Golden Moments

2009-11-09T10:18:00.002-06:00

It has been long...really long...so long, that i dont know where to start from. Neverthless ,i have made an attempt to start again. I do not hope to achieve anything , but i must admit...reading all my previous posts after aeons did bring back a smile on my face.

Its defenitely not another beginning...and defenitely not the last!

2006-06-27T22:01:00.000-05:00

They talk to me all so sweet
As sweet as honey and lime could be
I know it is all too hard to believe
But I also know life is all but make-belief

So while I gave them all respect
All they did was laugh at me
They thought I wont know that they will disappoint me
They thought they wont hurt me

For once I wish I wasn’t wise
For I have already caught their disguise
But how I wish they saw past those smiles
How I wish they looked behind those walls

For long I have been a helping hand
Helping people from themselves
I hope I can save that one person this time
The one very last on the list all the time.

2006-06-22T06:37:00.001-05:00

Gifts come in all sizes..even the ones from God.

Some gifts are big...something we have prayed and hoped for a very long time. Some are small, like the clear blue sky above and lush green grass on a perfectly sun kissed earth below...and then there are others, like a strangers smile or a babies yawn, twittering of birds or a talk with a child. the first drop of rain or the smell of the sand...They simply make you smile for no reason at all.

To be able to sleep peacefully every night and to be able to wake up eagerly looking forward to a brand new day. To be able to sit with your family and have a meal. To have someone wipe your tears and share your joy.To be able to grow from an embryo to a healthy baby in 9 months...we have more reasons to be thankful for than complain.

Untitled

2006-05-22T15:07:00.001-05:00

Memories, they say, last a life time. Fortunately or unfortunately they do...

Travelling through my life's memory lane, sometimes i wish i had a remote at hand. There are memories i wish i could permanently delete, dream realities i would love to rewind and relive and a few magical moments i would want to pause for eternity...
But as I look back on all that has transpired i cant help... but smile. It is not always that I travel through this memory lane.I seldom have time to introspect. It is only at times when I feel so low and desperate to recuperate that I cling on to my memories that somehow serve as a healing touch. Somehow this magic wand gives me the strength when i need it the most, keeps me optimistic when things seem bleak and gives me the faith to go on. These memories have served me unfailing and taught me well.
There were times when i innocently wrote letters after letters to God hoping things would improve, times when i would shut myself in a bathroom, run all the taps at full force and cry my heart out, times i would go into depression and hurt not just myself but also people around me...Now i no longer do any of these.
i simply... smile.
When all i really do is cry from the inside. As if it does not hurt, as if it didnt matter, as if I dont exist.But somehow that smile gradually fills my heart and i do survive the moment.It gives me peace ...to forget and forgive... I have always found out ways to deal with my problems and i have learnt that one cant really do much than that...so i just smile on...

So what do u do??

Shed tears that the moment has passed,
Or smile because you had lived it.
Close your eyes and pray that it'll come back,
Or open your eyes and see what all it has left.
Feel empty because you can't live them anymore,
Or be full of love as you share them once more.
Turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
Or be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
Remember only that it's gone,
Or cherish the memory and let that SMILE on.

All for the love of a TAG...

2006-04-25T20:10:00.000-05:00

Friends, Countrymen, fellow Netizens lend me your eyes!

Season's greetings, peace and prosperity to all.

Today , i shall complete something which is dear to every bloggers hearts, nostrils and intestines - the elusive fever called "tagging" . This one is my first, courtesy Maya.

Without further ado, by your leave, allow me to share with you this fun tag ...

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn on page 18 and find line 4.

concoting excuses for missing work.

2.Stretch your left arm out as far as you can.

hmmm..just got to lay my hands on the candy holder- hershleys crackel..crisped rice milk chocolate...and its already melting in my mouth ...heavenly!

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?

Taylors performance in American Idol

4.Without looking, guess what time it is?
3:00 p.m

5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?
3:00 p.m

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
... birds chirping

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
Today morning, to volunteer at a school. Corrected math papers.

8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
Outside the window...it was raining softly

What are you wearing?
clothes!:)..atleast thats what i call them:)...pink top and white capri

10. Did you dream last night?
No. was so tired...didnt have the time to dream actually:) slept like a log!

11. When did you last laugh?
This question actually put a smile to my face...had a good laugh just a few minutes back correcting papers.

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
A large beautiful painting of Krishna leela right in the centre of the wall

13 Seen anything weird lately?
yeah! me...in the mirror:)

14. What do you think of this quiz?
..will answer it in the end..let me finish the quiz first.

made me realise i am surrounded by beautiful things around me..never gave it a thought before and also how sweeet it was of maya to have tagged me.:)

15. What is the last film you saw?
Chronicles of narnia- the lion, the witch and the wardrobe...courtesy project party...we slept when the lights went off and were rudely woken up when one sleeping at the very end had to get up to pee!

16. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you buy?
Would deposit all that money in a bank with my mom as a joint account holder and ask her to do what ever she wants to do with the money.

17. Tell me something about you that I dunno.
I have an excellent memory power and am a good singer.

18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
Nothing..coz i firmly believe things are, the way they are meant to be.

19. Do you like to dance?
Only if i have a partner.

20. George Bush
George who?

21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
munni

22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
munna

23. Would you ever consider living abroad?:)
I am currently living abroad..and i cant wait to come back to India...coz there is no place like HOME.

24.What do you want GOD to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
Dont worry ...they (my family) will do fine without you!:)

25.I tag!

Voice
Raj
Gaurav Jain and
Sam

hope u guys have fun!..after all whats a TAG without u guys!

I am, therefore I think...

2006-04-20T19:24:00.000-05:00

Expand (a+b)^n.

Solution:
..................................................(a+b)^n
................................................(a. + .b) ^ n
.............................................. (a ..+.. .b) ^ n
............................................ (a... +... .b) ^ n
etc.
That forward in my mail made me grin big time!!... & also to reflect on my days of tryst with destiny....er...maths!!! How i ever managed to top my M.B.A is a mystery!:)

PS:Before you read further let me polish my image a bit .. I am quite adept in maths now... please dont be misled by my "past performance".

Class 1: Q: 67+45= ?.
Hmm I failed that test.. know why? Coz I started counting my fingers ...then my toes ..then the number of heads i could see around me...then i ran out of heads to count...it all added up to 60..i wrote 60 and gave up my paper:-)
now dont ask anything about subtraction...i could never make heads disappear...i am no magician u see!!:-)...and i ended up getting marks shaped something like a bald head...for some reason they called it zero!

I was then introduced to the concept of drawing sticks... to add up things of course, instead of heads! and i was just getting a hang of it, when...
... came the lessons in Multiplication and Division that confused me even further...
Class 2:
Q:16 x 27=?... Hmm...thats a hell lots of sticks, i thought!!! I spent whole of the next 2 hours just drawing and counting 16 sticks twenty seven times..(...er twenty three times only actually )...This time i ran out of time...and got hit with sticks on my hands...but for some reason they called it a cane :-)

...and just when i had learnt to add and subtract and got all the tables by heart...

Class 5 : ... came Linear equations. Well I always wondered why they kept calling it linear equations as there is nothing Linear about Linear equations.. they always came in parellels..:-)
Q: solve the following
6+4(x+y)=0 ----1
4+6(x+y)=0 --- 2 find x and y

...this time i did exactly what i was asked to do
6+4=10 hence 10(x+y)=0-- 1
4+6=10 hence 10(x+y)=0-- 2
Therefore in my best knowledge - x+y =0!! ....precisely equal to the marks I got:))

Class 7:Geometry was introduced ..so in one case we were given a problem where a triangle was given and 2 angles were given.. we had to find the third angle. Now I royally skipped the question. Ask why?.. :-) see the angles given were 45 degrees and 60 degrees.. I took out my protractor and measured the angles.. they hardly came up to 20 degrees and 30 degrees respectively.. so I concluded it was a PRINTING MISTAKE !!!:-)

Then They introduced me to the sin(e)ful world of trigonometry...
Q: Find the limit of [sin(7x)]/(5x) as x -> 0
answer...... [sin(70)]/(50).

next question....

Q. sin x
...------- = ?.....my answer.....six!!!
......n
Proof: cancel the n in the numerator and denominator.

what about statistics??... u ask
well...as they say, a statistician can have his head in an oven and his feet in ice, and he will say that on the average he feels fine...so i guess on an average...i did just FINE!!

2006-04-13T07:34:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking about this very seriously for sometime now.I don’t know if it is common for people to think so much about something before they come up with any decision .I doubt if its even normal . But then again...I have had so many issues regarding it... maybe that’s why. Or is it something else? Is it some nameless fear??? Of late this burning desire has increased so much that I am even writing a blog on it!... or am i wierd??!!I don’t know if my surroundings are compelling me to think so much about it or my need to share life and love that’s compelling me to think about this. Even my head has had countless arguments with my heart but there simply seems to be no end to this…if i listen to my heart, I am sure I will be breaking many a rules…then again…arent rules meant to be broken???...blame it all on the killer looks that gets me all hooked...Tall, strong, brown, hairy, black eyed Airedale Terrier of the canine family ... and my desire to have a pet!...now...now...what were you thinking???

Wonder Why...?

2006-04-05T13:04:00.000-05:00

I am here to wonder -
Wonder about many a stuff that dont seem to make sense, yet still manage to take place.
About why I yap about a zillion petty things when I pretty much know I have much better things to do than complain.
About why I make a mountain of a mole hill when I have managed many a times to make ant-hills of mountains!

I am here to wonder about perfect strangers, who for some reason seem very familiar
and why I see a stranger when I look into the mirror.
why things start all exciting after sometime start getting all mundane.
why my steps arent so proud & bold like they once used to be.
why my gusto for doing things is going wrong.
why I sometimes feel a pit in my stomach.
why I feel emptiness and sorrow when richness and elation is all embracing me.

I am here to wonder why giving myself a little cry every now and then helps ease the personal burdens I carry that I can't simply talk about with anyone else.
I am here to wonder about things I encounter in my daily life that seem so meaningless. May be if I write it down and retrospect, its true value will surface
I am not here to preach. I am here to wonder...and wonder I will.

curiously me

S.S.Shenoy

[P.S - i have had n number of people asking me what do i intend to achieve thru blogging...this is dedicated to them :-)]

Plastic beauty!

2006-04-03T08:01:00.000-05:00

Summer Smellathon!

The mother of all sales!

The Biggest & Baddest Smells Event!

Look better for Less!

Summer Makeover Event!

In the factory we make cosmetics, at drugstores we sell HOPE!

.....tingle, mingle, glow...wait a minute...SHIT!!!

...These are not advertisements that I come across in between TV programmes...in fact these are themes around which programmes are spun for several hours together..why sometimes even the whole day for 7 days a week...and add to my agony..seeing all this on all the "n" number of channels that came with a promise of providing me with a variety of entertainment!

...and what is most entertaining to me is the fact that there are people who watch this crap without actually getting bored day in and day out, else surely they would have been taken off-air for want of viewers.

Women have two weapons they say- cosmetics and tears.

Isn't this the problem? That women have been swindled for centuries into substituting adornment for love, fashion (as it were) for passion? They are all firming or uplifting or invigorating. They make you tingle. Or glow. Or feel young. They are prepared with hormones or placentas or royal jelly. All the juice and joy missing in the lives of these women are to be supplied by the contents of jars and bottles. No wonder they spend twenty dollars for an ounce of face makeup or thirty for a half-ounce of hormone cream....all for looking NATURALLY beautiful! What price bliss? what price ecstacy?

..and adding salt to the wound..

There they were... shown, sitting all tarted up, some even excusing themselves to get their routine touch-ups of AHA's and PHA's every 15 mins...Then, in walked a plastic beauty...How could she be late for the meeting? SHE was the keynote speaker on today's topic - "Cosmetic Industry- A Misdemeanor".

Murphy is back!

2006-03-31T08:31:00.002-05:00

Murphy's law is very well known and when i reflect upon my good old college days..I can clearly see as to how the law explains why if you think something simply cannot go wrong , it just has to and will go wrong anyways.

..ahem...Here are a few" accidental mishaps" i have encountered and am sure you must have too!

The day you decide to take the bus to college-

-Everyone who usually commute by their own vehicle also seem to have decided to take the bus that day..and they usually fall under two categories

1. They r only men

2. They have passed out of college long time back and seem to be simply searching...er...what they call..destiny!

-There is a bus strike..and the probabilities are that

1. All the above population rush to the bus stand to get their vehicles and provide you free entertainment. They never have the courage to give you a lift though and the ones who do offer you a lift...are the ones with HERO Honda stickers on their SLR cycles!

If you get lucky and there is no bus strike

-The bus is so crowded that-

1 you also usually end up doing the tarzan thingie..and inspite of that land up on the footboard.

If u accidentally do manage to go beyond the footboard...you land up going all the way right in the middle of no where and get stuck there. There the probabilities are-

* There is always a girl next to you who falls under the two options

- who has decided to make her head a walking coconut hair oil factory, and hence the studious girl she is, decides to give free oil to the rest of the passengers.

- A self-confessed...er.."rights activist" who extends the same sympathy to the hive of lice and nits on her head and allows it to peacefully co-exist...and shares the pleasure of rearing them to fellow humans too!

* There is always a man next to you who is wearing his family shirt, passed on to him by his great ancestors, which he has for some sentimental reason managed not to wash- FAMILY SCENT! i guess..and if he comes from a water scarce area..the probabilities are that he has'nt taken bath since last deepavali and has used a mixture of sprays and scents as liberally as water.

And if for some reason you do escape all the above situations and manage to get a seat and seem to enjoy a dream ride...the bus stops right in the middle of the highway...and the driver informs you that there has been a break down! (phew!!)

Monkey-see Monkey-do

2006-03-30T10:08:00.000-05:00

I know i do not hold a masters degree in English ...and I do not think i am proficient in this language....but seeing this advertisement being flashed almost every time i switch on the TV, just couldnt ignore the dumbness certain people exhibit who claim english to be their mother tongue!

"ZERO % FINANCING"

"zero percent financing' is grammatically and syntactically correct. But it's a dumb and awkward way to convey a simple message. When I first saw this Advertisement I was really amazed ...coz the full ad went something like this "zero percent finance guaranteed on all cars including the latest models". Just when i was thinking someone would definitely correct it...in followed another advertisemnt "zero percent financing" ...this time on furnitures and carpets!

Well this got me thinking on the numerous monkey- see- monkey- do mentality at work...it does make an interesting topic though. To quote some:-

input output - These two words are perfectly good nouns, but the idiot idiom wants to use them as verbs. It was only geeks who'd write, "Input the data using the keyboard. Output it to the disk." Today this is used universally - as in, "The input is patient's weight. The output is probability of death." Why.... i have even heard my neighbor using it while explaining the concept of electricity to his 6 year old -" When you input the plug, output is the light you see there"....yes i clearly see now, that some things do travel faster than the speed of light!

@ sign - This is where the monkey-seers monkey-doers are out in full force. The @ sign is something that goes on a price list or in an e-mail address. It's not a word. But people are now using it as if it were. "COMING SOON @ STORE NEAR YOU", " GET HEALTHY @ YOUR HOSPITAL".

The it-it's-its Itch- People apparently, have forgotten about his and hers. "What do I do with this apostrophe?" - James Joyce's Finnegans mentioned, "the It with an itch in it... ." I guess that many people have never heard of his and hers. I'm sure that if they did, they would never write it's when they mean its.

Bad Vs Badly - It’s incorrect to say you’re feeling badly. Many people think that it sounds smarter to say feeling badly. But, for example, Ron feels badly could mean that Ron doesn’t have a keen sense of touch.

There, their, they're - Mixing up their, there, and they’re is an easy way to make yourself look silly.Their is a possessive pronoun. There refers to location.They’re is a contraction of they are.I am always careful not to confuse theirs with there’s.
.......And whatever I do, I never use their’s at all.

Just when i think i have had enough, my neighbor comes searching for my husband, since he was'nt at home, i enquired. He replied-"nah I am shifting , so needed help with uploading and downloading the furnitures and stuff ."...THERE you go again...

The only funny typo is someone else's!

2006-03-29T08:59:00.000-05:00

"I am the very master of all errors typographical

Wrong punctuation deplorable, terrible, and horrible

I somehow butcher English..." - RED ANT

" A day without a laugh is a wasted day"...so have a laugh at my expense:)

Some of the typos i made while chatting on the internet -
situation 1: Friend-"so did u buy anything?"
me-"nah just did widow shopping"(instead of window shopping):))
situation 2:me-"i wish you were here!
fiance-"i wish you were her too"....phoo....now that could have literally cost our marriage!
situation 3: i was sharing the news of having met a prospective groom with my friend
Friend-" so you were telling me you met a guy last week.."
me-"oh! that GAY".....(instead of guy, heheh..)
friend-"???"
This may have happened to many of us...i am no exception.
situation 4: friend-"i got my B.ed results yesterday"
me- "so how much did you score in BED??"..lol...the biggest joke was when she typed back" oh I did great...!"
situation 5:It was sankashti and we usually fast that day, being my first fasting experience, my SIL decided to enquire
SIL-" so when are you breaking your fast?"
me-"oh thanks for asking...i just finished feasting."
SIL-"feasting???"
me -"oh sorry typo, i was farting no doubt"
SIL-"farting"???
me-"sorry typo again...just finished flirting"
SIL-"go eat something, fist...fasting is HOT for u!" (instead of first and not..hehehe)

to be updated as and when i remember....DO feel free to share your typos too!

what's in a name?

2006-03-28T10:30:00.001-05:00

Just called up my husband, reminding him, to file our tax returns....and also to wish him luck!!! Filling up forms and questionnaires has always been a hell/hair-raising/ falling/ tearing experience for me...why? take a look

NAME OF THE APPLICANT-(easy u think!)

FIRST NAME

MIDDLE NAME

LAST NAME...

you really think you are done?

FULL NAME OF THE APPLICANT...(Well whose name did u think i filled in above!!?)

YOUR NAME...(Stumped, bowled, stupidified...was someone else supposed to fill all of the above?)

just when you think the most challenging question is over......

MAIDEN NAME

CHANGED NAME/MARRIED NAME ..(hmmm...why not provide space for...1st, 2nd, 3rd...)

NAME AT BIRTH (If changed).....(what!! define maiden name pls!)

If u think its all over with names.....

FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSE PLS PROVIDE:

PIN NO: (personal identification number number??)

PASSPORT NO:

hmmm...seems to be back on track..easy road ahead!...

.....IN YOUR DREAMS!!

INSURANCE NO:(medical, dental, life or vehicular?)

VEHICLE NO:-

1.TWO WHEELER
2.FOUR WHEELER...(hey listen.... what if i own a three wheeler or a six wheeler??)

IDENTIFICATION MARK...(PROVIDE AT LEAST 3)
1.
2.
3.....(hmmm...for people who have no VISIBLE identification mark...create some i suppose?)

and just when you think you are finally done....

YOUR THUMB IMPRESSION:

SIGNATURE OF THE APPLICANT ( must be legible & written in bold)

hmmm..what next???

probably...

...Pls attach a sample of your hair for D.N.A verification!....(but then again ...u see.... what if one is bald??)

A Tale of strategies gone all wrong..

2006-03-27T09:53:00.000-05:00

"WE WOULD NOT SEND YOU REPEAT RENEWAL NOTICES SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION EXPIRES"...AND i have been finding the renewal notice showing up without fail every month attached to the magazine right from my first subscription.

Now thats what is "Persuasive selling" in the marketing jargon...hmmm...how much persuation is too much persuation?? now thats an interesting topic a house wife can drool on.

Take a peek as to how far it can get.

1. you get a call when you are in middle of your important work...er...lets say colon cleansing process.

1st time... you ask them to get back after sometime.

2nd time when you are pulling the flush handle....hmmm...now now..someone is in dire urgency to sell their product.Next..

3rd time you get a call in middle of your bath...someone wants to sell you "a credit card "...wrong call boss..must have tried selling me a towel instead...anyways...u tell them you are not interested.

4th time .... you are just about packing your bags, for you have won a date to miami with Tom Cruise...well in your dreams of course!...but DARN!!you dont even make it in your dreams... because the stupid phone rings and you are out of dream land..but guess what they are selling you this time" a free getaway trip to Florida"...well, well..i would have been a prospective customer, if it were a "getaway trip to Miami" . Now WAIT! for a moment cant stop wondering if it was just a coincidence ...or...well anyways you go back to your packing!

5th time when you are actually free and wouldnt mind a conversation with a stranger...this time though..no one is free to talk to you..you hear a recorded mesage playing on the other end...ooh..how very insensitive!

In India the salesrep would have rang your door bell till there was a short-circuit ...of course, then you wouldnt let go of him/ her after that...would you??? and as a bargain he/she may even coax u into buying the product in return for bearing half the expense to get your door-bell fixed.
No wonder they dont have door bells here in US...yeah tough luck with your knuckles...i say!

Then they started giving away freebies...now now.. its never too late to realise that freebies are indeed costlier than your product or is it?

...and Oh! how can i forget the TV commercials that never fail to amuse me...coz most of the time the target audience...i.e the men are busy checking out the female models, that they miss out on the product and for the fairer sex...remote plzzz..

And as far as targetting the population of cats and dogs is concerned ...well i have just one thing to say to you pal ....From when has your "Dog started going shopping ??"

No wonder they still call it an-AD MAD WORLD! On the positive side -thanks for the entertainment, i say!!

Wake up call!

2006-03-26T17:09:00.000-05:00

Samresh Jung becomes the first Indian in the history of Common wealth games to be adjudged "The Best Athlete".

Reading that headline first thing in the morning sure did brighten up my day. But i couldnt stop wondering about this years National awardees. Film stars who dance around the trees are called celebrities, a certain someone who has hardly won a grand slam becomes a youth icon and is honoured with a national award..sure, encouragement is fine...but hasnt it been dragged out a bit too much...Yet people who had character proved by example that enjoying life without character is impossible. I mean, people like Manjunath, Stayedra Dubey & many others who have stood with their value system for the betterment of the people were all conveniently forgotten. I guess if this is how our country recognises merit...brain drain is inevitable.

I am proud to be an Indian but certainly not proud to be a part of this politically manipulated recognition that exisits in our country.

Anyways.....Jung...way to go man!!

I hope The Indian government wakes up in time!

Small wonders

2006-03-26T14:31:00.000-05:00

One thing i always love is teaching....and when i am not teaching i find myself preaching.

It didnt take me long to find out that being tagged a good student does not come without great deal of responsibilities..well to start with , in your own house, your younger sibling always wonders if you were in fact a family member or exchanged hands after birth. Your name is constantly quoted by your neighbors as an example , only making the situation worse, your close friend always wonders why after having spent so much time with you she still hasnt improved her grades....and all that leaves you getting nightmares of when all of them will gang up to bring you down...Sometimes you wonder if all this is too high a price to pay for studying well.

Well, studying indeed was my only pass time. for i dont remember having spent much time doing anything else. so text books became more of a solace in my life. Standing first in class brought joy to my parents espl my mother who always had something nice to talk about me to our neighbors. And you know how mothers are...adding their own bits to make their story even more appealing to the listener. Anyways, with the kind of canvassing i was getting, soon my neighbors found out a place where they could send their kids to get some additional enlightment. It started with doubts, help with assignments and I ended up taking long teaching sessions and some times even preaching, counseling and mentoring sessions.....I loved every moment of it and i am certain my mother must have felt the proudest of all! Though i loved teaching one thing i was sure was that i wouldnt become a teacher....all my mothers coaxing went down the drain.

But when i came down to US after marriage on a dependent visa...all the loneliness and the waste of time was getting on to me . So i finally decided to volunteer as a teacher at a school here.

The very first day i went to class i was hardly my self. Suddenly i had this “responsible” attitude as i entered my class.The class did'nt rise as i anticipated when the “teacher” entered which actually put me at ease. I started out with reading out to kids who had missed their previous classes....well i forgot to mention. i handled the 4th and the 5th graders. It was not at all a herculean task. My students were all very quick to think. I still remember during the maths class when they were being taught "figures" one student stood up at the end of the class and asked why they had odd and difficult names like quadrilateral, octagon, pentagon etc.. when one can just call them a four sided figure or five sided figure.

Those few days, i realised that they had taught me probably more than what i had taught them. I discovered the child in me again...and life was never the same after that...i felt more happier and satisfied.

But all good things do come to an end. Soon there was not much of work to do and my help was not required there anymore. They promised however that they would call me as soon as something came up....thats when it suddenly hit me that i was just a volunteer. anyways i didnt hear them for a week after that...and i almost gave up hope..when on a sunday night i got a call at 8 asking me if i was free and could volunteer again the following week. i readily accepted. But what she told me after that completely swept me off my feet. She told that almost every kid in the class had missed me and enquired my absence. Some wanted to know if i had gone back to India and that they were so sad that they couldnt even bid me a farewell. I was too happy to react. "Good night and see you over tommorow" was what i heard before the line went off.

I couldnt sleep that night. I was left with a feeling i cannot quite explain...and the next day i was swarmed with tiny tots for a very long time each competing with other to tell me how much they missed me.

I've been a teacher for a few days in my life, and one class bestowed an enormous adulation on me that i will never ever forget.....They call teaching a noble profession and that day i really knew what it meant to stand behind a table.I do not know if i could measure up to being called a “teacher“but i am proud of having been one,albeit only a few days,the recognition some gave me never fails to warm my heart-it is the biggest honour i have ever gotten by far.
And i have never looked at my teachers the same again!

There are some really great teachers,mostly we have forgotten to appreciate or even recognise. though they will forever stay in our memories.

I wonder why some teachers resort to corporal punishment and other humiliating punitive measures in Indian schools. Some children are moulded with kindness, some are hammered ...the same people who make some also break some.

I have been fortunate to have some great teachers, my mom being the very first ....My salutes to all of them!!

That which doesnt break me, makes me stronger

2006-03-25T16:00:00.000-05:00

It was my first day at my new school...and the very first period...in walked our Hindi teacher. She was short, plump and had a thick layer of dark red lipstick.
Now now..its not my fault...i come from a place where teachers hardly had time to comb their hair properly. So you see i was literally caught staring at her...oh yeah..i was standing there like a fool still gaping at her, while the rest of the class had settled down wishing her a lengthy and a rythemic "good morning teacher". She seemed not to notice me as a new face...new teacher..i thought..Test she said. what? test on the 1st day of our class? Ok i did not panick.. i thought there would be a strong resistance from the class...no ..it was absolute silence...i was expecting atleast a small commotion. Without noticing how smaller my face had become, she started dictating a few words and asked us to write its "paryayvachi"....a what? i just sat there dumb.. everyone around me had already started scribbling down the answers, some with their heads so low that there was hardly any gap between their face and paper.I seemed to be such an outcast there. whats wrong with them? why werent they behaving normal? I wanted to scream my head off!
Anyways not withstanding the isolation i went up to the teacher and introduced myself, "Hmmm...new admission" , she glared down at me, "welcome" she said..and returned to do her own work...well, you see, that was not the reason i was there. So i stood there hoping she would ask me why i was still standing there. No...she seemed to be totally immersed in correcting her paper. "er...mam...mam...MAM...the whole class looked up..so did my teacher. "what?" she asked? "Mam i dont know Hindi much...blah blah..". She crossed check if HIndi was indeed my second language ..i confirmed it was...just that the place i was from, we were taught small word and sentence construction. Anyways, i was talking to her in english and she in Hindi...though i was not that good in talking hindi i definitely understood it. we had a not so pleasnt chat for another 10 mins about where i came from. Then she finally asked "what do you want"? "mam"..clearing my throat..."i would have atleast tried to answer the question if only i understood what paryayvachi means!"...after a pause... "YOU DONNO PARYAYVACHI??"... by now i had become the centre of attraction. Everyone had their eyes glued on me.I was almost in tears...i guess she saw that and then explained in her own english..."paryayvachi means "RHYMING" words".That is when i should have guessed her english was worse than my hindi!

since i was still ignorant,I took a deep breath and got back to my seat and started answering.
1st question "ghar"

ans: "sar, mar, par, dar"

there you go..what you want is what you get!

rhyming words huh? thats a piece of cake!
That day i wrote down all the rhyming word i ever knew in hindi.

Next day during the class my answers were read out aloud to the whole class....aah!! what an entertainment at my cost!...and one doesnt need to guess what i must have scored. yes...it was the first zero i had ever got, she even completed it with eyes and ears for it.... and It was just a beginning of the series of cartoons that followed the next two years...At the end of it, my dad got another transfer... i felt so relieved... i am not so sure if my teacher missed drawing cartoons on my paper!

But the day i left that school I swore to master that language, which i eventually did. It took me years but it was well worth the effort!

P.S- For those who still havent figured out what paryayvachi is..it means synonyms ("synonymous" words) :-)

Surreal dreams...

2006-03-24T17:27:00.000-05:00

Everyone has dreams - scary, funny, sad, happy and some really wierd....and luckily for me...I dont have to sleep to dream:-)

I have recently been dreaming a lot....in my sleep of course...but there is one that got me to believe it was real. Its something like this, its my last semester exam the next day, that too my favourite subject portfolio management...For some reason, i am not able to concentrate. People keep coming and going in and out of my room.I finally find myself a secluded room and make myself comfortable there. But, I am so tired and nervous and anxious all at the same time that i fall asleep. The next day i wake up late in the morning. I am furious at the alarm. i had much of revision left. while i brush my teeth i try hard not to get scared and try to remember what all i have been taught. I think of all the ways i would go about revising and somehow making it up on time....I then go and switch the light and and try to figure out where my books are...It was then that in all that commotion my husband wakes up .. It was not until i saw him, that i realised i had been living my dream, for a while even after getting up. I couldnt manage a laugh for i was really scared for a moment. My heart lost a beat for a second. Till that day i had never imagined a dream could leave me that high and dry.
Later, when i was serving breakfast to my darling husband, i told him about my dream and i was in for another surprise. Seems even he had a dream...He was locked up in a big area surrounded with very high walls with electric fence.... in far away.... afghanistan ,along with many others by...none other than.... Osama bin laden and in order to escape he actually turns into a spider-man and saves the day!Lol!

well what else...... a friend of mine got Osama married to our very own Madhuri and even managed to arrange Bush to take the photographs......where else...in her dreams ofcourse!

May they sleep in peace!

When my mother decided to learn cycling....

2006-03-24T08:32:00.000-05:00

So, the day my mom was supposed to start learning to ride a cycle.. she changed into a salwar (for the first time after marriage).. Manjunath mama(my mothers brother) accompanied her.. The whole family came out to the front porch and eagerly looked on.

After rushing through the various controls and having seen MM give her a live demo ..my mom finally felt confident enough to ride. Everything went on smoothly till she mounted on the cycle....then came a barrade of excuses...the seat was always too high or too low , the emergency stand was missing,...and a lot of 'what if's' followed. No wonder, my dad had never attempted to teach my mother how to ride...smart man..i thought!!

MM was in no mood to listen to any of her excuses ..he was very determined to teach her... coz he was the first one to instigate her into this. Fortunately for him, my mom suddenly realised that the whole family was watching her and became very conscious.... After that,It did'nt take much of a convincing for her to give it another try.

This time my mom perched up on the cycle. From my angle it looked as if she was glued to it .Manju mam was still supporting the cycle and was telling her to pedal....But it seemed like mom was too scared of loosing control...she now started screaming like a kid..and was threatening to get out of the cycle. It was not until MM agreed to push her around , till she gets a knack of balancing it, that she calmed down.....I guess for the next 10 mins at least MM was still pushing her around. She was no where near pedalling and was merely enjoying the ride at the expense of MM...Now MM was on the verge of exploding...but try what may...he just couldnt Coz ..one word from him and my mom would never touch a cycle again.

After sometime MM realised he didnt have the energy to push his Di around. So he just left my mom on her own without a warning.

What followed next was a spectacle to watch.. my mom was probably enjoying the the scenery, the sun set, the breeze, .....maybe even all that attention she was getting from the porch....and felt like a queen .. amidst all the enjoyment it didn't strike her that she was riding the cycle on her own. so what happened next was that as soon as she realised, she rode straight into the compound wall of our house. She got up , managed a laugh and blamed the dupatta for having blocked her view.

MM was now convinced that she could ride ... he comforted her.. encouraged her to try again.. this time round my MM saw to it that nothing would distract her and asked my mom to secure her dupatta with a dozen pins.

All this time, my 8 year old cousin, being the shortest of the lot had chosen the gate, to watch my mom learn cycling....and it so happened that my mom had missed running straight into him by a few inches. He did not want to end up as a target ....he gave a quick warning look at my mom and ran to the porch where rest of the family was still watching bemused.

Again, as they were doing their rounds in the street, a Motorbike came from the opposite side.. Now that was totally unexpected. My grandmas house was in a secluded place and the only vehicle to be ever spotted there was a scooter that MM owned.Mom panicked...MM had just left her on her own, thinking she would make it. MM yelled..."HIT THE BRAKE".Mom, manged to hit the brake but forgot to stop pedalling ...as a result she did a topsy-turvy.

Mom got up and dusted herself.....A big silence followed..until my 8 year old cousin bursted out laughing and everyone joined him, including my mother.

The motor cyclist turned out to be our milk man...Guess what... it was his new bike!... and he thought he was the reason my mom got panicky...and no matter how hard we tried to convince him ...he was bent on supplying us the whole days milk for free .Mom, however got presents for his children to level it up.

That was the first and last time my mother tried to learn cycling and till date, the milk man walks to my grannys house to supply milk, everytime my mother pays her a visit.

Golden Moments...

2006-03-22T15:01:00.000-05:00

I am a 23 year old married woman and have never missed my parents so much in my life as i do now. I have the best parents in the world. This is no revelation, i have known it ever since i started uttering the word...'Ma'. But as i do miss them very much, i thought why not write about them.

Well, my childhood was not very different from any other Indian. As any other previledged child i have fought with my mother for almost any and every reason in this world...from waking me up in the morning, getting me to eat breakfast, for staying out late to bringing home complaints from all over.Of all these fights and taunts the only time i could never fire-back at her was when i got my report card. I had no place to run or hide and no excuses to give and she had all the opportunity in the world to scold me whatever and practically whenever and where ever she felt. she used it as a weapon to get things done, as it turned out every time, for my own good.

If i rose up like a tigress in front of my mother, i was a mellowed cat in front of my father. There is a common saying that daughters are usually close to their father. Let alone close, i dont remember me even sitting anywhere in his vicinity. Coz i was always up to no good and he would find it out no matter how well i planned to hide it. In short. his name was enough to create terror amongst me and my brother.

The only consolation during all this, was the fact that i was never alone, be it beating, scolding or any other ordeal i always had a loyal company...my brother!! My parents never differentiated between us siblings. we were treated equally in every matter from getting candies to punishments. No matter who was at fault, we both bore the brunt and that was another incentive for us to work together as partners in crime and we eventually learnt to cover up each others plots in exchange for a favour.

...and all this continued for 21 years.

Now, its almost a year since i got married and moved to USA. I dont fight with my mother any more and i am not afraid of my father either but i do have a million reasons to love them even more. I am thankful to have them as my parents. Today when i look back at all those years, i cant find them at fault once. All the beatings and blastings were to discipline us. To make us better human beings. If at all people find an iota of goodness, honesty and morality in me its all because of them. For the ME i am now and the ME i will be evolving into, i owe it all to my parents.

I have learnt a lot from my parents. I always knew that my father loved us all a lot, but he was never action oriented.I learnt it a bit late, that my father loves me the most and every time i received a blow from him verbally or otherwise he would ask my mother to come and console me. He was proud of my achievements. But most of all he was proud of the daughter that i have grown up to be. All this and more, my mother told me on the night of my marraige when we again re-lived my childhood memories in the stillness of the dark.

That was a golden moment for me and the lesson those moments carried with them was the best present i as a new bride-to-be could have asked for.

I have probably learnt the most from my mother and will consider it a big achievement if i can be half as good as she is- a wonderful Daughter, an ideal Wife, a dutiful Daughter-in-law, a great Mother and a beautiful Person inside-out.

How it all started

2006-03-22T13:38:00.001-05:00

LOL!! This is what actually got me blogging:-)

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