Padharo mhara dessssss....

Heloooooooooo guys b gals...

Jus bac frm a trip to Rajasthan n it was amazzzzzin...went to lotsa places, had a variety of experiences... n bac here to share them wid ya! hope u misd me ;-) cmon, u can lie a bit... teeny weeny lies never hurt any1...jus to make me happy....hehe...

Wel, first thins first... my exam was wonderful, much betr dan i expectd... n certainly betr dan d effort i put in... dreamin of 4 o's (outstanding - d best grade in MA) but only time will tell... my exam ended on d 4th n i zoomed to Rajasthan on d 6th eve...reachd jodhpur d next eve n started our Tavera Tour. went almost 2500 kms in 5 days - all over raj excpt jaipur n udaipur, which basically includes bikaner (bhabhi's relatives), ramdeora & osiya (temples), jaisalmer (desert), etc...

U kno, whether u go east or west, fast or slow, in luxury or economy... all places r essentially d same... b it d ppl, b it d culture, d town n shops n streets, evrythin... i dnt mean they'r identical in evryway... but luk below d cover, n u realise d uniform pattern of living, thinkin, behavin... m i soundin crazy? well, blame it on my psychology education ;-)

Hey hav u heard of d temple whr mice crawl all over d place n eat frm ppl's hands? its cald d "karni mata" temple n is situatd in a village called Deshnokhe (d E's silent). i was initially terrified n contemplatin NOT visitin dat temple, but curiosity n adventurousness got d betr of me, n i slowly n carefully trudgd my way thru d massive gate... it was SCARY!!! thr wer millions of mice creepin n crawlin freely n actively... it was actually excitin to watch ur step as u walked coz it's said if u step on a "kaaba" (dat's wat they call a mouse) n u kill it (on purpose/by accident), thn u hav to gift a golden mouse to the temple! n also if u see a white mouse, ur lucky!!! i was... n i m... i kno dat!!!!

lots mo to come, lots mo to share... but work n routine callin...
will buzz u next asap... m itchin to tell u d fun thins i did!
chow n hav a gr8 day!

luv ya,
Anuja

Sapno mein jo roz kaha hai wo....

Hellllllooooo...

How u folks doin?
This specially goes out to someone who says he's interestd in reading wat I write, and complaind about the stagnant situation of my blog for the last couple of days :-)

Diwali was gud, lotsa guests and lotsa food. It was irritatin at times to smile n yak thru d day n nite, but thn I know some ppl wud tell me I'm lucky to hav my family n relatives around me rpdurin celebration time. Agreed! But thn its not all rosy either! helpin around d house at odd times, no time to enjoy an afternoon siesta, no time to study or hang out wid frens...

My wkends hav been very good tho... have been roamin around n havin kathi kababs (yummm) n caramel popcorn (slurp slurp). went to scream as i'd informd ya n also saw OSO. dint enjoy d disco party too much (surprisingly given m sucha party freak), but d scene wasnt gud enuf for me. That dint affect d others who had a gala time... OSO was gud, SRK ROCKSSS... but as i'v told quite a few of u, i cant c srk splashin around in d water. i mean akshay kumar or salman cud possibly carry it off, not sum1 as graceful n respectable as king khan. i hav dis image of him as a wonderful hubby n a great dad... cant c him doin a dard-e-disco like ppl half his age.. however, he lukd pretty cool as d younger Om in his rebirth... did u know dat d movie's like rishi kapoor's karz? rebirth n all of dat... arjun rampal kills srk n deepika (who plays arjun's undercover wife and luks SOOO luvly in d 70's getup) n srk is reborn and remembers evrythin (aka karan arjun style) n thn d badle ki aag rises n blah blah... d climax is ok ok, whr deepika's real bhoot (real bhoot?!!) kills mike (arjun) n all's well dat ends well... OOPS I DID IT AGAIN!!!! ;-) d movie has some wonderful dialogues like "agar kisi cheez ko aap poori shiddat se chaho to har zarra aapko usse milane ki sazish mein lag jata hai" (or sumthin to dat effect) n d cliched "if it's not happy, its not d end"... a lil stretchd but not bad at all... certainly betr dan sawariya whr i heard u shud send sum1 u want to take revenge from!! OSO songs r very very hummable... aankho mein teri ajab si ajab si adaye haiii.....
hello? whr did i start off on dis movie review?? I guess sum1's rubbin off on me... m BLABBERIN too much ;-)

anyways, i got an outstandin (O grade) in my social psych subject, so m quite happy... hopin for d best in the other subjects as well... my exams startin dis week... pracs on d 16th n thn d 21st followd by theory papers on d 27th, 29th n d 3rd... NO mood to study at all... i ask myslf evryday y m doin MA; sick of studies... but i aint a quitter, will do my best...

work's goin well... m takin a break upto mid-dec coz of my exam n wont probably log on very often either. so m gona miss u n u gona miss me (hopefully)! but whn i get bac, wil hav lots to tell u (as usual)... might take a trip sumplace early dec aftr d exams but othrwise, its routine as usual. got sum troubles in life, which r (touch wood) sortin up, and thins wil only get betr frm here.

Wish u guys luck... n lotsa happiness...
Luv,
Anuja

Deadly Diwali

It's almost Diwali n my mum's gone berserk... she's cleanin d house wid scary strength n enthusiasm... n unfortunately, wid my PLs on, I'v no choice but to trudge along n do d tasks she tells me to... my bro, dad n sis-in-law conveniently leave for work as i luk at thm wid a sad n envious expression on my face... i cant c mum workin alone n i dont wan2help wid d cleanin! dilemma... barely managd to clean 4 shelves of my clothes-cupboard, n m puttin off cleanin my book-rack until i can... it's gona take hourssssssssss!!! why bother?!! fortunately, my tuts n job dis week gave me a breather (and a wonderful excuse!)

This brings me to my topic for d day. Strong ppl lead hard lives – coz they hav a choice n also d capability to go either way. Like my mum. She has d choice to either do/not do d spring-cleaning. Though she's not physically in gr8 shape, her willpower sails her through the task. With frail folks, there’s no choice as they’v already given up on their life and most other thins. Hence, lesser the confusion! D worst predicament is surely of d ppl who lie in between these extremes; while their minds/hearts r strong enuf to come up with 2 choices, and they do choose one, they find it tough to go all the way. Which is exactly what I’m feelin. Havin made a very important decision voluntarily, I’m switchin bac n forth like a pendulum – I think I cud go bac to wat was, n thn I think I shud stick to my decision single-mindedly if I’m to live a betr n happier life… Each time I succeed in dis endeavor, someone conveniently puts a dent into my carefully built wall… Now however, I seem to hav come to terms... Hopefully, thins wil change from now on...

Awrite, I know i dint make much sense thr... but newes, had to get it outa my system, n thr it goes! Here's sumthin u'l agree wid... Kids wil b kids – whether they’r 1,10, 20 or 50! My parents still fret whn my bro comes bac frm work late. I mean, cut it out, he's 27! Besides, he's got a hotel mngt job which entails long & late hours, yet my dad stays awake till he knocks n says "all fine, m home" n my mum keeps callin n askin him whn he's b bac from work n "drive safely haan beta".... m not complainin, they do d same for me. But i really wonder, will I b d same whn i hav kids? probably yes.... parents r amazin ppl, aren't they?? u can shout at thm, say anythin u want, behave anyway u want, n still they luv u... who else wud take ur crap? however, i myself forget this very often n tk thm for granted... n regret later...

Well, lets stop d topic before I get too senti (sniff, sniff!) I'm jus hangin out at home these days as I said before. Uni's out as syllabus over n Diwali here. M spendin time readin, studying for tuts, watchin tv, chattin wid frens, etc (and helpin mum, groaaannnn)... wkend's here but no plans yet. maybe a movie wid frens. long time no party!!! HIGH TIME...

That reminds me, i saw "Bhool Bhullaiya" last week. Saw a movie after ages (for a movie buff like me, even 2 weeks is ages!) It was gud, not comedy as expected, but thrillin n tp. Akki as usual is at his best, but d rest of d crew is SAD... its only towards d end dat d movie picks up... Oh ya, for those who dont kno, d BHOOT is VIDYA BALAN ;-) dont thank me, it's ok... hehe... i LUVVVVVV doin dat! She's amazin as d deceased danseuse "manjulika" - her actin is terrific. luvd dat part... n scared too!

nuthin else, mebe Mumbai Salsa dis Sunday n thn Salsa at Scream. Touch wood!!
Have a gr8 wkend folks. Ta!!!

Luv,
Lonely Princess

Blah Blah Blah....

Heylooooooo…

Nuthin spl this time... just a mixd bag… pourin out all I hav been thinking over d past few days… pardon my incoherence, but I’v got so much to say all at d same time… u kno how it is :-)

U kno, I’v jus realizd dat I hate d ppl I luv… silly paradox, eh? I mean, I luv thm n I’d do anything for thm. But thn I also expect frm thm (naah, I dnt believe in UNconditional luv, luv’s one of the most conditional thins in my life!) n then whn they don’t live up to my expectations (I jus cant undstd WHY), I get bugd n irritated n land up givin thm d cold shoulder for atleast a few mins… Of curz I mk sure they kno y m pisd, sooner or later, n thn if they dnt repeat d same thin again, all’s well… otherwise rather than hatin thm, I jus start behaving indifferent n try not to get hurt time n again… if they dnt care abt me n my feelins, y shall I?

Well, so much for that… Sumthin impersonal n funny now…. While watchin Discovery Travel n Livin d other day, I hapd to see a show (cant rem d name), whr they give u a sneak peak into 5 or 10 best watevers… cud b beaches, hotels, restaurants… Beat dis! They wer showcasing d best loo’s! ;-) certainly a very intriguing topic, wat say?!!! Wat amazd me was their criteria for judging d best pee-zones… one dat qualified had a see-thru glass!! I mean, wat d heck! Not countin weirdos n perverts, which sane person wud want to give a public demonstration of sumthin so personal n private??!! Wat came next gave me d answer… d glass was a special one, which turnd jus a wee bit opaque whn a button was presd. Imagin this – u walk into a transparent loo, press a button, d glass fades, u do ur thin n press d button again n voila!u can c d world n they can c u…

Thankfully m nt d only dumbo on dis planet; a few folks said dat they’d avoided using d loo n waited to get hm rather than pee publicly. N I voice their wonder, “wat if d loo doesn’t fade n u ignorantly jus do it?!!!” OH MY GOD, dnt even wana imagine dat…

D other loo I saw b4 givin in to the pleasures of channel-surfin, was one whr thr’s a funny 4-sided urinal – wid ice in 2 compartments n a guy pot in d other 2… wats wid d ice u ask? Well, its thr jus for d heck of it… n a point they made matter-of-factly b4 signin off “it keeps d stink away”… so all u piss-stink-peeved people, rem dat!

Enuf abt loo’s… I saw another interesting thin last week… an ambulance! Now wats so exciting abt dat, u ask? Nuthin except dat it wasn’t d van v usually c, but a scooter! I was ridin to d univ when I hapd to glance in my rear-view mirror at d signal n I saw dis cute lil mobike resembling a Spirit or Sunny. It had red n white squares in a checked pattern in d front, n a not-very-clean-or-sophisticated man in white ridin it. I found it a lil weird, so I jus turnd around, n I saw d words “ambulance” written on d vehicle. I’ve never seen one before THAT’S y its interesting…

Hey did I mention a lot of birdies flock around my balcony? I luv watchin thm n their antics, makes me forget my worries and troubles... I can b very whn i want to, which is y i'v kept a mug of water on the sill now whr they can come n drink to their heart's content... n i can watch thm to mine!!! Crows n mynahs n sparrows n many others I dnt even kno d names of...
Okie thn. Gotta run… u tc n have fun… cya!

Cheers!
Anuja

Darna Mana/Zaroori Hai....

Hey ppl!!!

These days I’m sharing my parents’ bedroom coz there’s no other place for me since my bro got married n d newly-weds (8 mths old now) took over the kiddo’s room…

Last nite I scared my dad outa his wits coz I said in a clear wide-awake tone of voice, “someone’s in d house”. It wud’v been funny if I was actually awake n tryin to psyche him out. But I was fast asleep, so much so dat I dint even realiz I’d said anything of dis sort whn I woke up d next morning…However, d effect my words had on my dad was nuthin short of a horror flick. He jumpd outa his bed and lockd d door in d blink of an eye. He reachd out for his cel fone (jus in case anything went wrong) to inform my bro-bhabi in d other room to stay inside their room. He was also contemplating callin d cops if he so much as heard any movement in d house… All while I was blissfully dreamin my stupid, romantic n scary dreams…

I made up for it d next day though… When he told me dis episode d next mornin, it blew d daylights outa me. I managed to get so scared, I misd a beat! I mean, if I was in d same predicament, I’d go crazy n wake d town!

I’ve had other paranormal experiences, some that my family says r pure works of imagination, others d product of an idle mind… My mom even forbids me frm watchin horror serials on tv sayin dat dis’ wats nurturing my dumb “visions”… either way, they r inexplicable. Soon after my grandma died, I thot I saw a hand in d window, reaching out for a glass of water kept on d window sill… No, m not kiddin nor m I tryin to show off. I also sometimes see sumthin like a white pale vision go past… My mum says she’s felt dat way too at times. So thr u go…

I duno y I keep seein such stuff, or mebe imagining it. But one thin for sure is I see a lot of snakes in my dreams. Long big snakes lying close by, or chasing me … ot once not twice, loads of times… Freud wud certainly hav a field day if he sat down to interpret my dreams, coz all of thm wud certify me a hardcore sex-freak (evrythin Freud did was related to sex sumhow or d other, so dat dsnt bother me much – snakes, balls, hollows, passages – evrythin is a sign to sho u how pervert n desperate u r…)

But Hindu philosophy, or stuff pasd down over d ages says dat seein snakes in ur dreams is a sign dat sum of ur ancestors r tryin to convey sumthin to u… Nobody has been able to teme wat it means exactly, but mebe I shud jus b content wid d fact dat my ancestors feel close to me and think m a gud medium to communicate wid ;-)

I started reading d tarot sumtime bac, n jus like all my other pastimes, tired of it soon after. But it sure is intriguing n fun… scary too sumtimes, especially once whn I forecast dat sum1 close to a fren wud expire… n his grandma did…

Well, so dats dat. U may think me crazy, too, but u gotta feel it to understand it…

Until then..
Luv,
Lonely Princess

Road Rage

Do u drive/ride a vehicle in Pune? Coz if u do, thn u can certainly undstd y I’ve thot of writin abt dis VERY crucial topic…

I kno ppl r supposd to hav a drivin license b4 they start drivin a vehicle (and most do, I hope…) Yet, dats a fact I find hard to believ considerin d whackos who cruise down the streets and (pseudo)roads of the city. Rules of d road r broken left, rite and centre… And lets nt for an instant think dat drivers/riders r d only ones to b blamed; no siree! Pedestrians r equally bad… will come 2 dat shortly…

I think driving is a luvly activity. It makes u feel free and in ctrl. I still rem d 1st time I rode a bicycle to school. It felt amazing. I dint hav to depend on my dad or my rickshaw-wala-kaka anymo to pick n drop me frm all over d city. I cud come n go as I wished, plus I cud enjoy d scenes as I rode at my own free will and pace. Yeah, it was tiring at times when I had to trudge home after a hard day’s work’ especially d symbi ‘chaddh’ was a nightmare. But no pain no gain, rite?

Well, so drivin is a great experience, as u hum n sing as u cross mile after mile… But not so great whn d roads r bad n ppl r worse! Dementd freaks drive in the middle of d rd n refuse to budge, or they decide to speed up exactly whn they realiz ur about to overtake thm, or they overtake frm d left widout so much as a honk to inform d others dat His Highness is approachin, or they honk in sucha ‘surround-sound’ way, dat its impossible to fathom which direction they’r comin frm or goin to! To top it all, they give u dirty luks as if ur at fault!!!

Don’t get me wrong – I am a cranky driver, but I aint a bad one. I can get u safe frm one place to another in reasonable time inspite of all d multi-faceted obstacles in the way. I do drive fast, but certainly nt rash; I’m in ctrl… And I worry abt d person sittin behind me… more than myself… (Bangd my dad’s Activa quite a few times a few yrs ago, but since I got my Scooty last yr, thr’s been no unfortunate events - touch wood). However, this dsnt mean dat I dnt yell or abuse ppl on d streets. Not a day/drive passes widout me mutterin words of indignation at folks who jus DON’T kno how to drive on a busy road at a busy time on a busy day! Earlier it was only the PMTs, auto-rickshaws and bicycles… Now thr’s no such demarcation – evrybody’s jumpd onto the bandwagon!

Some drive on the rite side of d road (d fast lane) n refuse to give ‘side’ even if they’re saunterin at 20km/hr. Others sudnly remember dat they’r supposd to be takin rite whn they’r on d extreme left hand corner. Forget indicators, they dnt even care to look a little apologetic, forget abt feelin guilty! Thn thr r those who perpetually hav their indicators on whether they’r goin left, rite or nowhere in particular… n d headlights on as well! N thn thr r those who either show their left indicator or left hand n very conveniently turn rite… LORDDDDDDDDD….

As if the drivers weren’t troublesome enuf, our wise old seniors folks (and some who r not SO senior), walk wid their bac to d traffic while crossin d rd. Due to this ingenious strategy, they get a convenient reason to accuse whoever bangs into thm as they of curz cant see who’s going whr n which vehicle is headed at wat pace, so its d driver’s responsibility to luk out n avoid hittin thm while simultaneously using their judgment n sense of prediction to visualize which direction n pace their feet wil take… grrrrrrrrr!!!

U’v surely experiencd these thins too… N m sure thr r a lot more that can b added here…
But well, lets end on a hopeful note wid a prayer to the Almighty…

“Hear Ye Divine Master, As We Join Thee In Making a Better World; One In Which People Know How To Drive Well, Walk Well, Think Well, Speak Well And Last But Not The Least, To Remember That No One’s In A Massive Hurry To Join You Up There…”

“AMEN”

Wish u luck n a looong, safe, healthy life full on long, pleasant, un-aggressive drives!
Lonely Princess

All in rhyme...

Hey ppl,
Here's a poem this time. Written by yours truly ;-)
Leme kno how u find it, n any memories or emotions associated wid it...
Always here to lend an ear n a shoulder ;-)
It’s been ages since v met,
My body yearns for your touch;
Oh my darlin sweetheart,
I love u so much…

I gave all I had to u,
Surrendered myself in your arms,
I ain’t so firm and strong,
To resist your magical charms.

But tell me have I not suffered,
For the months and years gone past;
When you ignored and took me for granted,
And all I wanted came last…

I tried my best to keep mum,
And vent my sorrows as tears,
But when things only got worse,
The pain stung like pointed shears.

I could take no more,
All my efforts were a waste;
We broke up a million times,
And each time made up in haste.

I guess I’m strong enough now,
And I know I deserve better;
I must give life and joy a second chance,
Or I’ll do nothing but regret later…

It ain’t easy my love,
Though I’m trying to move on,
I still weep when I’m lonely,
And remember you from dusk to dawn.

If only we’d been wiser,
And respected the precious bond we shared;
I’m sure it would have been the best thing in the world,
But unfortunately, we never cared…

So when you stumble upon it next,
Give it a tender caress, not a shove;
I wish you luck and laughter,
And hope you now know the value of love…

Luv,
Anuja

Busy Bee...Me!!!!

Hellyyooo!!!

Its been ages and ages, and I’ve been waitin to get bac to you all!!! Jus been verrrrrrrrry bz. My days r tumbling into each other wid hardly a moment to spare. MA’s taking its toll – wat wid d innumerable assignments our profs expect us to deliver in record time, and to top it, we have tuts (class tests which r considered internal assessment and marks added into final score) evry other day. Alongwid dat, I’ve had pracs. As if searching for a “subject” wasn’t tough enuf, I also had to write a report for evry (practically meaningless) expt v conductd…

However, the assignments were quite interesting, I mus say. An assignment declared by my ex-crush professor (he’s gone mad after he got married this yr) was to write a blueprint for a workshop that can be conductd in an industry, bzness school or any other organization. Naturally, it was our industrial psych project. I chose the topic creativity (after he rejectd memory improvement). Multiple hours of net-surfing and goin thru bks, sorting n assembling info, putting it together coherently and making it luk professional and conduct-able certainly made me wiser (and hopefully mo creative, tho I haven’t had d chance to verify dat yet!) It has also given me the confidence to actually conduct a workshop somewhr, as I hav d material ready.

The other assignment was for my social psych paper. We wer told to conduct a survey to check attitudes of ppl towards different topics/objects. My brilliant classmates came up with a variety of ideas – attitude towards physical attractiveness, IT industry, gender bias at work, sex education in schools, etc. Me n a gud fren conducted our survey on attitude towards caste reservations. I rememberd d medical students’ protests sometime ago against quotas and seat allotments to reservd caste candidates. SO, I thot it wud make a gud study to find out how (at least some, if nt too many) ppl feel abt dis provision. My fren agreed, n v got down to bzness pretty late, coz of our other comitmnts, tuts n stuff. Once v startd, we did quite a gud job outa it (if I may say so!). V chose a sample of 60 (which might seem small), but it was still a mammoth task to design a reasonably decent questionnaire, administer it to ppl, score the responses, n finally infer a number of things from those responses, complete wid technical language and pie-charts n d works. It gave us a practical feel of all the theory v hav struggled wid so far, and completing it was a real achievement; boostd our ego n self-worth! (v nevr thot v’d personally use factorial designs n stats ever in our lives! N doin all those calculations correctly was a great feeling). V haven’t got any marks or comments on it yet, so v’r still awaitin an evaluation… wid TREMENDOUS hope in our hearts!!!

It might have been ez-er to cope wid all of d above had all been well at home. My mum had some problem, and it was quite accidentally that v discovered she had acute appendicitis. The doc recommended an urgent operation, n d surgery n post-op meant dat she had to spend a lil less dan a week at d hospital. Luckily, bhabi was on leave, so v cud work out her meals n d housework together, otherwise I duno how I’d hav managd…More than d work, it was real tough to see her writhing wid pain whn d docs n nurses wer injectin her wid god knows wat, all day long… Thr was nuthin I cud do to alleviate the pain, I felt so helpless :-( However, its gud d surgery hapd b4 sumthin went terribly wrong. She’s home now, not quite fit as a fiddle, but certainly smiling (dat itself makes my day) AND she’s doin d housework inspite of everybody threatenin n scarin her in all ways possible… (GOD! these women JUS DON’T listen.) … (I belong to d same bandwagon, so cant say more! I aint less stubborn, headstrong or egoistic to make tall claims!)

There’s a pc of extremely bad news, too… my great-grandma expired yday. She was almost 90 n has been quite ill for a few yrs now… wid nobody to really care for her in Jabalpur (MP), her last few mths n yrs weren’t very happy, I’m afraid. My mum was very close to her; having spent her childhood n youth wid her grandma, she shared mo of a mom-beti relation wid her. At this instant, my mum’s traveling to Jbp, and she was in a terrible state all day yday. I was scared for her, her stitches haven’t healed completely n I hope she keeps a hold on herself whn she sees all her (grand)mum’s room n possessions. If it wernt for my tuts n submissions, I wud’v gone wid her, not really for my grandma, but for my mum… I jus cant c her cry…

Such is life… Ppl come, ppl go away, wats left r memories… which fade away not in a matter of mths, but barely in a few days, n its bac to bzness again… life dsnt stop for anyone, or widout anyone… Nobody is indispensable…

Well, other dan dat, my job’s been as usual. Oh ya, our office premises hav chngd… n tho d new one isn’t as grand and impressive as d earlier one, its still pretty gud… A lil farther dan d last one, but then again, wats a few kms in Pune… Hav been doin courses bac2bac for the last 2 mths… n its been fun… completed a 1B, thn started a 2A, and whn d 1st ended, again a 1B. Due to some complications, no place was avlbl for d class, so I also took my batches in ICC on SB Rd (which was gr8 as I cud leave merely 15 mins b4 clas actually starts!) M thoroughly enjoyin d 2A batch… d students r a mixd bag, each has his/her own strengths n weaknesses, but overall, its a real challenge! They r a bubbly enthu lot, wid loads of ideas n quite a few expectations wrt d course… I have to be alert to tackle all their Qs n errors, both of which r innumerable. They r 5 in all (there wer 6 but 1 dropd out coz of sum reasons), n I luk fwd to evry Mon Wed n Fri whn I can c them…. M really gona miss thm after their course ends on d 22nd of this mth. But I hope they stay in touch… They’re amazing ppl… Probably one of d courses I’v enjoyd d most till date!

D 1B has jus started so I cant say much. The all-guy gang were not very comfy at first, but I think they’re settling down gradually wid eachoder n the inlingua method… fingers crosd!!!

Oh ya, two lovely observations!!! Its great to c so many honest, dedicated n professional policemen near the univ main gate flyover! Aint it amazing dat hordes of ppl, young and old, cower under the authority of these khaki-clad folks n obey their orders! I jus luv it… re-instills my faith in d power of law n law-protectors, who uptil now I’v only considerd as bribe-seekers n work-shirkers. Of curz, some smart-asses alwes try to display their non-existent smartness by trying to jump signals or crossin d line marked out as a “lakshman-rekha”, which results in a few annoyed and annoying honks n a policeman very impressively makin his way to the smartass n takin him under his wing… All very amusing, but not so much so, when m in a hurry to get to my dept in d univ. Wud like to keep goin on n on abt my experiences on d roads of Pune, but lets keep dat for another day! M sure ur bored of reading this “RAMAYAN”!!!

Oh ya, I almost forgot – I mentioned 2 observations; the other one is a lot of luvly birds hover around my house these days. They r quite darin n venture rite upto our balconies n windows – birds of all colors n shapes, all voices n attitudes! I cud sit all day watchin thm n their antics…

Awrite now, for those who'v managd to sit thru dis entire KJo-style-never-endin-saga, thanks... Hope2b bac soon frens… Till thn, tc n keep rockin!!!

Luv,
Anuja

About fires and relationships

Hi Folks!
The fact that ur bac on dis page proves dat u havnt had enough of me!!

Which is very fortunate, coz dis time I’m goin to share sumthin dat I read… Not my creation, but a writeup so effective n brilliant, dat my admiration dint stop at merely appreciatin n re-readin it. I had dis compelling need to give it a permanent place on my blog, for others to enjoy it.

This is a piece by Barbara de Angelis, Ph. D. and it forms a part of the Chicken Soup for the Romantic Soul – Inspirational Stories About Love and Romance by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Mark & Chrissy Donnelly, Barbara De Angelis, Ph.D. (pg108-110). Its called “Keeping the Passion of Love Alive”. I’m gona present it here verbatim, wid no changes, bcoz I really luvd every word of it, and modifyin it in anyway, wud b a huge injustice to d author as well as d readers… (Pls forgive me if I write sum short forms tho… as my manager at work says, “I go around d world using my sms lingo!)

So here goes! Hope u like it as much as I did…

Imagine that you’ve decided to build a fire, perhaps while you’re camping, or at home in your fireplace. You carefully choose the logs, the kindling, and after lighting a match to start the fire, you watch over it until you’re sure the fire is burning strongly and steadily. Then you sit back and enjoy the comforting warmth, the delightful play of the flames, the magical light. You don’t need to be as vigilant about keeping the fire blazing, since it has enough fuel for now. But at some point, when you notice its getting a little colder, or the light is growing dim, you realize that the fire needs your attention again. And so you rouse yourself from whatever you’ve been doing and add more wood, or adjust the position of the logs so that, once more, the flames can rise high.

Even if you’ve neglected the fire for a while, even if it appears to have died out, you see that the embers still radiate a deep, orange glow that can only be created by hours of extreme heat. The embers are deceptive, and they contain great power within their quiet light. Although by themselves they produce no flames, they can ignite a newly added piece of wood in seconds, suddenly rekindling the full force of the fire, transforming the dormant coals into a roaring blaze.

We can learn a lot about the passion between two lovers by thinking about what we intuitively know about building and maintaining a fire. When you first meet someone and fall in love, you carefully court and seduce him or her, adding the right amount of intimacy, the perfect amount of commitment until the fire of passion flares up between your hearts and your bodies. For awhile, this blaze burns brightly on its own and you grow accustomed to the joy it brings into your life. How lucky we are, you tell yourself, to have such a passionate relationship!But one day, you realize there is less light, less heat between you and your mate, and that, in fact, its been that way for some time. You don’t feel the same intense degree of physical attraction, the same desire to unite, the same stimulation you once felt with each other. The passion is gone, you may conclude, I guess I’ve fallen out of love. This relationship is over.
How many people ask themselves, at this critical point in a love affair, if the fire of passion has died down simply because no one has been tending it, because no one has added the fuel necessary to keep it burning.? How many people walk away from the smoking embers of their marriage, certain that the fire has died out, without noticing that the coals of love still contain enough heat to reignite into flames, if only they are given a chance?

Respect the fire of passion, the fire of love. Understand that to stay alive, it needs to be honored, to be cared for, to be tended as diligently as you would tend a fire you had built in the wilderness to help keep you warm and safe from harm. Feed the fire of your love with kindness, communication, appreciation and gratitude, and it will always blaze strong and brightly for you.

Lovely na ;-)
So go on people, let the ones you love kno exactly wat they mean to u, how much you need them and the relationship they share with you... Make their day... And in the bargain, make yours too!Have a great day! Cya...

Twin Trouble

Hello friends!

Long time no c... yeah i kno... but mundane activities have taken up all my time and energy. no, its hasnt been all unexciting and boring, but it sure has been a very bz time. univ lecs in the daytime (wat wid pracs startin next week, its only gona get bz-er) and teachin in the evening n meetin frens, relatives n others the rest of the day... but i havnt forgotn ya!

Have u heard of d "nature-nurture" controversy? it deals wid y twins r alike n how they differ due to their genes and environment... well, v arent exactly gona focus on dat aspect, but the protagonists of our story happen to be twins... so on wid it! enjoy....

As far as twins go, they cudnt b more unlike eachoder. Neelima was fair and beautiful, a doll with a lovely face and feminine grace; evry man's fantasy n evry woman's envy... And Beena was a dusky, aggressive tomboy wid a mind of her own n an opinion about evrythin under d sun... Neelima was softspoken n a genius at all household chores (perfect wife material!) while Beena had a razor sharp tongue and scarcely ever cared about wat state the house was in. She was outgoing n adventurous, and Neelima was content at keeping house and being thr for evrybody who needed her.

The differences only grew as they turned older. Beena became an independent and ambitious woman, and Neelima turned even more prettier and submissive. Both wer intelligent and funloving, but B vented it and used it to excel in professional life, while N focussed her strengths on the home front. Obviously, N was the family pet, luvd and admired by one n all, while B was respectd n hated for her arrogance n success.

B stood by N when ppl wer takin advantage of her goodness, and N did all she cud to make B's life more comfortable than it already was. The sisters luvd eachoder even as fireworks flew when they fought. B cald N's innocence her stupidity and N shed her sugar-sweet demeanor to call B a rude, selfish witch! But the clouds of hatred soon blew over as the sisters kissed n made up. They cudnt live widout eachoder. Their merry shrieks and giggles resonated thru d house and silence reigned when they wer at loggerheads wid eachoder. Not for long though!!

Ppl who cared, often tried to draw parallels between the two. They said that being a tad mo polite wudnt hurt B, yet her aggressiveness cudnt b viewd as absolutely abominable. In times like today, if you're unassuming and retiring, then ppl take you for a ride and there's no way you can survive. They suggestd dat N shud b more practical and confident, and take note of her needs and wishes. She was too accomodating and selfless. B cudnt protect her forever...

Q : Assuming you are a male (of marriageable age! no child marriage controversies here!), who wud u marry? Y?

Fatal Attraction

Hey all u beautiful people! wazzzupp...

Do u believe in astrology? My mum went to dis pandit whom she trusts fully (unfortunately, he alwes says bad stuff), n she hapnd to drag me alongwid her... He said quite a few horrifyin thins abt both of us, which resultd in a drab n sad evenin... its nt dyin dat scares any1 half as much as d knowledge of whn u'll die! but well, mum says better forewarned dan sorry...

However, I do kno for a fact dat these arent d happiest of days for me... especially last wkend which was surely d worst in all d moons i'v seen... I lost my wallet, I dropd my cel in a tub of water n i also managd to break my chappals in d middle of d street... optimists can ignore d above (hehe,NOW i say dat!) n read d followin : i shopd a lot, got a pair of jeans n lotsa tshirts n of curz some new footwear...
Newes, bac to our dose of masala n relationships...
His name was Thyagarajan, but everyone knew him as Tyagi. He workd for an advertising firm, in d finance dept. Tall and handsome (surprisingly, not dark), Tyagi had a cool sense of dressin n a casual attitude which made ppl either like him or think he was a snob... But the fact remains, women fell for him, and he humored them... He wasnt really interestd in them... No, he was interestd in Ravi from d marketing dept...

Ravi was a bubbly, cute teenager who had recently joind Ad-hoc (yeah dat was d name of d agency). He was goodlooking in a kiddish kinda way; complete wid acne n twinkling eyes alwes on d lookout for fun n pranks. Noone knows wat drove Tyagi to Ravi. But they got introducd n startd chattin on a regular basis. Discussin bzness gave way to sharin personal problems, n soon the entire unit knew thm as "good pals". They liked eachother n enjoyd eachother's company. Dint mean it was meant to last though...

Tyagi popd d Q : Wud Ravi like to go out wid Tyagi? Ravi was shockd, he responded wid a polite "I'm not one of those types, Sir". Life went on as usual, both still shared a good rapport... Until Ravi startd dating Shikha from the finance (Tyagi's) dept. The minute Tyagi heard of it, he cut off all contacts wid Ravi. He stopd buzzin him n chattin wid him, dint even reply to his voicemails n msgs. Ravi wasnt happy wid dis turn of events. He really liked Tyagi, but he shared a wonderful n satisfyin relation wid Shikha... Another gud frenship down d drain...
Q : Any guesses y Tyagi backd off so suddenly? Was it bcoz he dint want to mess wid Shikha's feelins, was it coz he cudnt c Ravi wid sum1 else, or was sumthin else botherin him?

Melancholy Mirth

Hello People...

Yeah, I kno its been quite long, but I've been quite bz... work n coll n assignments n family... but its been a highly interesting week... I've grown a yr older (duno if any wiser!)... But d saddest fact is I dint receive even a SINGLE present :-( only flowers (lovely roses all u kind folks!), but not a single gift to unwrap... cakes, yes... they're still in my fridge, so evry1 wid a sweet tooth can jus drop in for a bite (provided ur carryin a gift). hehe ;-) u can c jus how old n mature i've turned... n yes, i also complete a yr as a language trainer, so cheers! its been an awesome experience, n m very very glad i got dis opportunity :-)

Well, enuf abt myself... let d story go on!!! We're gona meet sum1 who luvs to b hated, n is a merry volunteer of d "i'm victimizd" brigade... enjoy...

Hamid cald himself a victim; a victim of ill-fate, a victim of injustice, a victim of unhappiness. He claimd ppl used him n dumpd him. He said nobody cared for him. N so he deservd his weekly dose of alcohol... week after week after week.


He saw himself as a messiah of sorts; sum1 who did thins for others widout expectin anythin in return. He went outa his way (as per his view) to help others n they very carelessly flung him away widout a hint of gratitude or concern. So, to get over this "traumatized state", Hamid drank. Drank till he got sloshd n dint know his left hand from his right... Beer, vodka, whisky, rum... He was 22, and d only wkend he rememberd whn he was sober, was whn his grandmum expired n he had to stay home wid his family. D rest of his Saturdays n Sundays went in a sort of haze whr all he cud recall was sittin down wid a bottle of alcohol wid his frens...Thn all was fun n merriment. They danced n laughd n went for drives n did crazy thins as young boys r wont to do. Their partying carried on well unto dawn, at which time Hamid would either stay with his friends or wonder of wonders, manage to get to his bedroom. 2 nites outa 7, dis is wat Hamid did. The remaining 5 nites, Hamid spent touring and travelling across the state for his father's bzness.


Lately, the bzness hadn't been doing well. And a time came when his dad had to shut shop and hamid had to search for a job outside. The family moved to a smaller apartment. Though his parents had some savings, Hamid still had to earn well to get his 3 younger sisters educated and married (His dad decided to retire). Hamid took up a salesman's job with a detergent company. His salary was decent, and when money matters got difficult, he borrowd from someone. This dint stop him from maintaining his "2 nites a week" schedule. After all, he reasoned, cudnt he hav dis one pleasure for life???

Q : Do u think Hamid's life will ever change? How?

Smooth Operator

Hey ppl!
Glad to c u bac!

Wonder y thr r so many donkeys teemin around d city, mebe its d rains… N they really seem to like Senapati Bapat Road, sprawled out like princes (and princesses), blockin d traffic. Well, I don’t hav anything against donkeys (unless they enter my parkin n start peeing, which they did last week! Dint know wat was rainwater and wat was u-kno-wat… Ughhhh!)

Newes, hope u liked d Bijli story and put in ur valuable comments, here’s d next one…
The celfone beeped.
1 new text message.
“U wudnt know at u mean 2 me. I’ll never give u up”

Samira dint kno how to interpret dis msg. No, her language abilities weren’t bad. But she certainly was confusd when it came to Balwant. He was witty, smart, successful and quite good-looking. Not exactly her definition of handsome, but wat the hell, she wasn’t planning to either date or marry him…

But she cudn’t get him off her mind either. She luvd his smooth, suave attitude. She enjoyd talking to him and looked forward to meetin him. But he had this annoyin habit of disappearin every few days, not respondin to msgs, not callin up, jus vanish widout a trace. He said he traveled a lot on business and even when in d city, his work hardly left him a free moment. When he finally resurfaced, he wud release his charm and apologiz wid words of mush n care; this invariably melted Samira’s heart and they got bac to their chattin n callin routine.

They were schoolmates, he a year senior to her. But they had only spoken once (he wantd to know who playd basketball better – Neha or Radha). After graduation, they went their separate ways and unexpectedly banged into each other one cold winter evening. This time, Balwant was a changed man. The reserved and shy senior had become a fine young man, one who dint lose time in takin down a pretty gal’s contact details. Samira dint kno whether to believe his “I’ve alwes been attracted to u but cudnt tell u” story… But she liked him too… And the rest is history…

Samira cud never make out wat Balwant actually wantd. He cud b as cute as a puppy, entirely at her mercy, and he cud b a wily alligator who dint care a damn about anybody but himself. He praisd her and teasd her, seduced her even. But she wasn’t amused. She liked clear labels for everythin and every relation, and her interaction wid Balwant jus dint fall under any particular category. “Lets keep it at dat”, she thot, “who knows till when dis will last…”
Q : Is Balwant one of the street smart romeos u see so often or do u think he genuinely has a thin for Samira? On a scale of 1-5 (1 is frenship n 5 is luv), how wud u rate Samira's feelins for Balwant?

Bitter Chocolate

Hey people!

For those of u who r interested, yep, it did rain d other day, n i did manage to get wet ridin home ;-)

I've been thinkin about writin character sketches for some time. These could be people I know and they could be people I've never met. It could be you or ur neighbour. Anybody... or mebe nobody... And wat follows is a Q... which YOU need to answer...
Bijli is a self-proclaimed egoist. A fighter from d start, she has nobody she could call a true friend, She stays with her family, but even thr she feels unwanted and disliked. All her life, she had been trying to score a point wid her frens, colleagues, family, even strangers. But all she felt as she sat down after a day's work was dissatisfaction, irritation, anger and pity... Pity for herself... She did her best to be on good terms wid ppl... but they sumhow never lasted long enuf... Mebe bcoz of her expectations which ppl labeld 'high' or mebe due to her razor sharp tongue... But she was a good person at heart, willin to do watever required to help others. Her long lost "frens" could alwes count on her to lend a listenin ear and give a sensible take on issues related to any aspect of their lives. Her family respected her for her clear-minded opinions and practical suggestions. But all this dint endear her to anyone, rather not in d way she wanted it to...

Bijli (which means "lightning") is an ambitious, single and independent woman. She enjoys d gud thins in life and appreciates the goodness in others. She is an expert at multi-tasking and hates laziness and procrastination. She keeps her deadlines and honours her promises. She is very candid about everythin dat is gud or bad, and she has an opinion on EVERY thin, which invariably annoys ppl. So well, dats dat... She wants to do wat she wants and she wants to do a lot of thins which ppl and society may nt approve of... But she doesnt really care. Unfortunately, her parents do... As of now, she works day shifts in a BPO and is confused whether she wants to get married or not. Nobody seems to undstd her or her needs and she doesn't know whr she's headed in life...
Q : Where do u think Bijli goes wrong in her behaviour? How can she make and keep good frens for life? How can she make her family see her as sumthin mo dan jus a cribbin fire-spittin grandma?

THE INTERNET - A WINDOW TO THE WORLD...

Hi!

I'm spending a lot of time these days at work and with the laptop free, I spend quite a bit of time explorin different avenues on the internet... my hot favorites are linkedin.com and blogger.com

Its amazing how time flies when I'm making new connections and answering Qs (on linkedin), and while I read blogs on blogger (more than half of which I find geeky and bizarre! in one word, un-relate-able!). There are however a few important differences between the sites mentioned. On the former, I can get in touch with people as an individual, regardless of whether they know me or not... like when I managed to connect with my offshore ex-colleagues (who I'm surprised still remember me after 2 years regardless of d fact dat I interacted with them only a few times during work!) Its a pleasure to someone accept my invitation. A squeal of joy escapes my lips as I eagerly read "ONE NEW CONNECTION" ;-) also, the fact that you can be a part of a community askin n answerin Qs without knowin the person also affords an opportunity to understand the way others feel and think... Jus today in the last one hour I've answered 2 Qs - "Wat is life" and somethin about coming late... N i feel as if I've done a great job by enlisting myself in dat horde of people who have all scratched their heads and wracked their brains to come up with answers interesting and entertainin, educational and technical...

The other site (blogger.com) is where I dont think anyone at all reads or cares about what I write... its jus dat I write for my own love of writin and typin ;-) I used to write a dear diary a few yrs bac so this is like re-living the experience in an electronic way. But I still enjoy puttin words down and reading and re-reading them myself (so what if noone else does!) Also this way I can write what I want without people gainin access to my prive info... I can b anonymous and pour my heart out... thats y I havent let anyone know of this blog... its only for those who stumble upon it by chance! Mebe down d line, I'll let a few folks know about it. Dat's proof enuf of d fact dat I consider thm special... so cheers and congrats! ;-)

Well, as I said time flies when I'm surfing, and it has! need to get home now... hope the rain's died down so I can get home without gettin drenched!

Have a great day!
Luv,
Lonely princess

Que Sera Sera !!!

I've learnt never to regret anythin in life...not wats hapd,not wats hapg n not wats gona hapn...coz watever hapd in d past,u surely thot u wer makin a wise decision whn u made it,as regards d present n d future,well,u can alwes chng dat by chngin wat ur doin now!!

well,i cant hog all d limelight tho,coz god has playd his role exceedingly well...he's alwes stood by me whn i was at crossroads n he has alwes guided me onto d correct path whr my steps falterd...watvr i m today,i'l surely thank god for dat...nobody else had to support me n i cud stand my ground only coz of d almighty...

my parents,frens n acquaintances call me a headstrong,confident n ambitious gal,n d adjectives include egoistic n stubborn,but which person can b blamed for makin decisions he thinks r gud for him?i think choosin arts after 10th SSC was rite...my parents think otherwise.they say i shud'v gone in for science n medicine wid d kind of brains i hav...but to nip dis idea in d bud (which wud certainly cause a fair amount of duellin 2yrs down d line),i pursued arts in the best college in pune.my efforts n decision wer rewarded whn i secured a rank in d merit list n dis also served to silence all my "well" wishers...

thn startd graduation,whr i cudnt make up my mind as to whether i shud major in psychology or english...i had ample aptitude for both,but god had already made dis decision for me.i was among d chosen few who figured in d psychology merit list,n my road was paved...i went on to top my class(without attendin lecs n while simultaneously carryin on a fulltime night job in an MNC) n my critics wer now singin praises of how i was doin sumthin different successfully (it goes widout sayin dat they wee tryin to put me on d same path a few yrs ago...)

grad done now wat?!my boyfren who's an MBA wid a mediocre instt wantd me to hav a masters degree...n thru this medium god sent me the MA psychology way...straight O's (outstandin grades) thru d 1st yr n now here i m,plannin to take up i/o (industrial/org psychology) in my 3rd sem...i duno how its gona b nor whr it'll take me...but wateva hapns,m sure its part of god's divine plan,n he surely has nuthin but d best in store for me!after all,m his favorite princess!!!

Keep d faith!!
Luv,
Lonely Princess