Chocolate anyone?

I’m in great mood this week…The reason you may ask….It’s my birthday on July 1rst!!! Happy Birthday to me…And that has a new look starting today…I changed my template after months of troubleshooting! I just realised how illiterate I am on these stuff..It was something to do XML format supported by the new blogger!..Whatever!!

I chose this template because I love chocolates. Moreover chocolates are supposed to be the greatest anti-depressants. There are different theories for this..Arguments for and against..But I prefer to suit myself. I prefer them to anything else!!

Moreover another significance, I am taking off all the depressions for the year. Starting a new year with new hopes. So this week I’ll cry off all those sniffs and start at a fresh page!!

Sunita Williams and Indians

One of the most talked about women today is Aishwarya Rai and then Sunita Williams. Of late Ash seems to be busy honeymooning! I was not very keen on looking beyond my small earth till lately. Sunita Williams and her Atlantis journey inspired me to do so.

Following the Kalpana Chawla tragedy I really hoped that would not repeat in the history of Indian women. The news channels covered the landing by the second and there were millions who took a breath of relief after the safe landing. As the “Times of India” stated it was reality TV at its best for those few hours. There were people who performed pujas too for her safety.


She returned after spending more than 6 months at the space station. She set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman at 195 days.She also set the record for spacewalking by a woman for the longest time. Way to go girl!!!

Yes she did make India proud.But I wonder….does India really have a share in her feat. She was born in Ohio and the Indian connection is her father who hails from Gujarat. There ends all Indian roots. I mean what was all that media hype for (I know it’s hyped for just about anything). There were SMS campaigns, calls for wishes…Come on give me a break…Isn’t it over done a bit???

Whatever I still admire that lady!!!

Sivaji - The crowd!!!

Bangalore saw the release of Sivaji- The Boss on Friday and that was huge. I have been here in Bangalore for 2 years now and have not seen anything like this before…I have seen PVR in all states, but never like this.

Police were all over controlling the mob and keeping a check on the fans that poured in from god knows where to book tickets. There was despair and anxiety on the face of many as to when they would get tickets. The corporate companies like Cognizant, have booked entire show for their employees (unfortunately not my company).

The small theatre near my home had people sleeping on the road the previous night to get tickets. I was simply amazed. There was a theatre where they did the "Paal- Abhishekam" before the release.No other country other than India can show such extremes of fan following! I salute all those crazy fans of “Thalayver” out there!!!

I am not looking to see the movie till a few weeks..I guess I’ll give way to all those hard core fans first…Would surely watch it sometime...Love to see whether it is worth all the ga-ga. Anyone seen the movie yet? Please tell me. Meanwhile let me call the movie Sivaji- The crowd puller!

Dad and Mom!

Lots has been happening over the last week. It was Father’s Day yesterday, a day dedicated to all those lovely dadas ,papas , acchas , appas and those lovely fathers who have shaped our lives. The fact is whenever I think of my father I’m unable to think of him alone. My mom and he come as a single entity to me. All in all the word family!


Dad and mom have been an important part of shaping my life to what it is now…I often feel that more than the motivation or inspiration they have been for me I would love to thank them for their non interference. I know you didn’t understand..Let me try to put this in words….

I was brought up in Muscat where kids and their parents stay in close proximity. You have nothing called public transport or places to hang out. So we were always at home with parents. This is where parents drove children crazy pestering them about school and studies.

My parents never once told me to study. They never asked me about what I was doing. They never scheduled my studies, TV time, outings anything at all…They never compared me to anyone in school..They didn’t mind when I sat to watch the World Cup just the day before my Board exams…

When I joined engineering too…I don’t think they knew how many semesters I had or what subjects I did. They just did not know!!! But they were my moral support..When I complained saying studies were tough, they smiled and said I could do it…When I came down to Kerala alone, they just said “We trust you!” No advices, no cribbing…

I love my parents…I don’t need any special day to tell them that…But on a second thought I never tell them any day…I guess some feelings are better understood than said….

Optimist or Pessimist?

One of my close friends lately got promoted to the post of trainer. He is someone who believes everything is pre-decided and nothing he does makes a difference! When this position was open for filling he refused to give a try because he thought the post was already decided for someone else and all this was just a show!!

Even though I believed the battle was lost without a fight, he stayed firm..It was thanks to his friends who pushed him to do the presentation and lo and behold, contrary to all beliefs, he got selected too…

I always wonder…is optimism a part of our character or something we develop with time, facing the world…It is easy to say one should be optimistic in life…Easy to preach but then practice?? Don’t think so!! I am example for this myself. I love to think the glass is half full but then my thoughts would be mostly..”Oh man! It is still half empty…How come it is half empty???”

I have attended a dozen or more of those motivation classes. At the moment I’ll be all geared up to face life with that positive outlook. But when life glares at me with wide eyes it just escapes me..I bet I’m no different from others who sat with me in those classes…But I guess no one likes to admit they see the half empty glass. It’s easy to take up those optimism tests and give all the positive answers..The test results come and you comfort yourself “ Yeah I am an optimist!” Big deal! As if it solves your problem of seeing the half empty glass!

I then wonder am I a pessimist?? No..I do take that step to make things better in life…I do think that life is worth living for the good moments too…So where does it leave me? Is there a line in between…Should be…What do you call someone who is optimistic when happy and pessimist when faced with problems..Ha ha!!

Venky's wedding!!

Been a long time I have posted anything…Was just busy over the past week. I had to attend one of my close friend’s wedding last week. Had heaps of fun!! The reception day was full of masti where we danced and sang till late night with lots of food. I was amazed at how much jovial these people can be…I mean the last thing I expect in Kerala wedding is the bride and groom’s family dancing to “Appidi podu, podu”

There were some customs I found very amusing. One was the Kashi Yatre, where the groom pretends to be very angry as nobody is searching for a bride for him. So my friend went off with a walking stick, an umbrella, a fan, a coconut, a small packet of rice and dal, and a dhoti. He was then brought back by the bride’s relatives who convince him that they would give him their girl…( LOL…Indian rituals!)

Another amusing one is where the bride is brought to the mandap and no one is supposed to see her face, so the bride and groom stand on the either side of a white cloth. And I still don’t know why they stood in buckets during the wedding…Anyone please explain this to me…The last bit is the fun part where Okhli is played. The groom’s ring is dipped in the colored water and the bride and her brothers have to search for it. Other games like throwing coloured rice on each other, rocking a doll in cradle and what not!!
I had lots of fun at the wedding and was curious all the time as to what happens next!!