27-28June 2009
(Most of the pics were taken by Shabnam)
I am sorry for raising the drama around this latest development in my life!!
I had decided to start working (with conditions applied) quite some time back. But I wasn’t too sure if companies would prefer a not so experienced DBA coming back after a break of around 2 + years. I had also gone through a hard time trying to remember what all I had actually done (technically) during the short career span that I had before Diya came to my life.
And so, after studying and discussing things with ex-collegues, friends and of course A, I did appear for an interview and cleared it..Whew!!! It might not be a big deal for most people, but given my frayed nerves, it is a big achievement!!!
Oh and the reason why I kept it a secret for so long – well! they delayed in processing the offer letter. Got it just a while back.
I am happy and proud..
And all set to go to work…
There is a sweet scent of beauty and an aura of happiness
around the person who claims to be so madly in love.
And as much I appreciate its presence in my chaotic life,
for me its just another four letter word.
.
It gives me a chance to breathe whiffs of joy
despite the suffocation in relationships
It gives me freedom to maintain my self
and helps me preserve my identity.
.
I don’t depend on any one person
to give me the gift of eternal love.
I can feel its presence in my world
to fill up the void in my heart.
And my in-laws coming over to stay with us. It would mean watching movie in a hall after a long time (last one was ‘Billoo’) 🙂
Manil Suri paints his story like a collage. I guess that is the way he builds up different characters, each being unique in its own way. Like his previous book (that I read), this one too doesn’t really take the story to any conclusion, rather prefers to keep the threads loose, thus leaving the reader to interpret in his/her own way.And so, we have a love story between a Hindu Girl and a Muslim boy, the background of dreamy Bollywood plots, the disillusioned man who falls into the trap of religion (the very thing he was dead against), neighbours who don’t get along with each other (an understatement in this case), some extra characters like panwallah, ganga, thrown in, and of course Vishnu, the hero of this novel.And while you keep hoping to know more about Vishnu, you rarely get to read much about him. Just a few aspects of his life, a few experiences. Not much is written about who he really was. But that doesn’t matter. Because though he is the central character, the story is more about the people around him.
I have begun to like Manil Suri’s writings. Though sometimes I do find things a little incoherently arranged, yet it suits my line of thinking!!
Pic from here
She was sad at the thought of leaving him and the kids behind . It was her first official trip outside the city, and though that would have meant better prospects in her job, she could not feel the excitement in her heart. On their way to airport, she spotted a small girl selling ‘chameli-garlands’ at the signal. She smiled to herself and asked him to buy one for her. She looked at the garland lovingly, whispered a prayer and hung it on the rear view mirror of the car. ‘It would keep you safe while driving back home’, she said, secretly afraid of the growing number of accidents on that stretch of the road.
That evening, as he picked her up from the apartment, she took the chameli-garland from the rear view mirror and put it in her hair. ‘ I love this fragrance’, she said. He smiled back, the memories of his wife and her prayers tossed out of the window forever.
(Forgive me for the cheesy title!)
Nancy tagged me to list down ten things that are emotionally taxing for me..
So, here we go:
1. When I see trees being cut without any rhyme or reason. It doesn’t matter to me whether they are building metros or placing an eye-catching banner. I find a bit of My Bangalore getting lost every time they do so.
2. Wastage of water/food/money. I hate it when the tanks flow over, or leftover food on people’s plates. I hate it when they spend on things they probably would never/ sparingly use. It brings back visions of those deprived of all these basic necessities in life. And also, the teachings of my uncle. He used to say that if you waste water/food in this birth, Lord Ganesha would make sure that you don’t get these in the next one!!
3. Infidelity. I have seen too many shattered hearts to be able to accept it as just a mistake by the perpetrator. Though forgiveness usually follows, yet the pain never goes away, and the victim is scarred for life. I just wish these people open their eyes and realize that it is easy to justify their deeds and shrug off by calling it a mistake. But it is tough for the wronged one to be able to absorb it all inside and move on with their lives.
4. Inconsiderate people. Those who see a pregnant woman/old man/woman/ parent with a small child, and yet don’t give them the way/seat. I hate people who set a certain rule for others to follow, but give it a miss themselves. Include animal tormentors in this category.
5. People glued to their mobiles. And not giving attention to the one they are with. I don’t understand how the conversation sounds more interesting/valuable when done over the phone as compared to the one you have with the friend sitting right there with you.
6. Religious fanatics. Reminds me of a conversation I had with a couple in train while going from Delhi to Bangalore. It was the worst I had ever felt after talking to someone. They (esp the lady) were so much against Muslim community that the hatred spilled out in their words and body language.
7. People who claim to be on a high moral ground than others. It gets on my nerves when I see certain people using all sorts of high sounding words/moral teachings, and quote religious texts when I know how morally corrupt they are in their real lives.Give me a ‘shallow’ but genuine person any day compared to these hypocrites.
8. The ‘dirty’ people. They have a way of making even the empty room look cluttered! It doesn’t matter whether they are in their own homes or visiting someone, the mess they create is enough to cause headache in the calmest of the hosts!!
9. People who don’t follow traffic rules. For saving a few minutes of their time, they put themselves and others at such grave risk. Unforgivable.
10. Parasites. Those who see nothing wrong in camping in lives of other people, and try to take advantage of their selflessness/concern.
Wow Nancy! Just writing about these things makes me feel better!! Good to let out some of the anger bottled inside 🙂
I pass on this tag to whoever wants to feel calmer and at peace!!
There is this little secret, waiting to burst out and spread the happy news…
Am I tempting fate? or should I just revel in it all by myself for some more time?
Move on.
Or Life would suck you in the darkness of melonchaly.
In this issue of Femina, Health Query section:
“my eight year old girl is overweight by 8kgs. …
.. Liposuction…”
Ok.. I don’t remember the exact words..And can understand a mother’s worry about her child being overweight by 8 kgs. But weight reduction through surgery? And that too at an age where alternatives are abound? What happened to eating more of home-cooked food, letting go of junk, being more active?? And if there is a medical problem, then can’t it be handled in a non-surgical way? Can’t a mother wait for a couple years before ruling out all these natural options and opting for surgery as the last resort (only if it is causing hindrance to the child’s progress- mental/physical).
Why are we so obsessed with the way we look?? We are fine with paying enormous amount of money for the gym-membership, but can’t get ourselves to go to some neighbourhood park and play with kids? We can park ourselves in front of T.V, and prepare elaborate diet plans, but refuse to be active around the house. Why has this one-way solution (read dieting/gymming) become the fashion statement of our times, followed closely by the surgical methods? Why can’t we just eat healthy, stay active and have fun in our lives?
My funda of healthy living is pretty simple and easy. I just refuse to be held captive to the whole calorie-counting obsession. And I also try to eat at home as much as possible. Along with that, an active lifestyle helps in keeping those aches away for most of the times (except for this nagging backache, thanks to not following the doctor’s advise). And having Diya around helps in making sure that I never miss the dance/jumping/clowning sessions!!
Five Senses ... 