I have been accepted on the flight. If not-- another blog is in the offing

Eventful.. at its best

The gulp

2008-06-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

Life has been very mysterious in a lot of ways over the last decade or so. New friends, new places, new experiences galore. For a simple homebound girl like me, from a traditional South Indian family to get uprooted and live in the US of A way back 10 years ago was an exciting thing. Still is, in a weird way ;-)

I still remember the first time I took a flight, a 45 minute one to Coimbatore enroute to Ooty, the most sought after hill station in the whole of South. I was about 2 or so and my brother 10. The roar of the single engine plane was a little too much to my ears I was told, and I was howling all through, much to the chagrin of my brother, who threatened to deplane if I didn't shut up. His threat apparently didn't take effect, since we all landed up in Ooty :)

21 years later, I took a flight again.. this time one way though. Excitement, nervousness, unhappiness at leaving home was at its highest, while the self, was at the lowest ebb considering I was leaving home for good. When I think about it now, I seem to sport an all knowing smile but then-- it quite was a different story. D-day came and my brave self was undeterred, even with the most cherished person, my Appa being pretty solemn and quiet for a change during the entire drive to the airport. Amma I knew was a rock, or atleast I thought so.

The rusted taps gaurding my eye tank finally decided to turn when my brother hugged me and there it was -- the release, felt infinitely better. That was almost 10 years ago on a rather humid February night. Little did I realize then that, that probably was the best one way trip that I would ever take taking me to a land that I have come to love and friends who have become family far away from home.

I leave in less than 48 hours...

and the same old feeling pops up now and then excepting that the rusted tap doesn't turn that very often ;-) The familiar ache still lurks somewhere though, deep down. The fact that I will get to see my family only maybe after a year or so considerably adds to that woe. More importantly, I really dread missing out on all my nephews and niece who are growing up a little too fast to my liking :)

There was this little girl who used to hate to go to school, went on to attend college not bunking one single class ( what! really??), then moved continents striving to make a new home, bundling every single tiny cherished memory along the way, and ultimately came back home with an adorable year old tyke 6 weeks ago. The gulp still resurfaces at times, like this very moment. I suppose somethings will always stay no matter how much one changes.

Life has literally come a full circle these last 6 weeks with constant chatter, flying toys, hugs, kisses and tickles of these kids running around and around the room with my toddler desperately trying to keep up.

The lull and silence that follow in the weeks to come will be deafening but it is all too familiar and predictable, hashed and rehashed a little too often. And as for the tyke... he might wonder about the sudden silence and I will have to patiently pass onto him my worldly learnings on vacations, the ifs, buts and the lull after the storm in this case :)

While the logical mind is already working out logistics for the next vacation, the greedy heart is just intent on going tick tock, tick tock. Is it going to be next year, or the year after that!?

:=)

Back home

2008-05-31T02:13:00.000-07:00

10 things about Chennai which is a shocker in a good and bad sense :)

-The heat, traffic and just about everything else seems to have intensified.

-Malls and shopping strips at every nook and corner is a surprise.

-Most places that I go to seems to be unrecognizable from the last time I visited which was a little over 3 years ago.

-Most common roads have no tree cover just about increasing the heat that emanates from the earth :(

-Clothes shopping is quite a tug of war even for a non-fussy shopper like me :D

-Most youngsters as young as 7-10 years are sporting the latest cell phones in hand with a waiting driver and car at their disposal!! Whatever happened to traveling as a group in buses, occasional milky way icecreams and Gangotri/Vitan chats??

-The sheer amount of people traveling on 2 wheelers is unimaginable.

-The traffic seems to have worsened

-Most motorcyclists wear helmets which is a welcome change

-Roads are bad not to mention the waist deep potholes about 4 feet wide which are dug up not less than 4 feet apart :P So, essentially it's an open hole for the entire length of the road

And, when I landed at Anna international at 4ish in the morning with a small toddler in tow, 48 hours of sleeplessness and a missing suitcase, nostalgia hit big time just breathing in the familiar air. Nostalgia took on a relieved new face when I saw my family waiting outside with the first face being my brothers :)

But, all said and done-- Chennai will always be home and it indeed is nice to be back even if it's only for 6 weeks. Can't believe 2 weeks are already gone and I have to board that long dreading flight back sooner than I realize...

Zest for life

2008-04-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

A quick grab of the water bottle, a natural twist of the cap and ice cold water going down my throat was such a pleasure especially in between runs. And today, the same old bottle, the very same cap and the same me-- but the way I felt when I gulped that sip of water this morning during my workout was way different than yesterday, last month or 6 months ago. For some strange reason I felt thankful...

A bunch of people came in through the double doors at about half past 9. Some of them were physically challenged in some way or the other, while most of them were afflicted with down syndrome. Youth was at its best and in particular there was this young boy, probably the youngest of the lot who was in a wheelchair as well. All of them were dressed in gym clothes, nice and fresh and so excited that it showed on their faces.

There are so many things that we take granted for in life. Talking, touching, waking up, able to brush our teeth on our own and many trivial actions which happen on a day to day basis. The first realization of this hit me was a couple of months after my son was born. A simple task as holding a cloth in your hand-- so easy for an adult was way too difficult for a baby and I watched with amazement as he mastered it with the cloth, ball, spoon & paper in tow. And, this morning I was amazed at just how much zest these people had for life. They were there at the gym trying out each and every possibility and more importantly, were having fun.

Bless this country for making living as friendly/easy as possible for physically challenged souls. I did feel really bad when I thought about how India still having to go a long way in making it accessible to physically challenged people. A person I know who's physically challenged still is not able to go to movies back home since it's not disabled friendly.

My 4 miles was up and on my way out, I saw the youngest of the lot propped on the rowing machine. He was rowing with his hands while his coach/trainer helped him move his legs with her hands. The little fella was grinning from ear to ear, smiling away to glory. I stepped out into the morning sunshine. It wasn't until I saw myself in the rear view mirror did I realize that I too was grinning like a jackass, and actually had been for quite a while.

Green, Grey & Blue

2008-04-18T11:54:00.001-07:00

A low rumbling sound at a distance...

Well, I know what that is. Friday morning-- same routine, same rumble? Is Ayush going to wake up? I wait...........

The baby monitor flickers and makes a whimper, Jr is raising from his beauty sleep.

Long live the garbage truck *sigh*

The sounds fades into the distance... all is well again & the baby monitor decides to go into snooze mode again and incidentally so does Jr. Daddy dearest is oblivious to these things, what a blessed soul!?

This is exactly what happens every Friday morning, week after week, month after month for the last year. When we moved into this neighbourhood last year around April, I quickly learnt that those really giant sized garbage tubs that every house sports is actually to be wheeled out every Thursday night by people living in the home.

First week that we were there, we received a small booklet in the mail explaining how things worked with the garbage pick up schedule.

Green bin is for soiled wastes, garden wastes......

Grey bin is for recyclables-- now you should pay attention here. Only recyclables approved by the city code can be dumped into that (Where do we dump this ? Manu asks. "Oh that doesn't fit into the other bins? dump it in the grey" I say!)

Blue bin is for our good old garbage bags with the usual trash in it

Please note: Please place your garbage bins about 5 inches from each other facing outward from your curb.

5", 5", 5", 5" I memorized...

Oh and the booklet said:PLEASE WHEEL IN YOUR CARTS WITHIN 24 HOURS OF GARBAGE PICKUP!!

Ok-- that is pretty easy, it's a pain I understood but it's not like NOT doable or something, just wheel them in on

your way out or way in. SIMPLE...

Our neighbours next door are from Philippines, very nice folks. Pretty elderly couple, well atleast compared to Manohar & I. I should admit that the neighbour man is very very handy around the house. A day hasn't passed when I haven't seen him meddling with something or the other. It's either weeding, laying new grass, cleaning his car inside out and the list goes on and on. Apparently the couple are very serious about their garbage collection schedules as well.

Their garbage bins are out in the cold wintry California weather only for a span of 24 hours or so. No more, no less.They are out by the time Ayush goes into his midmorning napThursday morning until Ayush's midmorning nap again onFriday morning. So essentially from 10 AM Thu to 10 AM Friday!!

3 weeks ago:

I saw the friendly neighbour. Waved a hi and went on about my job of see if any weeds had come up in the front lawn. He quite didn't return the "hello, how're you?" as chirpily as I would have liked. But hey.. probably he was having a hard day. He started brushing his dog's hair while I started cutting the extra weed like things that looked downright ugly. Once done,I brought out some trash bags and placed it inside the blue bin standing majestically in our front driveway-- there you go.. I thought and felt immensely proud that I had cleared my house of some trash.

Life was nice, sunny day.. all was well

Sometime between one of those Thursdays and Fridays:

I heard the calling bell and hurried down to open the door. The friendly neighbour was standing there with rather dirty hands. Was that.........? Why was he standing with...............?

Oh hi...he said

Hi...

Actually, I wheeled in your carts for you this time since they have been out in the cold for the last week-- probably the longest I have ever seen anyone leave it

Gulp-- oh! that's really sweet of you neighbour-- thanks a ton

You know what-- why don't I do this? Let me wheel the cart in for you every Friday morning once they are done. How about that??

That would be really nice.. I said but I couldn't really impose...

"Nawh nawh.. I like doing stuff like these.... Don't worry, it's my pleasure to help you guys out" he said

I bid him good bye and thought-- Isn't he the nicest man ever??

The same old familiar sound and I woke up. AAhh-- Friday morning it is. My sleep was a goner, so got up and went to one of the bedroom windows to see the world outside. Saw the friendly neighbour outside with his labby doggie. He was just wheeling in his bins. The green went... 2 mins, the grey wheeled in gracefully, that man sure has class-- just, just see the way he wheels in those bins waaah! 2 more minutes and the blue one finally went in.

My bins are going to be set free next. I waited patiently.. 5, 10, 15 minutes passed. Finally, I came down and went out so I could see what was happening. Neighbour was brushing his dog's hair and didn't smile at me. He looked in the direction of the bins and then again at me, a look of utter contempt

Darn those early morning dreams!

And, my garbage bins complete 15 days of successfully being out in the california cold tomorrow (thank you, thank you!). No cracks, no discolouration, strong like Dalmia cement...

Again, within how many hours am I supposed to wheel back the bins?

Yet again.....

2006-03-21T14:02:00.000-08:00

Huddled in the corner she sat, drenched in sweat
A lone bird on a leafless bark she saw outside
Her heart engulfed her as the lock turned ,
She detected movement, ceasing to exist momentarily
Bird outside scrambled to safety, and she turned
Her nightmare stared her in the face, yet again....

Aaaarrrhh, Hmrrrrph!

2006-03-14T14:13:00.000-08:00

The steam cleaners suggested by a good friend of ours were due to arrive any moment. I had called the main guy earlier, worked out the details and we geared up to meet up that afternoon at 3PM. Probably the only downslide to the intended job was this: they wouldn't move furniture.
Wouldn't move furniture? What did it imply?? Does that mean I will have to move apartments or worse hoard all my stuff on the street until they finished cleaning my apartment? What an insane statement?? Practically left with no choice, I agreed. Resigning to my fate, I started moving stuff around the house in ernest, of course with a few arghhhh and ooooo vocal subtleties to go alongwith!

The bathroom became the sole store-room for most stuff. Big boxes, a small stool, lights, school stuff, loose papers, this and that..... Laptops and camera were probably the only few which found an otherwise respectable place on the office table. Everything else was marked to be shoved into the only floored area of the apartment, the loos.

This being meticulously planned out, the preparations for the great carpet cleaning began and I worked like a queen bee, relentlessly. Finally they arrived, and started with the office room. I took a close look and was delighted to find my carpet's shade lightening. I made sure nothing was in the way of their water tubes lest I spark 'its' anger. As he finished with one room, his eyes fell on the other bedroom. GULP GULP!!! I had set high hopes for this room: move the bed to one side all by myself! Now the time had come to show my mettle, and my muscles. I started inching the heavy wooden plank from side to side and managed to push it all the way to one side. I looked at him eagerly, but a stone face greeted me regrettably with not even the faintest intention of moving even his pinkie. He smiled at me. OK, my face brightened-- the offer for help should be on its way... I longed to hear his offer to rescue! Obscurity at its peak, finally his nod of approval came as a welcome break. I let the bed frame go, sending it crashing to the carpet while I remained rooted to the spot. The steamer was still sans reaction. Another display of the same caliber was performed soon and I strangely comprehended the real essence of what "not moving stuff " actually meant!

Allaying the fear of having to move really heavy stuff, I moved on in life-- understandably to the living room. This room in comparison had far lighter furniture compared to our sleeping habitat. As I started moving around in circles envisaging where to move what, the main 'steamer' offered to help me. Thank U, Thank U, my soul almost screamed.... mentally I uumpaa-d uumpaa-d him like one of the tribals, short of kissing his feet. I gave him a wide smile, making sure he knew how much I appreciated his gesture while my rather 'cold shoulder' directly pointed at the stone-faced steamer. We shifted the dining table, quickly followed by the sofa and the loveseat. A little help with the big bed would have been a welcome blessing but yeah... he helped ultimately right? What more could I ask for??

Probably his heart melted thinking the hardships the female clan goes through & decided to pitch in. Well-- that my friend is really sweet of you, but I still lifted the heaviest piece of furniture myself... alone!

Talk about Woman Power--literally and figuratively!

Rumour has it....

2006-02-02T00:41:00.000-08:00

...that I chat incessantly. Arghhhhh!!!

Hosur road being one of the busiest in Bangalore, had all kinds of imaginable sized trucks plying through it almost anytime of the day. Notorious for its nerve wracking traffic, it will be an understatement to state it a riders, drivers nightmare. More often than not, office goers and some perfectly jobless blokes (Me??) ended up arriving late at their respective jaunts. After many years, one of the first "malls" sprung up, and Bengalooru Mahanagara Palike found the exact place to house it...our good ol' Hosur Road, adding insult to injury!! The structure was huge and living just a stones throw away from the mall didn't do much good either excepting allowing a good 30 minutes to cross the traffic signal.

The mall had all the major chains-- Mcdonalds, Coffee day, Barista, Khadder, Levi's, Lee, Peter England, Van Heusen, Allen Solly and the likes! It had a 10 theatre multiplex coming up (which I heard has upped the wait time to almost 35-45 minutes now) and had a huuuuge food court with lip smacking food tugging at our hearts.

We paid a visit to the mall about once a week or so, and that week-end was no different. Manu & I had no specific agenda in hand and just wanted to be a part of the feverish festive spirit, a year around hallmark. We hopped aboard the escalator and escalated to the 2nd floor, and started walking towards one end of the mall. I was excited that particular morning about some mundane thing that was happening at college, and started talking. I heard some validation from my counter part by way of an occassional hmmm.. right.. totally.. is that so? so on and so forth. After a while, the sounds stopped which of course I hadn't reliased. I kept talking and weirdly didn't turn to look to my side the whole time. After a while, the conversation ceased to sound interesting even to my own ears, and needless to state-- restraint was the keyword. I turned to look around and was startled to find some strange looking creature next to me. Where was Manu, my trusted comrade at all times??

My eyes rested on this person's face. He was about as tall as me, bore no resemblance to my better-half and was differently built. Looking around, I pondered if offering an explanation would be appropriate at this juncture. He broke my thought process "It really was interesting to hear you talk about all that stuff, I am sure the intended recipient missed a wonderful commentary", and he walked away.
My Oh My!! Commentary?? Who was this guy, and what in god's name had he listened to?? I spun around in a swift motion my eyes scanning the crowd, and there he was strolling like he had all the sweet time in the world. I waited impatiently while he came towards me with a contended look on his face.
Where were you?? I yelped.
"I had to go the bathroom, didn't I tell you?
Tell me? What had he been thinking?? My comrade and partner had just left me in the lurch while another guy had come alongside me listening to all my rubbish rants. Manu burst out laughing when he saw what was coming much to my chagrin, while I was literally choking on the possibility of an identity theft! My head in a fuzzy state, ultimately I gave up... convinced of my innocence!

We dawdled the rest of the day away while I kept checking from time to time, and it was indeed "the bathroom escaper" I was talking to.

Rumour has it that the 'unintended recipient' got an idea or two, and ended up becoming a successful entrepreuner having listened to my unceasing ranter!

*Hmmmpphhh* Me+Incessant Talking=Concealed gains

O! Merciful Lord, please do pardon these ignorant mortals for they discern nothing of the greatness of being blessed with a quick mind, an indefatigable tongue and unrelentless vocal chords!

Danseuse's moves

2006-01-26T13:41:00.000-08:00

As we stepped onto a busy road in Jayanagar 6th block, we squinted owing to the bright almost blinding afternoon sun. The nearest Southern Railway booking center was in Banashankari 2nd stage we were told. Booking counters were supposed to be serving the public from 10-1pm everyday, and we were already late.

Weirdly at that point of time, it could have been as far away as Timbuktu and we wouldn't have realised it!

Our first day in Bangalore, and we decided to take a call taxi from the city railway station. We had to go to Sankey road and all we had amidst us was a piece of paper with the hotel name scribbled on it. We were warned that trains stopped at many small stations as the main city of Bangalore neared, but only for a minute or so. So we, the brilliants decided to take no chance and agreed to get off at the last stop-City station. This also meant it gave us extra 1/2 hour of heavenly sleep!

Now that having been said, we stormed out of the station like resident veterans although the little piece of paper and the not so small boxes would have given us away for sure. Our eyes met one of the cabbies, and he came towards us menacingly. We proudly proclaimed the hotels name searching his face for flicker of recognition. We saw something & we decided to take it in the affirmative! He volunteered that the hotel was in Hebbal and the fare was Rs 350. Wow! is this place near Mysore or something...I wondered, hearing the cost to get to the hotel. I gave Manu a puzzled look and his face registered utter shock, perfect corroboration!! We looked at him a little pointedly, and he showed us a printed sheet which had Hebbal- Rs.350 clearly specified. We conceded and 10 minutes later we reached the hotel. "Hmmm.. that REALLY WAS fast" I thought. Did we really fly or was this Maruti van/taxi been boosted with extra horses??? We got down, stretched & paid the fella. He bolted from the hotel in full gallop before we could thank him. "Must be trying hard to make ends meet, poor fellow! See he's rushing to ferry passengers from the next inbound train..." we commented. "Life must be tough being in such a job given the present standards of living" we empathized.

Reaching the lobby, checked into the room and was relieved to be in what would be our home for the next one month. The maid who came to tend our beds started talking, and we casually asked her what good restaurants were there in Hebbal. She laughed, " you have to travel 20 more kms to get there. Do you have relatives there?? ". Thoroughly outraged to find that the hotel wasn't in Hebbal as the cabbie had suggested, we also realized out that the actual fare was only Rs.150!! We had just tasted the occassional dishonest Banglorean in an otherwise extremely honest, friendly and wonderfully cultured clan. Exceptions, Exceptions... was our final verdict.

I flagged down an auto (it's a wonderful creation which is like having 2 seats set up in the center of a triangle with tires adorning each of the 3 corners). I looked at my watch, it read 12.42PM. The auto came to standstill and auto driver looked at me expectantly. I looked at Manu. This seemed to go on for more than a few seconds when I felt a gentle nudge on my elbow.

I had been anticipating this for a while, but now being faced with that eventuality sent me reeling, feeling dumb & thunderstruck. Where should I start? Should I try talking in Tamizh at all? "Oh.... don't worry, most people in Bangalore understand Tamizh", people had repeatedly drummed into my head the last couple of days. I suddenly shuddered, thinking the irritation I felt when I was thought to be a North Indian and someone started yapping in Hindi. How could I possibly do that to him, our very own ticket to heaven--the railway booking counter ?? I carefully contemplated my next move, the hows and whys of it. My POA (aka plan of action) jumped right out at me.

Most people understood signs well and I was supposed to be pretty good at miming (or so I've been led to believe!). I relied heavily on my miming capabilites and my cerebellum got down to breaking up the words. I needed to convey our dire necessity to go to the southern railway booking center, rumoured somewhere to be in Banashankari, god knew where that was! Now, 3 words crossed my mind. Train, tickets and late. I was deperate to make him understand the destination and nonetheless, emphasize the importance of being late. It was imperative he knew that we were really running behind schedule, and it was real important we reached there in the next 15 minutes.

I took both my hands and set them in appropriate front and back motion mimicking a train motion (meaning the wheels part). The driver looked at me quizzically and I felt sorry for myself more than him. I added a Koo.. Chuk Chuk sound effect to the ensuing hand motion and eagerly waited for his response.
He said, Station??
"No no..... no station, only ticket booking" I hurriedly said.

He nodded and I let out a sigh of relief. We hopped in and colonized the rather small space as the auto sprung into motion. I promptly recalled the remaining 2 of the original 3 words. So, I leaned forward and told him "ticket booking, BSK, 2nd stage??"
"Houdhu, adhae" he responded. "Fast please, 1'o clock counter close", I added in for good measure, my last final straw to the puzzle. I detected a hint of what looked like a smile, and I was in 7th heaven . I was one mighty proud lady ....a strange land, unknown language, and yet I had emerged victorious!!

As Manu & I looked out the streets and drank in the city of gardens, we started chatting, probably the first after a tense 10 minutes! Before we knew it, the auto slowed and he pointed to a building on our right. We got down, paid him the fare and stared at the concrete structure looming large in front of us. It had people swarming all over the place. Unsure which entrance to take, we saw our legs exhibit an indolent attitude. As we crossed the street, we heard the auto driver loudly yell "andha side-ula irrukkunga entrance, adhu vazhiyaa ponaa IInd floor-la irukudhu booking center" and his eyes seemed to twinkle. We had embarrassment written all over us!

We gulped, blushing a little and quickly scampered onto safer grounds. We laughed all the way up to the second floor. In addition to the just bygone fiasco, we also got royally frowned upon by the man behind the counter. We were laughing the entire time, so much so the man had to repeat the question a good 5 times before we could hear it amidst our own chuckles.

What on earth possessed me to subject that poor soul to a modern dance recital in the middle of the road, that too in broad daylight?? Why had it been so hard for me to think clear & easy?? All the hands and sound effects?? A lamentable act indeed...*Blink, Blink*

Moves of the Danseuse.. ha ha!!

Does it 'really' matter??

2006-01-24T00:33:00.000-08:00

I breathed deep, and after a moments hesitation took the courage to ring the calling bell. The door opened and a pleasant lady greeted me "Swagatham! banni banni..." It was my first day at the rehearsal.

Weighing heavily on my mind for quite sometime now, this concert held more excitement than the regular ones, and being a guest singer for a Kannada concert was going to be very interesting (for you unfamiliar folks out there, Kannada is one of the most musically oriented of the South Indian languages). I could manage a brief few words here & there but there it ended as quickly it started, ususally. It still really is an enigma why they called me but well....

As I stepped into the house, she moved aside, and I suddenly saw a mini industrial fair (akin to ones in India) happening inside those seemingly calm doors. I saw a familiar face in the crowd of people as he came forward and greeted me. Let's call him Mr.Nicey, N for short. N introduced me to the pleasant lady who had banni banni-ed me inside. She had a beautiful smile I noticed, and then she started talking rapidly in Kannada. I stared. Now, do I tell her that I didn't speak the language but was fortunate enough to understand decently enough or do I wait for the opportune moment? I was thoroughly confused. Luckily for me, N whisked me away soon enough, before I made a fool of myself. He thrusted a lunch plate in my hand and requested me to eat. I politely conceded to the request and nibbled on my food while I drank in the happenings around me.

N had emailed me a couple of months ago regarding the concert. I was overjoyed, and needless to say accepted it but only after much deliberation. He effused supreme confidence, regrettably more than me, and I relented ulitmately trusting his judgement. I wielded extra precautions while practising, since performing in totally unchartered territory wasn't an everyday affair. I searched the internet far & wide for the lyrics, compared and contrasted different versions I got, and meticulously prepared for the practice sessions.

I looked around and was relieved to see people re-assembling to their respective places. Took a brief moment to regain my otherwise sangfroid self. By the time everyone gathered, N announced that the guest singer was here, and was pointing at me. Now, that was totally unexpected and I scrambled to my feet sending a few smiles and hi's 360* through. I introduced myself as briefly as possible and got a few smiles in return, more so from the instrumentalists rather than resident singers!

Now, that wasn't abnormal behavior, I thought. Infact it was pretty common in artist circles as far as I knew. It was always 'survival of the fittest' and any potential replacement was looked on with utter contempt, atleast until well established. I could very well associate with that given that I had been part of fabulous music group for almost 4 years now, and knew the way peoples psyches played on them. It was these good natured peoples rightful turn now... and I was on their war path *sigh*

The practice went on great and the subsequent ones taught me a thing or two about group oneness, tolerance and different genre of people. I saw a bunch of talents in the new group and the D-day fast approached. I repeatedly corrected my pronounciation taking tips from any of them who were willing to help me, which was almost everyone. My fellow singers warmed up to me as I to them. I started feeling less conspicuous, and more at ease with each passing session.

I had been fidgety all morning. I had the vaguest of doubts that I was coming down with throat pain or something, dangerously bordering on Hypochondriasis!! I pulled myself together, and waited.

My song was announced and I came on stage amidst claps. I was fortunate enough to have N as my co-singer in both songs of mine. So I didn't foresee any compatibility issues, a key factor to pulling off any song on stage. As I was correcting the surthi (AKA scale or pitch) in my head, I suddenly heard the orchestra opening the song realising that the female humming followed seconds later. Totally taken aback, I opened my mouth and a strange sound enveloped my own ears. I panicked. Whose voice was this?? I waited until the first bit was over and then took a moment of respite while I looked around. I saw a couple of people smile at me from the first row, and I relaxed visibly for the first time. My part arrived not too later and I sang. The program ended, and it was officially declared a success. I was pleased.

I was totally drained. Having 2 programs simultaneously and practising long hours had been totally zonking me out. My body yearned for a good nights sleep. I held on...

As I came down the steps, I momentarily halted to talk to an elderly couple. They started talking in Kannada and effectively stated that I sang very well. I understood the gist of it and thanked them. As they continued belting out sentences in Kannada, I sorely realised that I had just passed up an oppurtunity to let them know my ignorance of the language. I was thoroughly caught between saying "I am sorry, but I don't speak Kannada" or dillydally, smile and respond in the universal language. I gulped! I debated, and said finally "Oh! that's really sweet of you to complement me, but I really am not a Kannadiga." Silence. Their face registered surprise more than shock or insult, and I was earnestly grateful for that. After assuring them (almost coming short of showing my school records indicating my IInd language!!), I saw a little bit of my convincing netting some effect. They applauded me on my diction and thought I really should take singing Kannada songs way more seriously. I nodded implying my intentions to definitely give it a thought. We parted ways on a good note. They went up the stairs while I down (ironic uhn??)

I smiled all the way home reflecting on my dilemma in voicing out my preference of being 'known' as a Tamilian, who incidentally enjoyed singing in different languages. I also breifly pondered if it had made a difference, or mattered when I had pointed that out a few times in the past. Well, I wouldn't know this until a month later during one of my regular programs, this time around in a language that I knew and breathed.

I was still tasting the sweet remains of success when I heard a voice call out my name as I walked out of the green room. I turned and was surprised to be greeted with a "Swagatham". I smiled. Standing there was the elderly couple from the Kannada program. They commented on how good the program was, and expressed their immense gratification at having enjoyed it inspite of not being a Tamilian. I thanked them for their support and exchanged a few more words before I departed, feeling a deep sense of fulfillment.

I went dead to the world at 10 that night, although I do vaguely remember humming the Kannada numbers I had just belted out.

Interestingly, it wasn't until later that it struck me that the couple had conveyed everything to me in Kannada, yet again. Apparently, it didn't seem to matter to them, probably didn't for me either...

Cutlets and Rigor Mortis

2006-01-16T19:49:00.000-08:00

"Da" Man-Manu, the CEO off from work and I, the to-be psychologist on a brief hiatus, decided to eat well today, for a change. 'No counting calories and fats this evening', we decided and arrived at an unianimous decision to make vegetable cutlets.

All things neatly set out, we finished making it and fabulous results made our day. The time had come to try the much anticipated cutlets... *smack, smack*. On second thoughts, we thought maybe we should take eating deep fried stuff a little more seriously than we had previously thought. So we resolved our inner turmoils by setting the number of cutlets to 3, no no... 4 per person. We sat down with all applicable sauces in the vicinity, gaping achingly at the beautiful cutlets gently set on a plate. Each of us helped ourselves to 2 patties first. Closing our eyes, we ate it savouring each minute morsel of it. For a brief moment of time, it was as if we had been transported to another world. When our fingers found no more promised food on the plate, we opened our eyes. We looked at each other, and our faces conveyed the unspoken agreement to just have 2 more each. So we did, and the heart followed the same protocol all over again, and again...

There had been absolute slience for the last 10 minutes barring an occassional munching now and then. There were just two left, out of the originally made 18, which meant each of us had had about 8 each!!! Was that an acceptable number even if we had managed to live in Ethiopia under the gravest of circumstances? Manu moved away from the table trying to salvage any remaining promises leave alone self-esteem, while I.... sat there strumming my fingers on the table. "Does it really make sense to leave this here, guess we might anyway polish this off in less than an hour"? my scrupulous self blurted out. His eyes gleamed with mischeif while his legs stopped dead in his tracks. He nodded and we dived into the plate again, each helping ourselves generously.

A sumptuous satiated feeling ushered in a sense of pall, while the never ending act of gorging left us both vaguely resembling a pair of large beached whales.

We sat down dully, an almost ominous plop threatening to monopolize each other's space on the sofa. We gazed intently, yet aimlessly at the TV screen which had been running for quite sometime.

I had a very weird feeling that I will have to run to all places including India, the next time I decided to move. I glanced at Manu, who apparently seemed very normal, moving his tiny toes and fingers to keep rigor mortis from setting in. As for me, I diligently opened my laptop and started typing this out....

P.S: I have quite regained mobility of my fingers by this time, 10 minutes into writing this article. Not bad for 9 cutlets at one shot, ehn?? *wink*

A Mere "Lever"age Issue??

2006-01-12T23:00:00.000-08:00

The loud knock on the door almost made me jump. At the risk of dropping the laptop firmly perched on my lap, I rushed to the door. My eyes rested on what would normally be the midriff of a human being, this specific one far from being captivating. I adjusted my eyelevel so I could look at the face. Boy! was he tall or what?? A little taller and it would have warranted breaking the ceiling to accomodate his extended self. I never knew our apartment's maintanence department recruited NBA players !

He inquired about the problem on hand and I faithfully pointed to the patio door. The 10 steps that usually ferried me from the front foyer to the patio door was done in just 3 long strides. Being tall does have its gains, I pondered grimly! Pushing these thoughts aside, I almost had to run to keep up with the hulk. He bent down to check the problem and I couldn't believe his occupying almost 3/4 the height of the french door!! Recovering from the unbelievable sight just ahead, I explained as to how the door got stuck and we haven't been able to open it. The man got down to work, a few seconds passed and he asked me to try the door. I did.

It slid back beautifully letting the cool fresh air in, almost like a door leading to heaven! I gaped, surprise evident on my face.
Whooaaa! how did that happen? I asked fumbling all the way, a thousand questions and situationally right answers flooding my brain.
'It was just the child lock lever', he stated a little too matter of factly!

He showed me how that worked, and I wanted to drown in my own filth that very moment, literally. I openly wallowed in self-pity then, probably trying to elicit some sympathy from the rather large hulk. I muttered some vague defenses as how I never knew such a thing existed, blah blah! Not concealing his surprise as well as he did his laughter, he walked out lecturing me Oh, don't u worry.... Once you have kids, you will know how to fix things more than our whole department puttogether!! I thanked him profusely and uttered a heartfelt apology for placing a work order for nothing at all. He waved at me, and moved on. I closed the door, heavy in thought.

I went back to the patio door and sat down next to it, looking at it intently. Not 1, but 2 of us had contended with it the previous night, but to no avail. We had just not seen the simple lever on the right side of the door.

Post-mortem being useless at that point of time, I threw the reasoning out the same door. 'There will always be a next time for all the alertness to kick in' I firmly decided. What say??

Mysterious machines

2006-01-09T00:40:00.000-08:00

What the hell was wrong with this ATM card?? my slowly growing impatient mind thought.

I had checked the card in not one, but two ATM machines just to make sure that I wasn't bungling up the ATM pin. I was growing restless by the second and didn't really make an effort to disguise it. Shoppers at Safeway were nonetheless amused at my huffs, puffs and almost literal bangings to confirm if ATM was indeed working! Each time I got to the point where the required amount was to be disbursed, the machine sported the most nettling noise ever made on the face of the earth!!! At one point I even wondered if this machine had something resembling a 'mute' button, akin to a husband's mouth or a TV remote. I waited, and tried a few more times. Evidently with no luck whatsoever, my patience ran out.

Since the machines did not quite fulfill their job requirement, I decided to do something about it. With an air of nonchalance, I started wandering aimlessly in front of the in-store branch, a rather desperate attempt at catching someone's eye in the process! Ultimately, my aimlessness had its much intended effect, for 'someone' did take notice and asked me "Ma'm, may I help you? Ah! yes.... I volunteered, best explaining the situation. She listened intently while I tried to explain, although her few clandestine glances towards the machines were not lost on me. She assured me that the ATM's were working just fine & I tired to convince her of the machine's almost virtual non-existence at that very moment!! Finally, some appeasement ushered in, and the bank teller offered to help me at her window.

Relieved, I gladly sat and decided to rip open the envelope which contained the cheque to be deposited. Having applied too much crude, instant glue (Ahem, our good ol' Saliva) it proved quite a struggle to un-glue it. Now that I think about it, possibly it was more of the bank teller watching me intently that made me try to rip the already pasted envelope neatly, rather than my own crappy ways!? Enough was enough, I ripped it open with a thousand shreds flying in all directions, forming a soft white carpet at my chair's perimeter. Unminding of the trash around me, I handed over the deposit slip and the cheque to her, a little too gingerly perhaps. She managed to smile and asked me if I was from Tamil Nadu. I looked up and it was then that I caught her name on the lapel pin. Nair it said.... Wow! I thought, a fellow Keralite and my joy knew no bounds!!!

Yes, I answered, creeping out of my joy zone. She nodded, an all knowing smile ornating her lips. She volunteered information about herself and I did too, maybe just a teeny weeny bit, enough to forget my total abysmal failure at the machine earlier! Just as she was finishing up with the transaction, I indicated about a cash withdrawal and she handed me the slip which I started filling out. Unsure of one of my account numbers, I asked her if I could swipe my ATM card inorder for her to pull up my account information. I swiped my card and hung on, but her face registered a blank look indicating her screen was as blank if not more than her! I wondered, what is this? a hatrick or something? Just as I was about to swipe it again, she steered in my direction "Is that what you are using to draw out money?" I gallantly said "yeeesss, this is what I use". She then blurted out amidst giggles "I think you need to use your ATM card and not your CREDIT CARD for this". I looked down and grinned, shame engulfing me!

I made small talk until she handed over the cash, but her face registered immense gratification at having found out the real reason for the mysterious non-response of the ATM.

Well, so many before and after me were successful in having utilized its services, right?

I made sure I had the correct amount in hand, tucked it safely away in the dark corners of my wallet, and said my final good bye's to the lady who broke the da-vinci code. She wished me "Happy New Year", and please come back and see me sometime! I gave her a thumbs up meaning 'you betcha'! As my head turned, I heard a voice saying "Make sure to use your ATM card with these machines the next time you want to use its services!" I smiled, mumbling some vague godforsaken reason for my non-compliance with simple ATM rules and ambled along.

What she probably missed was my smirk in response to her humble request. She just couldn't pass up the opportunity, could she? Atleast she only pointed it out. If I were her, well well......

Well-Done Missy!?! I hollered inside...

Have a pleasant flight !?

2005-12-24T01:15:00.000-08:00

Highly penitent, I continued to fill in the disembarkation form duly thrust into my hands by a well-intentioned co passenger.

8H 00 mins earlier:
Had just landed in Singapore, a gruelling don't-mention-it flight of 19 hours taking the much intended toll on my system. Checking in at the transit hotel, I tried to revive my already half-dead self by indulging in a hot bath, and laid out my clothes for the evening lest I overslept (now, that's NOT bordering on OCD!?). I quickly switched the halogens off, shut my eyes tightly as if that tightness would usher in the angel of sleep. Alas! 2 hours passed, and I still remained wide awake to the sounds of cricket in the room. Bolted up akin to a jack in the box peering at my watch, and wondered what Manu would be doing. It was 3am in the morning his time (wierdly, mine too!). Strongly resisting the growing urge to call him, I returned back to sleeping position- rather reluctantly. "I shall call him before I board my flight" I soothed myself.

2H 40 mins earlier:

Had just finished wolping down a plate of Idli and Vadai with much agony, owing to its wonderful taste! Electronics, chocolates, perfumes, clothes, cigerrettes, you name it, the duty free shops had it. Now, this is tempting, ain't it? Just shop around with no one to control your going in and out of shops?? Some more time wiled away and I did a quick time check. It was time for the much promised call.

2H 00 mins earlier:

Passing security check, I proceeded to the boarding area. A zombie like walk and the half open eyes rapidly took cover when I came down crashing to the floor-THUD!! The thud was the end result of yours truly tripping over a chair, almost breaking a jaw bone. Peeling myself away from the floor, I plopped into a nearby chair!

Checking if I had the right forms needed for the disembarkation, I waited... Just 4 more hours to reach home.

1H 00 mins ealier:

The boarding announcement for the last few rows seemed to take forever. T-i-c-k, t-o-c-k...I almost sprinted ahead when they finally did. I managed to reach my seat unscathed (good, ehn?) and sat down sighing heavily, to the utter displeasure of most passengers. First things first, Tomato rice, fried pappads, vegetable kurma and curd- the dinner menu proudly announced. My lips smacked involuntarily, and I sure was looking forward to the uneventful pleasant flight!

The Flight home:

I suddenly woke up to someone tapping my shoulder. I was greeted to undiluted animated chatter, enthusiastic children returning home for a visit, and small time businessmen stagerring along the aisle with duty free items, truckloads of them. As my pupils adjusted to the light, a vague presence near me made me turn to my right, and I was greeted by a man grinning broadly at me.

Ennamaa? Nalla thoongineengala? he asked full of vigor
Ahn, not bad... I mumbled.
Enna ma Englisss-la pesireenga? Tamilll dhaane neenga?
I chuckled inwardly while I answered: Ammaam, tamizhdhaan. Wierdly, it felt more like a reassurance of sorts to the self, and not to him.
Engerundhu varaappola? he broke my thoughts
I tried to evade the question, but soon realised the good natured inquisitive friend's relentless pursuation. I was treated to the same query yet again and I thought no better way out.
US... came out the answer, a bit hesitantly though
Ohhh!!! pinna englisss nallllaaa therinjirukkum? illae? he bored, his inquisitive self showing through
I glanced at him, giving him the leaverage to assume what he wanted.

A ruffle here, a shuffle there, and out came the disembarkation card, customs clearance form, and his passport. He said "Ecscuuch me", and I figured he was reaching for my tray table. So I moved, giving him the much needed space while he brought the table down. He proudly placed all the 3 recovered items on my tray table and asked me "penaaa irukkkudhaa"??

Ahn, irukke.. venumaa ungalukku? I offered, rather magnanimously.
Ada! enakku edhukku maa? Ungalukkuthaan thevai, edunga penaa-va... he said.

As much as I hated this, I tried to be a little more accomodating and rummaged through my bag to find one. My fingers groped one, but I hoped to god it didn't write!! I brought out the pen and set it gently on the table, and waited.

Enakku engliss nalla ezhudha varaadhu, neenga indha faarumma (read as form-a) fill panni thaareengala? he asked, modesty personified.

Was it an order, a question? I decided to read less in between lines and be more helpful. Shortly, I heard the air hostess making her usual rounds, asking people to stow their tray tables and foot rests blah blah...

So, I made a quick move to shove this papers into the seat pocket in front of me. In a swift sudden motion, I saw his hands come down. I waited although trifle startled, and caught a puzzled look on his face.

Ennamma seyyareenga? his voice rose
Flight-a edukkaporaanga, I reinforced
Pat came the reply: Ada... adhukuthaane flight-u irukku???

My eyes narrowed.
Yet another smartie tartie thinking he was all logic laden eh??? My resolve strengthened... Me? being taken for granted?? NOOOO... My inner resolve took up the fighting (for a cause?) now.
Ippo tray table keezha irukka koodaadhu, so apparama ezhudhi tharattumaa?
Edhukku ma adhellaam? ippo saapaadu konduvaruvaanga, apparam neenga thiruppi thoongiduveenga, apparam naan thoongiduvaen! Indhaanga, ippove fill pannidunga ma, pleegggeee... his face pleaded.

Now, had I been unduly unjust in having classified him as a 'pain in the neck' ? He was stuck, wanted help, and I was his knight(ie) in shining armor! Well, all said and done, I couldn't take it anymore, and a desperate need to make him stop plagued my senses.

Conscientiousness at its pinnacle, I did a quick check on law abiders nearby, the closest being an airhostess checking rows 2 and beyond. I was in row 61. 59 moorre to go, now that shouldn't pose a problem, I thought! Head subdued, my hands scribbled furiosuly, copying word to word. It should have been less than 4 minutes, for I saw the man next to me shift uncomfortably, and I realised a faint shadow settle on the disembarkation card. I intentionally paused and looked up, a sheepish grin embellishing my whole face. Was I detecting hostility, or was it just a simple firm look as if to say: 'I need you to listen to instructions'

My eyes scanned back to the end of disembarkation card, filled in the date, and the final straw had been stacked to perfection! I was done. I scooped up the man's paraphernalia, and handed it back to him with a smile- sweet, honest, and sans guilt.

I heard him mutter some nandri's while I searched the air hostess's face for signs of reprimand. None. Was I dreaming when I thought I detected all that expressivity?? All I saw then was a smooth, firm skin lined with no lines whatsoever. Her pleasant demeanor had resurfaced, and I didn't feel subdued any more.

Did people really mean it when they said "have a pleasant flight"? I wasn't so sure anymore...

Well, so much for want of an uneventful trip!?

Cyclones to Credit cards

2005-12-11T22:34:00.000-08:00

Tring-Tring, it went on.... While I was about to hang up, the phone came to life with my mom's voice enveloping the whole receiver. Initial pleasantries being taken care of, we plunged heads on- the impending cyclone, the disquieting lull before the storm stories and of what will be the perilous effects of rain on the existing drainage systems. Oh My God! I dwelled on the thought.

As I listened, I heard my mom say something amazing.

Me: What???? my voice reverberated on the phone.
Mom: "Yes.. she continued, "you know... just like how the US has names for all their hurricanes, the TN govt have started naming the cyclonic depressions lingering over the bay of bengal.
Me: OK, what's this one which is about to hit Chennai called then? I inquired

A faint crackle in the line, I waited for a minute and barked 'heelooo, you there? '
'Ahhnnn yaaa-- I am still holding the line' she said.

Mom: Fanoos...
Fanoooosss? What kind of a name is that??? I wondered. Seemed to rhyme with Aappooosss, a mango variety, which any lover of the fruit would give their right arm for!?
Me: Do you know what it means?? SILENCE. I visualized the golden silence as a*shrug*
Me: Oh! well, that's an interesting name, my inner voice ruled.

Now, why was I surprised?

Was it that our very own state and/or country wasn't capable of innovating names for something as simple as the once-in-a-blue-moon cyclones?
OR
Was the strong unshakable feeling of aping the West monopolizing my thought process so much, that I couldn't appreciate a genuine attempt at bettering our existing infrastructure ?
OR
Was it owing to the enough number of cyclones hitting the TN coast (like one in the last 30 years!!) that it didn't really warrant such emphasis??

Does the naming of hurricanes/cyclones belong to the West exclusively? Has living in the West for the last few years changed our beliefs in the capabilities of our own motherland??? Doesn't naming cyclones evince a modern era of nouveau endeavours?

On a tangetial note, I heard someone telling me, "Now-a-days, establishments accept credit cards in India! Well, weren't they all along? I remember parents, uncles and aunts using it way long before now, about 15 years ago. What about a co-worker who relegated India by querying if electricity was a *normal utility* in all major towns? Major Towns?!? Even small towns like Mannargudi and Kuttanallur does, even cable television! I was so overcome with flabbergast that it took me almost a full minute to regain my composure, and to think about where to start.

So, how come you speak English fluently?.... Does India have a similar concept to fresh juices? Aren't most people in India afflicted with AIDS and tuberculosis?? Is this.. Is that...? I listened to all of it, in a state of fuzz.

So, do we doubt what India is capable of?

Doesn't naming cyclones, having electricity in Kuttanallur, CC swiping facilities in even potti sized shops AKA kadais, having a genre of tropicana OJ's (better tasting ones, may I say?) and what nots evince a modern era of nouveau endeavours?

0.2 Vs 26.2

2005-12-06T23:57:00.001-08:00

What is it with Human Beings and Marathons??

Why on earth would one want to agonize themselves (not to mention others) by increasing their heart rate enough to slip into a world of mild delusions? Their body endures so much that sometimes it begs itself: STOP! Please don't do this to me...

There have been times in the past, when running was a way of life for me. I built up from as little as walking for 10 minutes on the treadmill (some huffs, puffs and stopped promptly fearing an impending heart attack!) progressing to 40-50 minutes continuous run (*just* huffs & puffs). But not for 5 HRS at a stretch?!?

The thought why one might want to go down this torturous path struck me as odd some 7 months ago, when Manu started preparing for his first marathon ever. I saw him go through this ordeal quite painstakingly, yet with considerable perseverance. His endurance baffled me to the extent that I stopped running- so I could compensate for the 'heart rate monitors, footpod, miles & calories burnt' talks around us all the time... *grin* I enjoyed seeing him prepare! I was proud and extremely so, at what Manu had accomplished on his own, just by following a first time runners manual. But I wasn't so sure if the end justified the means. Are such inflictions of pain on the self worthwhile? *blink blink*

The same thought crossed my mind last weekend, when I saw Sriks finish his marathon. Once again, I was a silent witness to yet another similar ordeal of prepping up for the ultimate challenge. The minute I saw Sriks cruise the finish line, I was honestly elated at his feat but the same thought came back to haunt me.
Why? Why this...?
This tormenting of the soul (sole?!) and the body was largely enough to render oneself sick, for *atleast* a week following the marathon *deep sigh at the lack of answers to this never ending toil of mine*

Bragging about training is one thing while actually carrying it through is another! Fortunately, I was a bewitched spectator to both Manu and Sriks's marathon experience. The fact that indeed amazed me were their inimitable qualities of being diligent, focussed and amazingly motivated (although one too many times, distraction played havoc) . I was really taken in with it, highly impressed to be honest, but would I go beyond my physical capability to do something like this?-- Highly Doubtful !

Well, I really am a little dumbstruck when I see people corroding pieces off their body for the sake of a race (Are they really? Is it just a race?) True that it's a great deal, but a satisfaction which can't be experienced elsewhere without horrendous irksome after-effects?

Well, make no mistake here! Am thrilled beyond words for both of them, and wish them tons of luck in all their coming ones. Perhaps a lesser mileage would be less threatening to the body?!

How about 0.2 Mls as against 26.2 Mls? Easier for the Marathoners, Us and the Body!

Something to think about, Eh??

'Dreams Galore'

2005-12-01T16:00:00.000-08:00

It was the Thanksgiving weekend, myself and 'Da-Man' Manu decided to go to the mall to wile away some precious time. Causative factor- being clueless, jobless, every utterly worthless thought rolled into one BIG FAT reason! Wonder of wonders, Manu was all geared for it and for a minute I had my doubts. I decided to find out if it was for real.

I pinched my skin and up went a jolt, right through me. Flinching from the pain, I opened my eyes which had closed involuntarily from the pain and was I surprised at the intensity of it or what?? Decided I had to delve into the matter which had expected to be just a couple of seconds and a simple earthly procedure. Somehow, I remembered that my nails were intact this week, that I had actually forgotten to trim them, Err.. mean bite them! SO, it actually pained when I exhibited some cannibalistic tendencies. Reminded myself-- "Meera, honey... NEVER EVER do that to yourself again". Made an advance New Year resolution to frequently bite my nails, trim them or if I didn't, not to pinch myself. Pushing the aspect of pain aside, we headed towards the mall.

We reached the mall and our usual parking spots were already exhibiting territoriality. One too many days, I have been to the same mall more than once in a day and have been successful in getting the same parking spots. Isn't that unbelievable? Now, you may ask me 'why would one go to the same mall more than once in any given day'? I may evade your Q for such is the mysterious magnetic field that the mall emits and my house actually comes within the 'will-definitely-get-affected-zone' radius.

After 15 minutes of taking an unsuccessful ride through the scenic parking lot, I could almost hear Manu's irritation reflect in his demeanor. My eyes quickly scanned the area, and managed to steer the vehicle into the first open slot available. By the time we got out, Manu's irritation had vanished into thin air and I made a mental note to be more like him. Just switch it on and off? Boy! how does he even manage it?

We stepped into the mall and looked up the directory to go to a couple of specific stores. Just as we started walking, a sound akin to bee buzzing wafted past me just in time to realise that this was indeed the first time I was shopping during a holiday weekend. The sheer number of humans there, made us feel almost insignificant for a second!

As the shops passed us on both sides of the corridor, the self grew pretty exultant when the Red Tag Sale Boards were sighted at almost every conceivable corner! My jubilant mood didn't last long, for I suddenly sensed a presence next to me, and I found staring into Da-Man's eyes and that said it all- DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

OK- I consoled my tormented soul, applied a balm, and made a vow to come back the next day sans Manu ofcourse...

We did some random shopping and then we chanced upon my most favourite haunt. I trudged in happily, and very soon lost track of Manu who was trying to keep up with the just-now-normal-but-changed-creepy-witch-girl that I had turned into. Broom was possibly the only thing I lacked, to supplement the imagination. We finally met up, he selected some trousers and we went to the billing counter. The mile long queue wasn't encouraging but we silently stood next to each other taking in the sites and sounds of the world around us. Ahem, correction- Bee Buzz filled world around us.

As my eyes did a 360* turn, I happened to see an Indian family standing just ahead of us. There was the daddy, the mommy, the infant in a travel system alongside thaatha & paati. The thaatha was attempting quite hard to meet my eyes and when I did, gave a hearty warm grin. Needless to state, I politely reciprocated the gesture with one of my best smiles ever (for those of you who do not know the 'dashing smile' of mine, please do make it a point to ask Manu, for he's never passed up an oppurtunity to ridicule me on that account). I noticed that the family had only a couple of items to bill and the mommy seemed to be carrying all of it. Suddenly, there were a few hurried whispers and before I could realise what was happening, the family started moving to the right, out of the billing line. I happily thought "Ah at last! they have opened up another counter to manage the enormous holiday shoppers'. Obviously, I followed suit. Before I took the 3rd step, I stopped dead in my tracks for I saw the mommy returning to the line with the armload of things to be billed. I scampered back realising "Oh No.. I lost my place in the line". It was then that I caught Manu still in line, quizzically looking which I thought implied 'Meera, chellam... You have just outdone yourself!'

It just happened that the family had decided not to hog the line when only the mommy was going to bill the stuff. So, the good natured mommy had taken the child, daddy, thaatha, paatti and safely deposited them near the entrance. Shouldn't I be warned against happenings like these? How am I supposed to know their tactics at making extra space for holiday standers?? A good thought nonetheless, but you see what I mean right?

I then slid back into my world of giggles and unabashed grinning, ones I have grown so accustomed to. Somehow, Manu found it utterly amusing and chuckling kept him busy right through!

As for me, it was just another routine cycle, my day dreaming and my dashing smile episodes. I guess Manu just got lucky to see the dreamy me- for once.

My dreamy shopping escapade came to an end, but my smiles kept me awake long into the night. I introspected about the hundred or so episodes like these, to which the only witness has been 'Yours Truly'.

Well, Well...

P.S: I am 'thrilled' to say that in addition to all this, I was also Miss Butter Fingers. Yet another episode came up when I dropped the trouser I was carrying; PLOP! it stuck itself to the floor and the cashier gave me "the worm" look. The most amused of the lot was evidently 'Da-Man', silently restraining himself from laughing out loud!

Peekaaboo

2005-11-22T23:49:00.000-08:00

A few peeks into the life of kids and toddlers. Used models of my neice and nephews here. Some of these have actually happened while some are conjured to bring out the net effect of that character.

Mahesh

How old are you Mahesh?
'I willll be eighghthh this big summer holidays'. 'You know what cake mummy is going to ordeeerr for me? BIGGGGG SPIDER MAN Cake!!!'

Can you please keep quiet for 5 minutes?
Mmm-- OK Mimathai, I will keep quiet
Tick tock, tick tock... before 3 seconds comes to an end-- "Mimathaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii... why is it like this???" OH NO!!!!

What do you do when you wake up everyday???
I wake up and see cartoon network for sometime before I get ready for school. Oh ya-- you know what happens in that Noddy cartoon when Noddy goes to school??

What about Snakes?
Oooooo! I like them. I have even seen the temple of snakes at Thailand. Have U?
(Eeekkksss!)

Are you afraid of them?
Uhn!? NO ( maybe he is wondering why one 'should' be afraid of them?)

Can you please get me that book from your room ( please note that the room is pitch dark)
( In a whining tone) Ahnnnnnn... You come with me inside. I am all 'bayam'. It's dark inside.

Do you like to eat salt and pepper just like that?
YES!

Why?
(Winks and then says) "it makes everyone angry" ( hah!)

Will you have your breakfast now?
Uahnnnn.. Nooooo, I will have it later.

And why is that?
My stomach is aching... ( sad 'phase' manifestation)

Will you show me a few jumping tricks?
Yesss-- Will you come to this room ??

I thought you had stomach pain...
Errr--yaaa but you know Mimathai...starts off again.

VERDICT:
Crowd pleaser, quite astute, extremely delectable, super loving, temperamental, an adorably total show off and innocence glorified!

Vidhu

What is your name kanna?
Looks at me like I am asking half her life savings ( read as 'aasthi'/'sothu pathu' in Tamizh). Total absolute silence. Finally after 5 long minutes, some respite... 'My name is Vidhhhuu'

Would you like to come into this room and play with me?
NO

What about with Manu athimbere?
Looks around and finally relents once she sees that I am leaving the room. Nods

I stay out of the room for about 5 minutes with my ears almost burrowing the wood of the door. I hear giggles, squeaks and squeals which make me realise that I have indeed trespassed in her relationship with Manu athimbere. I re-enter the room. All hungama vanishes in a second. I resume my questions...

Who are your friends at school?
'Nachiamme....' Ok then? 'that's all'- END OF CONVERSATION

Do you want to come out with us?
Where are you going? Doesn't wait for our answer, goes back to her rather silent playing without batting an eyelid.

Why are you fighting with Mahesh all the time??
'I am not fighting with him'. He is only Nachu Naradhamuni, always yelling at me!

Vidhu, will you also come here and show me some tricks like Mahesh does?
NO, I won'th dhooo dhaaath!

Vidhu paapa, what is an Armadillo?
Continues fiddling yet answers looking me straight in the eye 'An Armadillo is an ant eater'

Then, what is an ant eater?
In an exasperated yet controlled tone--'Ant eater is only an armadillo' ( I made sure I slipped into oblivion then, for I didn't know what an ant eater nor an Armadillo was !?)

I take a peek into her room at 9.30 in the morning, see her colouring. I again check in at 11.15am and she still is rooted to the same spot- very contended in doing what she is absorbed in.

VERDICT:
An extremely pretty and contended soul , mighty affectionate, adorably radiant, trifle obstinate at times and a notorious brat when she teams along with Mahesh.

Dhruva

Since I am not yet at an intellectual level as this tot now, I have dropped the idea of making him answer my Q's ! So here goes a short description of that bundle of joy--

The tiniest of the lot Dhruva AKA Dhuvi, is about a year and a half now. Is totally delectable, loves Iddddiiii and goes with his Baaaboo ( AKA ball) everywhere he goes. Cries out in glee whenever he hears our voices over the internet voice chat.

Come into his grandparent's haven and it ceases to be that (leave alone 'heaven') anymore, for the utter chaos that follows his highness's arrival. Seems much like a house being de-arranged in slow motion. Remotes go into their respective hiding places, knifes go back on the top most shelves, hot dishes hurriedly returned back to the kitchen table top, serviettes ready to mop up any unforseen mishaps being some of the chosen few.

His daily ritual includes the following:
- His repertoire of 6 words is put to effective use the minute he sets foot in the living room.
- Starts with his Tick tock depicting the clock that is suspended above the TV.
- Then goes to the "Chuthi Chuthi" ( I am still a little unsure as to what this is)
- Goes on to identify the 2nd tick tock in the dining room
- Identifies his babooo ( AKA ball) in the bedroom
- Shows all 4 teeth, totally thrilled with successful identification of the 4 out of 6 known words!

Tommorrow is a new day and we shall diligently pursue our goal of identifying all this and the remaining words!

Has eyes as black as coal and is an absolute delight to be with. Sleeps like a log and is not disturbed even if you snore loudly. Loves Baby Einstein DVD' s and is planning on purchasing some stocks in their company very soon, rather I am sure his Mommy does ! Seems to be a pretty cautious child possibly like his Manu Maama. Loves to meddle with whatever stuff is lying around, learns new words by the second and is the apple of his thaatha's eye!!

VERDICT:
Beary Cuddly, extremely bright, sooooo naughty, slightly mischeivous and can prove to be quite resolute at times

P.S: Errr, a small correction. Dhuvi's mother has just sent word that his repertoire consists of 50 and not 6 words. Dhuvi chellam, sorry for the misconstrued notion. Mima maami is such a muckpot...

These kids have taken up a large chunk of both our lives and we welcome them, their chatter and the utter felicity that life brings us in their form. We hungrily await our turns to talk on the phone and more often than not, form a puddle at the end of one too many rather short conversations.

Come the time of the year between May and August, a deep sense of unfulfilled days and nights pass us, for we know our precious little ones are growing up celebrating wonderful memory filled birthdays without us to share it with.

Sometimes I marvel at how our lives have changed since knowing them.

I also can't help but wonder where they have been all this while?

19 'n' Shambles

2005-11-17T19:48:00.000-08:00

Angelic silence is what I would term it 'sometimes' but more often than not, it can be devilishly busy. There are periods of the day when not a sound comes from every one of us excepting for the loud heartbeat, an occasional murmur and if we are lucky, a multi grain cracker going soft in our upper palates.

Some of the places I see enroute to work are some of the wierdest I have come across. As I walk by, I can't help but notice the battered looks on some of them and I don't just mean the houses here...

Working in a domestic violence hotline, there have been times in the past when I have felt overwhelmed by the kind of people who call upon us for help. While some are genuine, there are some who are just plain homeless. Determined nonetheless, they attempt their luck with us conjuring a story of abuse just so a roof over their heads will be in the offing.

On one of these shifts of mine, I got a call from a girl who needed shelter for her and a 20 month old baby. OKAY, so I started interviewing her and found that she was barely 19 and had been married for about 4 years. Hold on a minute... " Did you say you are 19 and have been married for 4 years !?!" I asked, just wanting to be sure what I had heard. I almost missed the 'yes' she slowly said. When asked about the kind of abuse she was undergoing, she said it was mainly verbal. I duly noted that and before I went on any further, I heard a loud thud. My usually mundane reflexes were surprsingly good that day that it lured me out of the conversation almost instantaneously. I glanced around to check my surroundings, specifically a colleague of mine and there she was- hale and healthy, parked right there on the soft chair talking to some deserving soul on another line. I disengaged myself from the ever-so-alert mode and focussed again on 19...

It was then that I realised that the thud was coming from the phone and I heard the girl being verbally abused by her partner. It was my first ever and completely jolted me out of the blue. I held my breath for several seconds as I heard the words " Whoooo areeeeee yaaa talkinggg tooooooo on the phoaneeeeeeee ??" I couldn't really identify the accent but guessed it to be a little Louisiana-ish. The girl softly said- No one!! and the other voice didn't seem to believe it for I heard thuds again.

I was about to start thinking again when the girl's voice thrusted me back into reality. I hoped to god that she would let me help her but there wasn't much I could really do. So all I asked her was " Is it safe for you to talk to me now?" She told me what I had been dreading- "NO". So I asked her to call back when she could, when it was safe for her and the baby.

I gingerly replaced the receiver on its cradle and looked out through the window. It was a beautiful day, a little chilly perhaps but I saw people going about their jobs, cars zipping through , kids playing in the backyard and here was a Girl Tormented By Words. Somehow, that left me feeling mildly melancholic and not quite understanding the dubious ways in which the human mind works! I laid back my head, closed my eyes and all my mind was set on doing was to put a face to the 19-ish who had called. The left side of my brain failed me miserably and I just hoped she would call back soon.

"A tough one uhn!?" asked my colleague and all I could do was nod, still eyes closed. While still in the process of wondering how to unload the rather eternal burden, a vague familiarity beckoned at us...

The dreaded TRING TRING -- I put on the cloak of never-let-the-situation-get-to-U types, took a deep breath and spoke into the receiver " Good morning, how can I help you?"

The Heavenly Abode

2005-11-15T14:58:00.000-08:00

The other day, Manu and I were in downtown San Francisco leisurely strolling towards the Embarcadero BART station. Manu wanted to do the inimitable-- use the LOO! Well, ain't that a little out of the 'established norms'!?!

Anyway, we were in the corner of Spear and Market and as we were just about to access the stairs, we chanced to see a pay'n'use toilet just in front of us. So Manu decided to barge in and complete his course. So, here's a recount of what happened.

ALL EVENTS PORTRAYED HERE TAKES PLACE BETWEEN 2.45 and 2.53PM ON NOVEMBER 12th, 2005.

2.45.00pm-- In front of the pay'n'use toilet ( Pls do read it as tooaalethh-in good ol' snobbish French)

2.45.02PM- Read instructions and discuss the POA

2.45.10PM- Shuffle in the many compartments of the purse to fish out a quarter

2.45.15PM- Success in accomplishing the intended!

2.45.17 PM- Find the slot and hurriedly thrust the change in

2.45.19PM- The quarter comes right out at or about the same speed it went in. Uhnn??

2.45.20PM- Look sheepishly over the instructions again and find an LED saying "The toilet is in the process of self-cleaning. Please wait until it finishes"

2.45.25-2.45.40PM- Manu has Tardive Dyskenesia (an unmistakable shuffle from leg to leg in a Schizophrenic patient. DISCLAIMER- Manu is not suffering from Schizophrenia but his waist down definitely is)

2.45.42PM- We are intently prying at the LED.

2.45.45PM- LED instructs us to insert the change. We do so.

2.45.50PM- The prying shifts to the door now.

2.45.52PM- The door to heaven opens and Manu steps into the labryinth. A toilet is pretty complex place isn't it?

2.45.55Pm- He turns around and gives me an all knowing nod. Door closes.

2.46.00PM- I relax for the first time in 5 minutes and start looking around to take in the sights.

2.47.00PM- I see people passing by and give a polite smile implicitely implying * Hey ! How u doinghhh?* types.

2.48.00Pm- I am bored looking at people. So I decide to find out what the pigeons are doing today. Gaze to the hard cold concrete floor- seems like they are doing good.

2.49.00PM- I look to the Clock Tower on the Ferry building and try to see how beautifully it has been constructed.

2.49.20PM- A guy in a cycle comes by and asks me if I am in line. Ahem...NO !! We look away from each other and slip into our own worlds again.

2.50.20PM- Door opens. Manu resurfaces and the world becomes whole again !

2.51.00PM- The cycle guy directs a thumbs-up at both of us. God knows what that means?

2.51.03PM- Totally startled, Manu almost recoils into the labryinth yet again.

2.52.30PM- We get down to the station and we see our train pulling away from the platform. One minute before and we would have boarded it.

2.53.00PM- Well, who cares? Manu is happy and so am I! If not this train , the next one will be here in sssayyy--7 minutes. Atleast the waiting this time around will not be laced with cycle guys, LED's, pigeons and what nots?!

NOTE: Style of relating and time " loosely based " on the Emmy award winning series 24

It...

2005-10-28T01:45:00.000-07:00

A distant sound, a faint familiar calling-- Did I hear it right?

I slowly opened my right eye to take a peek at my rather bright mobile phone. It shone like a burning moon in the black of the night. It announced what I was fearing the most... IT WAS 5AM ALREADY ! Never had I hated my mobile phone more . I quickly fumbled to silence it and went back to getting all comfortable again. Suddenly-- my whole life swam in front of my eyes. It was not any ordinary 5AM!!! It was the 9th of October,2005 and we were in Harish/Bharati's cozy home.

The previous day had been pretty eventful. Woke up early morning to drop Harish and Bharati at the Amtrak station. They were fleeing the country leaving the house to us! OK-jus' kidding. They were on their way on a day's trip to Seattle. Started driving towards downtown and finally we did see the brimming banquet halls of the Hilton to pick up the welcome packets.Thanks to a few wrong turns here and there aided by Harish's portable GPS system-the junkiest of junks ;-) Seemed to be dumber than any gadget I had come across which doesn't say much really.

Got back in time to pick up a friend @ the airport-- Got back home-- Cooked a hearty South Indian meal, for the experts advised a good healthy carbohydrate meal before it. We poured over our itemized items, our meeting points, our backup plans and our emergency routes.

Oct 8th,10PM: After much deliberation as to whether coffee was good at that point of time in the night, we settled in for tea instead and went straight up to bed.

10.10PM: Checked in on some last minute details. Everything necessary for the next morning was neatly laid out much to Manu & Sriks chagrin.

10.30PM: Sprawled all over the floor was Sriks- snoring beyond the barriers of the thick comforter.

10.45PM: Finished our last minute talks and went to sleep setting the alarms for 5AM.

Oct 9th, 2AM: Harish/Bharati came back and rang the door bell.

Oct 7th, 9.40PM: We arrived at the airport about an hour early and I will have to point out here that our home is just a stone's throw away from the airport. Why so early???- don't even get me started on that! Our flight was unevenful except for the occassional purring of the airplane engines. The flight touched ground at 11.20PM. Headed outside and the cold NorthWest windchill cut us deep to the bone. Oh Yes- it felt good....

OMG, was it already 5AM on the 9th of October?? I peered incessently at the mobilephone aka the reliable clock/alarm. It was indeed, for it showed me what I had been patiently waiting for the last 6 months. It was time to put the car into gear. I could hear Manu's soft snoring beside me. I gently touched his shoulder and he shot up like a jack in the box. His eyes gave away the knotted feelings he probably felt. Our looks emphazised what the day meant. Like a zombie, I went in and gently woke up Harish. He sat up wide eyed- 'Is it already time?' he asked.

5-5.45AM: We showered, got ready.

6AM: Last minute checks and ahem...visits to the restrooms

6.10AM: BANG on target... Left home.

The roads were deserted but for an occassional headlight. It was 51F and a cool breeze had set in. All of us were lost in ur own thoughts. Harish- if he would be able to reach there in time, Manu- what the day had in store for him, Sriks- If he had made the right decision and as for me, I was just hoping to be there when push came to shove.

6.40AM: As we neared downtown, the sky sprouted warmer hues. Mmmm.. that was interesting-- sunrise wasn't supposed to be until later. We took an exit to go into downtown and suddenly we saw cars lining up quite confused about which street to take. People were asking for directions. While the contemplation was still on amongst us, Harish slammed the breaks and asked us to hop out. As we did so, we saw a few others do the same. We got down and just followed a bunch of people to where they were headed. It was finally becoming a reality...

We walked past people with kids, without kids, youngsters and elderly alike. Our eyes skimmed the crowd for Harish and Sriks ( henceforth known as 'the boys') who were supposed to meet us at the pre-decided location. Manu had went on ahead while I quickly fell behind. My eyes finally spotted the boys. We quickly went on together inching our way through the maze of people. As we went around the corner... it was like we were in a Bee-Hive. A faint buzz greeted us and it was all brightly lit. We looked up and it read " 2005 PORTLAND MARATHON"

There we were finally, at the place each of us had dreamt, anticipated, feared and revered in the last 6 months.

6.45AM: Manu had joined the pace group he was planning to run with.
6.47AM: The Boys and I spotted him
6.50AM: We managed to wade our way through the enormous amount of participants to reach him
6.55AM: A few pre-marathon shots to etch this moment forever on paper
6.59AM: A huge hug and good luck to my beloved
7AM: The Official start of the race -- I saw him moving slowly, a smile, a wave and he was gone. I was already impatient to see him in about 20 min at mile 2.

My eyes followed him until I could see no more. Somehow, I was contented to see him follow his dream although reports of marathon injuries kind of made me edgy. His approach to this marathon, his first one ever, was something akin to probing unfmiliar territory. He insisted on training alone ably assisted by a first marathoner's guide and ofcourse buddy Sriks. He emanated confidence along the way and nonetheless in me. He saw one too many setbacks but still emerged stronger everytime.

His sustenance and motivation to go through something as gruelling as this showed in his every bone that cold fall morning. It turned out to be a beautiful day and almost 6 hours had passed. A knee injury at mile 18 didn't deter him from finishing the last 8.2miles. The last 8.2miles hit him worse than a load of bricks I heard later.

1.05PM- his feet moved across the finish mat. He had officially finished the marathon

Portland & 1.05PM is something we will remember for a very long time I guess.It took us almost 20 minutes to find him. God bless mobilephones ! And instantly out of nowhere, my eyes found him. Quickly darted through the crowd to see him wearing his finisher's medal and t-shirt. I searched his face and there it was-his zeal to run and finish he did ! That said it all... I just savoured the moment.

As to Manu- Salut ma coeur (*resonably* translated as 'hats off my love') for all perseverence you exhibited.
Sriks- You were as supportive and snoring as ever. We are eagerly awaiting to see you cross the finish mat in about a month AND am waiting to document your marathon experience
(buckle up buddy-- the guns are trained on U )
Harish/Bharati- Wouldn't have been this memorable without your love & support.

Thanks guys !

All of 11 months old !

2005-09-08T23:21:00.000-07:00

She is there- yet she is invisible in terms of size. If you have some oversized couch in your living room, you might miss her. Her smile lights up the room not to say our hearts whenever she comes into our home. She's all of 11 months old and a bundle of joy which in itself is an understatement. That bundle of joy is named Keerthana or Kittens! The smile she brings to all around her is totally delectable that it's impossible not to fuss over her.

She was supposed to come into this world on October 19th but decided enough was enough and landed in our world on September 30, 2004. She was so tiny that we almost missed that little one when we went to see her 10 minutes after she was born. She was all huddled in a blanket and all we could see were a pair of eyes smothered in a gel, a red button nose and rosy cheeks.

Her shrieks were ear piercing and continued for quite sometime while we adjusted our ear drums to hear each other inspite of the 100,000 DB !Hmmm...Well if you are wondering if her shrieks have stopped piercing our ears, now it's her babbling and she's totally adorable.

It's been a wonderful experience seeing her grow these past several months. Kittens- we’re just waiting for you to utter your 1st word needless to say – Athai and Athimber aka Uncle and Aunt

Well- so much for enthusiasm !!!

2005-08-19T22:31:00.000-07:00

Things were bright and chirpy once crisp summer morning in the Indian city of Bangalore. Being my day off- I woke up rather early and headed straight to lunch ;-) Well satiated, thought might as well skim through the newspaper to see if something was happening in the world of music. Suddenly things looked promising when I came across the arts and cultural section. My eyes feasted on an ad featuring a concert by Hariprasad Chaurasia -HPC ( for people who do not know him- he is THE most famous flautist from the Indian Subcontinent and an absolute delight to listen to). I didn't waste anymore time and called the store for details. And guess what? They were in a denomination that I thought wasn't a rip off. I told them I knew the location of their store on the most famous Brigade Road in Bangalore.

1/2 hour later- I found myself parking my car in the lone single available spot on a rather busy Monday morning. I got down- took in the fresh air and with a smile on my face marched up to the store. Everyone including the goorkha (typically one who opens the doors making us lazier than what we already are!) was very nice to me. But in retrospect, maybe it was because I was literally the first one to come in swipe my plastics at 10 am! Went right in and enquired where I could get tickets to the HPC concert. They appeared completely confused and that confused me all the more which was never a good sign. When the conversation saw a little more detail, he got to understand that tickets for this concert were being sold at "Music World". With the slightest smirk he could muster, told me patiently (or so I would very much like to assume) that this shop was "Planet M" NOT "Music World". My hands instinctively searched for some cover with which I could save my face but then - it had happened and I was right there in the middle of it trying my best to swim opposing the insulting current! I decided that a graceful exit would be more appreciated than further gibberish :) I thanked him for that rather enlightening "explanation" and I politely left.

While I was still struggling to keep my head above mile high water, the icing on the cake was still awaiting me in the form of another lofty soul- the Goorkha. Having been a witness to the spectacle that just took place, he 'also' took the chance and pointed out where Music World was. Politeness was the word of the day- so I thanked him with the same sheepish grin adorning my face. The next few moments seem to take forever and I stepped out into the world anew. I sure desired the road to take me to my real destination (in this case MW) and I hoped against hopes that I shouldn't see the *Lofty ideal laden Smirkies* ever in my life ;-)

Well, it so happened that I never went back to 'Planet M' or 'Music World' again... Wierd-huh??

P.S: For those of you who are still wondering if I went to the HPC- I did and it was really good ;-)