As time goes by

This is something that a friend sent to me, and I feel like sharing it....

As you go through life, you learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will.

You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time.

You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken.

You'll fight with your best friend.

You'll blame a new love for things an old one did.

You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love.

So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

Update

Back again. A break of over 4 months this time...caused partially by work and partially by the fact that there was no longer a computer at home...

So many changes have happened in my life since Feb....let's see

1) Biggest one: Moved out and set up my own place with an old school friend, Nu. This was something I had been planning to do for quite some time and now feels so great to finally be independent and responsible for myself. Learning new things every day now...! It's been a great two months (moved in April), setting up house and shopping for household stuff, learning how to cook, grocery shopping, buying a computer...

2) Office got sealed: This was way too traumatic. Especially since the new office isnt in Delhi...it's in Gurgaon and there are commuting issues....Felt weird. Still does

3) Got a promotion: Third one in three years, so can't complain there :-)
I finally have a proper team now and much more responsibility along with all the resultant stresses...make or break time??

4) Had a first-hand experience of the "30th Birthday blues": Self-explanatory....

5) Started walking again. The regular, daily, brisk walks I used to do some time back which I gave up when work got too hectic. M now trying to be as regular with this as possible.Back needs it!

Anyway now that i finally have my computer and the net connection is up and running, I hope to get some serious blogging done. But knowing me, I'll probably still be as erratic as ever!

So then, here's looking to the future. Prost!!

That time of the day...

It's getting close to bedtime and the old familiar ache is back in place..The urge to pick up the phone and call you, to hear your voice one more time, oh just one more time...To ask you why the goodnight messages stopped without anything being said by you or me..To tell you how my day was and ask you how yours went...Of course what I most want to know, I'll never have the courage to ask you.

Maybe you see my pain but choose to ignore it. Easier that way of course. And gradually I suppose we'll each make our peace with the situation and get on..and fade out of each other's lives like ships passing in the night..

But for now, the silence of the phone is deafening.

Bigot or plain stupid??

A friend emailed me a link that I just have to share with others. This guy deserves all the publicity he can get!!

Retail therapy

Its amazing what a pick-me-up an afternoon of shopping and mall-crawling can be. Especially when you find the pair of jeans that fits just right, even though you're not what you used to be 2 years back...and the sweater in that particular shade of electric blue that you always dreamed of....and when you end it all with a sugarfree chocolate gelato....

Thinking dark thoughts

Sometimes you go thru life with your eyes closed. Or worse, your mind. You are so damn concerned about just making it thru this day and then the next and then the next, you forget that's not what the whole thing is supposed to be about. And you end up missing out on so much, so much that could have changed your life in so many ways....so you reach this point where nothing you have seems worth the price you paid for it....and you suddenly wonder, what the hell do i do now?????????????

Of all the....!!!!

An article in the newspaper yesterday caught my eye. The Delhi government has decided to move all male teachers employed in MCD schools, from the morning shift to the afternoon shift. Apparently the morning shift has a majority of female students, while the afternoon shift consists primarily of male students. Keeping in mind the current security concerns of women in Delhi, it was felt that girl students would be more comfortable dealing with female teachers. Interesting.

Now, I do remember being in school and having male as well as female teachers. Not once did the gender of the person concerned become an issue - we were more concerned about how they taught us, what sort of support we received from them, how they dealt with discipline issues, how much free time they gave us to go do our extra-curricular stuff, and so on.

However it seems that life has become more complicated since then. There have recently been a couple of cases where male teachers have mentally and physically abused their female students. So in a knee-jerk reaction, the Government in all its wisdom has decided on a Taliban-like ban on male teachers in morning shifts. Great. I’m sure the girls feel much safer now. Now if only the Government would also find a way to segregate the roads, the public transport, cinema halls, maybe even have separate shopping times for men and women…after all eve teasing happens anywhere and everywhere right?? Why just stop at schools. Why not have segregated hospitals and clinics, with women doctors for females and male doctors for the men. The possibilities are endless.

Of all the simplistic solutions being offered to deal with the problem of eve-teasing and sexual abuse, this has got to take the cake. Instead of strengthening the law and order situation and enacting tougher laws which would make anyone think twice before harassing a girl, they go and tar all male teachers with one brush. I wonder what the affected teachers think of this. Will they speak up against it, or accept the new rule quietly and in a way condone the twisted thinking behind the move?

Come to think of it, this is the same kind of “logic” that has made a number of colleges ban their female students from wearing skirts and jeans. I guess women who wear salwar kameez or saris never get harassed or raped or anything.

As a young working woman in this horribly unsafe city of Delhi, I know what if feels like to be followed, ogled at, harassed, be the butt of remarks….I don’t think any woman would seriously believe that segregation can be a solution to this. What we need is a change of attitude among the men, with respect to women. And we need better laws and stricter enforcement. And a supportive police force that cares and shows that it cares.

Don’t try to create unnaturally “safe” environments for us. Let us live in the real world as human beings, and let us do it with our dignity intact! Is anybody listening???

Goodbye 2006

Another year coming to an end. For me, this means the usual round of introspection - what did I do during the year that was of any value to anyone, did I accomplish any of the goals I'd set for myself, could I have done things in a better way...yeah, the usual.

It wasnt a very good year overall. Major problems healthwise, issues at work, things on the personal front not working out...but I suppose that happens to everyone at some point or other in their lives. There were some happy memories too. Sister's wedding, connecting with long lost friends, a raise....And the good thing is that I'm in the recovery process already. So I know in my heart that things will finally turn out fine. I might not get everything I want - who does anyway - but I'm sure I have good things coming my way in 2007.

So here I am, on the last day of this year, looking forward to the coming year with a heart full of hope. My resolutions for 2007:

* Full recovery from the back problem
* Get my financial affairs in order
* Move out into a place of my own - learn to take care of myself instead of looking to my parents for everything
* Achieve a better work-life balance - No more workaholism, more time for friends and family
* Follow my heart instead of my head. Live life, really live it. Believe in myself a little more, and listen less to people who tell me "It can't be done". Because it can. And I will.

This is where I turn the page. Here's looking forward to a new beginning.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, cheerful New Year full of hope and good luck !!!!

Catching up...

I mentioned in my last post that I've got back in touch with some of my old school pals.Well, since then we have had two get-togethers.And I'm so relieved to be able to say that nothing's changed.

Oh of course everyone's older,some have put on weight,some have lost weight (lucky people!!), some have got married,a couple of them have even had kids.Everyone is in different lines of work.But the great thing was,inspite of all the years and all the external changes,deep down we have all managed to remain the same people we used to be.As a result,it has been incredibly easy to just take things up from where we left off.

We all had a great time remembering teachers, school pranks, common friends,teenage escapades...I cant remember the last time I felt so close to a group of people.
I guess this just goes to prove something I've always believed to be true - that nothing, but nothing, can ever come close to school friendships.

Here's to old friends!

Waapasi...

Back again.After more than six months.Feels good.

A lot has happened since my last post....Got a promotion at work.Sister got married.Made some new friends.Discovered the wonders of Orkut.Lost weight.And then put on weight again...Developed a back problem that's been harrassing me like anything recently..Started a series of lifestyle changes to stem the damage...And so life goes on.

Over the next few days I hope to finish a series of posts on my recent travels..the south India trip ka story was left at day 3 and I will take it thru to the end..some day...

Right now,looking forward to a school reunion that's happening tomorrow.My Class 12 batch of friends has suddenly rediscovered each other,and those of us who are in Delhi are meeting tomorrow.Most of us will be seeing each other after 12 years...

All done...am I ??

My attempts to bring this hibernating blog back to life aren't really doing very well.I have not posted anything substantial for months now,and for someone who used to average 3-4 posts a week it's quite a come-down.

Should I just give up and shut down this blog? Or should I try harder to find something I want to write about? Where does one go in search of inspiration??

What's your world view?

I just took a test...and this is the result.

Your World View

You are a fairly broadminded romantic and reasonably content. You value kindness and try to live by your ideals. You have strong need for security, which may be either emotional or material. You respect truth and are flexible. You like people, and they can readily make friends with you. You are not very adventurous, but this does not bother you.

WhatIs Your World View?

Fight for justice

I'm back. After 6 months...the longest break so far.Caused partly because I was busy with other things, and partly because I didnt really have anything to write about.

But today I do have something to write about....Anyone reading the newspapers and/or watching the news over the last few days cant have escaped the news about the Jessica Lal case.How the man who killed this young woman in the presence of a huge number of people is now going free. I'm sure the judgement has shocked you just as much as it shocked me.

Investigations have shown how the case was mishandled by the police right from the beginning. NDTV has now started a signature campaign to call for a re-trial. All you need to do is send an Sms saying JESSICA to 6388.Each sms will contribute towards making the petition a success. NDTV will be forwarding the same to the President of India. The pressure being brought on by the media is already working, as can be seen from the very recent transfer of S.K.Sharma who was the investigating officer in the case.

All of us, at some point of time or the other, have ended up cribbing about how the system sucks and we cant make a difference even if we wanted to. Well here is our chance to do just that. India has a very aware and proactive media and judiciary, but we as ordinary citizens need to support any initiatives they take if things really have to change.

So go ahead and send that Sms. Over 1 lakh people have already done it. I did too, and also messaged everyone in my phone book requesting them to do the same. Tell as many people about it as you can. Write to your MP. Write to NDTV (feedback@ndtv.com) expressing your support. Publish a post on this issue on your blog. Jessica's family have been waiting for justice for so long now, they need all the support we can give them. Let's not let this one become another failed effort at seeking justice.

Do something. Show you care.

I wish all Indians a very Happy Independence Day....May we learn to appreciate this country a little more, and crib a little less....may we learn to give a little more and expect a little less...may we learn to truly understand how lucky we are to be free....

Vande Mataram!!

My South Trip - Part 1

I'm back...after a looong break. No, it wasn't intentional, but ever since I got back from the trip I've either been busy working or off sick. The first 2-3 weeks after my return, I was busy coping with the heaps of work that had just piled up, despite the best efforts of my colleagues. Then there was a bout of viral fever and now I've been hit by this stomach bug that does painful things to the insides....:-((

Ok, about my trip. In one word - incredible. I saw some wonderful places, had some amazing experiences...The plan now is to write a travelogue here, in bits and pieces. Since it was a study tour for travel agents, it involved a lot of hotel visits which I guess I'll leave out.


Delhi airport
It was a morning flight from Delhi to Chennai. Anyone who has seen the domestic terminal during the peak hours, will agree that it resembles a crowded railway platform. When will the AAI wake up to the fact that the terminals are operating way above capacity for a long time now, and measures have to be taken urgently?? The difference between Delhi and Chennai airports was remarkable.

Chennai
I've already written a lot about this city earlier, so this time I'll keep it short. It was a short visit anyway, we spent just a few hours in the city. Arrived in the afternoon and began our hotel visits straight away. Managed some sightseeing along the way - the famous Bronze Gallery at the Govt museum, and a drive past San Thome cathedral and Marina Beach. But mainly it was a day of hotel visits. We saw about a dozen hotels, of which the ones which impressed particularly ( in random order) - Taj Connemara, The Park, and Le Meridien. Finally checked into our hotel at 1130 pm. I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow....

Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram
We visited these places on consecutive days. Kanchipuram is a 2 hr 30 min drive from Chennai, and is the former capital of the Pallavas. It is basically known for 2 things - temples and silks. We saw two temples here. The first was the big Varadaraja Perumal temple. Our first South Indian temple, but we were to really become familiar with the style - tall Gopurams, huge paved courtyards, stepped water tanks, pillared halls...
Personally I preferred the other temple we visited, the Kailashnath temple. It's smaller, not crowded like the other temples, really clean, and the sculptures are amazing. No tall structures here, just a beautiful sandstone square with a sanctum, surrounded by a walkway on all four sides lined with sculptures. Amazing.
Some of us also bought some silk sarees, and since they gave us a 50% discount it was worth it!!

I've already written about Mahabalipuram in an earlier post, so will skip it this time. But of all the hotels we saw in Mahabalipuram, I must mention the GRT Temple Bay. It's just 5 minutes from the Shore Temple, and is definitely the best hotel in the area. All the rooms have a sea-view, the coffee-shop faces the sea and the Shore Temple, and they have a beautiful infinity pool.The Taj hotel ( Fisherman's cove) was also good but only if you take a sea-facing cottage.

From Mahabalipuram we went to Pondicherry. It's a 2 hour drive and very scenic. More on that, in the next post.

Singing in the rain....

Ok, so it isn't raining that hard yet. But what the heck, at least it's rain!!Hope it becomes a little more regular in a few days...
My exams finished today...finally... and now I'm off on a South India trip.The program is very hectic as it is a study tour, but I'm still excited about it.
So, there won't be any new posts for 2 weeks at least.Amit , you got that??? :-)

I plan to write about it when I'm back and have some time.Till then, it's a break from blogspace.

Well well....

Your Birthdate: June 7

Born on the 7th day of month gives you a tendency to be something of a perfectionist and makes you more individualistic in many ways. Your mind is good at deep mental analysis and complicated reasoning. You are very psychic and sensitive, and you should usually follow your hunches. You may not take orders too well, so you may want to work alone or in a situation where you can be the boss. This birthday gives a tendency to be somewhat self-centered and a little stubborn.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Mahabalipuram - finally

As promised, the post about the Mahabalipuram trip.....The weather wasn't exactly perfect for a sightseeing trip, and we suffered mild heat exhaustion by the end of it, but it was worth the trouble.

Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram as it is also called, is a tiny hamlet about an hour's drive from Chennai on the picturesque East Coast Road ( there isn't any West Coast Road, so I'm not sure why the "East" was necessary). It's a good route, but at points along the way there are reminders of the tsunami that struck last year. You see the destroyed huts of former fishing villages, and camps set up by various national and international aid agencies. We also passed some nice looking resorts, and a big water park kind of thing.

The temples and ruins of M’puram mostly date between 6th and 8th centuries AD. All local granite, some made into bas-reliefs and some into monolithic "caves". Arjuna’s Penance is the best and most famous of the friezes, and a very good specimen of the Pallava work. A large number of “Manadapams” are also scattered around it.

Then there are the 5 Rathas – each dedicated to one of the Pandava brothers. The first of the lot is quite crude and shows not much ornamentation, and you can clearly see the improvement in workmanship as we move to subsequent Rathas. Apparently work on these Rathas was stopped after the death of the king Narsinhvarman.

The pride of place belongs to the Shore Temple, a World Heritage Site. Apparently, it is the earliest known example of a stone temple in South India. It stands bang on the beach like a lonely sentinel, and makes a pretty picture. The interesting thing is, the entire temple wasn’t made at the same time. Apparently in the beginning there was just a small shrine with a monolithic reclining Vishnu and a large but somewhat crude Shivling (I’m still not sure which of the two came first). Later on the larger temple structure came up, along with a compound that contained water tanks etc and was surrounded by a wall on which sit several granite Nandis. Apparently the ships coming towards the port at that time used to set their courses by the temple. There’s a lighthouse not far from there as well.

It must have looked impressive from afar, standing guard on the shore of this former royal port. You can still sense some of that awe-inspiring quality, but unfortunately there’s been a lot of erosion of the stone by the salt-laden winds. We did see some restoration work going on, though. I would have loved to see the site where the other, apparently bigger temple has now been discovered after the tsunami. However it’s not open to visitors, as they’re still digging it up.

There are the usual hawkers pestering you with stuff you’ll never want to buy, and one man even followed us around for a while because he was convinced we needed a guide, but the harassment really is of the manageable kind. I’ve seen much, much worse in Agra…..

We ended the trip with a stop at Taj Fisherman’s Cove for lunch and some much needed liquid restoratives…Unfortunately we couldn’t make it to Dakshinachitra, which is less than a kilometer away from this resort. Apparently, typical wooden houses from all 4 southern states have been transported here and then re-assembled to create a beautiful multi-cultural South Indian crafts village. Well maybe next time…

I would recommend Mahabalipuram to anyone who’s visiting Chennai. In fact if one is driving to Pondicherry from Chennai, you can easily stop here for a couple of hours. Just remember to get a sun-hat, lots of sunscreen, and yeah, as much water as you can carry !!

Summer holiday...

I've just returned from short a trip to Chennai, visiting my sis who's working there. It was quite interesting, if you can overlook the fact that it was hot as the proverbial hell and humid to boot.

Chennai is a city of such contrasts, it's amazing. Some parts of it are so traditional, so conservative, and then there are areas which are so hip and modern that it's difficult to believe that this is the same city. Adyar, where my sis has a flat, is a very nice kind of place. The houses are usually just 1-2 storey high, and the roads are tree-lined and quiet. It reminded me of our place in Bangalore 10 years back.

We did some sightseeing, including the mandatory visit to Spencer Plaza which is the biggest mall in the city. Spent one early morning at Besant Nagar beach. It's smaller and not as famous as the Marina Beach, but it's also less crowded and therefore less dirty. But my favourite outing was the half day trip we took to Mahabalipuram. More on that later, perhaps in a separate post.

Sis took us to some wonderful joints as well. The first evening, we went to the Park for drinks and dinner. They have a very popular bar called the Leather Bar. The furniture is leather, the floor is covered in leather ( or was it faux leather?? couldnt make out in the dark), and even the pillars are covered with the same stuff. They have these rather cute guys in tight black tees and leather pants ( what else??) who bring you first a lit candle, then your drinks. Quite nice. But as we 3 ladies were by ourselves, we seemed to be attracting some curious stares. Apparently unaccompanied women at pubs and bars are a rarity in Chennai. But still, unlike Delhi, the men don't sit back and leer at you non-stop.

Park also has a very nice rooftop restaurant called Aqua. They have these canopied beds arranged around the poolside, and the sound of the water is apparently really soothing. They have a live band on Wednesday nights. Unfortunately we went on a Wednesday, when it was not just loud because of the music but also crowded because of a large Korean group. Too bad. Maybe next time.

The best discovery of my trip? A tiny place called Painted Platters, somewhere around Poes Garden. It's this tiny eatery in the backyard of an equally tiny French place ( La Madeleine if I remember correctly), with small benches and tables and a picket fence, beyond which you can see mango trees. They specialise in desserts. And when I say specialise, I mean that they only make desserts and they make them so beautifully that it leaves you breathless. We had the Mississippi Mud Pie, and I was in a chocolate-induced coma for the rest of the evening. It was like nothing I'd ever had before. Anyone visiting Chennai must visit this place.

One place I missed visiting this time was Bike and Barrel. It's a TGIF kind of pub, and I love it bcoz the DJ plays great rock music. And because the management takes very good care of unescorted ladies, which is something I don't usually see in Delhi.

Anyway, it was a short 4 day holiday but very relaxing. And now, I have loads of work to catch up on. But my next post will be about Mahabalipuram. And hopefully ( this is for my friend Amit L ) i'll put it up in just a few days' time. Ciao for now.

My birthday is coming up in a couple of days. And I've already started getting all quiet and introspective. Why the hell are birthdays so depressing when you get older???

The illness of a parent is probably one of the most heartbreaking experiences one can have. Someone you have seen in the prime of their life, you now watch going rapidly downhill, and there isnt much you can do. The person you looked up to for every need, the one whom you depended on for so many things, is now old and feeble and needs you.

My mom and her siblings have been dealing with this role-reversal for the past two years now. Their father i.e. my grandfather has a nervous problem that is getting progressively worse. It causes memory lapses like Alzheimer's. It gives him hallucinations, and all kinds of imaginary illnesses. There are days when he will be perfectly normal, and days when he'll regress into childhood. The whole thing is hard to describe, and even harder to watch. At times he gets so hard to handle, the doctor ends up admitting him into hospital. And after a few days, Nanaji is back to his old placid self and you are left wondering if the whole thing was a bad dream.

My mom suffers when she sees him like this. And I feel really bad for her. It often makes me wonder if someday I'll be in a similar position. And that scares the hell out of me. I cant handle the thought of my mom or dad being old and sick. Silly of me, I know, but there it is all the same. It's something that has been bothering me a lot these days.

Back again...

This blog has been in hibernation for too long. I feel really guilty about this, but life really has been busy. Anyway, thanks Amit and richa and Garfy and Simon for visiting and leaving scribbles for me to read.

Today I deleted some comments from my previous post. It has been my policy so far never to do that, and in the two years that I've been blogging I've never done it.But this time I broke the rule ( they're meant to be broken anyway, arent they??).... I just didnt want the tirade to go on, and as this still is my space the last time I checked, I decided to clean it up. If somebody doesnt like it, too bad.

There's a Blog Meet happening in Delhi next weekend. I'm planning to attend, and this will be my first DBM ever. Looking forward to it.

Will definitely try to blog more regularly. I seem to be saying that a lot these days....

I've recently been witness to a shocking incident. Shocking for me at least, because although I'd heard of such things happening I never imagined I'd actually see it for myself.

A close friend had put up her profile on one of the new wedding portals, the ones that have become so popular today. After corresponding with some guys for a while, she kind of developed an understanding with one of them, an army officer. They began chatting on MSN,and exchanged phone numbers, and basically began a funny long-distance thing.

He was posted somewhere in Rajasthan but his parents were in a big metro city far away. My friend and this guy used to talk regularly of getting married and stuff like that, the only problem being that his folks were against it. A caste/community issue according to him. Anyway they decided that he would keep trying to win his parents over, while she maintained a low profile for some time. This basically meant that he wouldn't tell anyone,even his best friends, about her. He never took her calls when there were people around, and used to keep his phone switched off for days on end.

My friend the innocent, kept her side of the bargain. She didn't tell anyone apart from her immediate family and 2-3 close girl friends including me. She'd call him daily, and put up with his unannounced absences and the uncertainty of the whole situation. I did tell her to find out a little more about the guy - she knew only his name, cell number and whatever little he'd told her. No unit , no address, nothing. Then there were a number of small, unrelated things.....And I being the kind of person I am, began getting suspicious.

And my worst fears did come true. We found out that the man is a cheat. Sure, he's in the army. But he gave her a wrong name and rank. Because he's already married and has a daughter to boot. When she confronted him with this, he gave her the usual sob story about having a bad marriage and wanting to get a divorce. He had the nerve to keep calling her and telling her he'd always cherish her memories. She kept getting swayed by his sweet talk, till she found out that he was trying that he was corresponding with other girls as well. God, I swear I can kill that man.
My friend is devastated. She comes from a conservative middle class family who were anyway not in favour of a love marriage. Now she loses face in front of them. And, being on the wrong side of 30, she feels she'll probably never get married now. I spend as much time as I can, telling her she's wrong. There isn't much else I can do. God, had I been in her place, that man would've regretted it till the day he died. The army can court martial an officer for such a crime. I'd have made him pay. As it is , I wonder how many other girls he's been cheating. May the b****** rot in hell.

This incident shook me. Agreed, some of the fault lies with my friend as well. She was too trusting, and too ready to fall in love. But that doesn't give anyone the right to do something like that. And an army officer !!! What the hell is wrong with this world??

If you or someone you know is into this matrimonial website thing, please please make sure that they exercise due caution. There are a lot of sick people out there. You're the only one who can protect yourself from unnecessary pain.

I'm feelin blue...

I've been down with viral fever for the last few days. Fever, chills, cough, cold, the usual. Have been feeling miserable. Meant to get some serious blogging done, but just don't have the energy. And now the thought of going to office tomorrow is adding to my depression. Unfortunately work waits for no one. Don't you wish sometimes that you could just give it all up?

Romantic me??

I found this quiz on Mistress of Magic's blog and decided to give it a shot. The result:

You Are A Realistic Romantic

You are more romantic than 70% of the population. It's easy for you to get swept away by romance...But you've done a pretty good job keeping perspective.You're still taken in by love poems and sunsetsYou just don't fall for every dreamy pick up line!

Soaped to death....

You hear it everywhere these days. In office, in buses, in friends' conversations, at family gatherings, even at your own home. The dreaded K words. The godawful K-prefixed soap operas that take up my mom and dad's time every evening are so popular it scares me.

Everyone I know and their aunts, seem to be so involved in these so called stories. What Karan did, what Tulsi said, what Pallavi planned, who married whom, who cheated on whom, who was shot dead, who was reborn.....The scriptwriters of these mushy, silly shows seem to have become more powerful than God himself ( or maybe it should be herself, but more on that some other time). They can resurrect dead characters from the grave, kill perfectly healthy ones thru instant cancer, give them a makeover thru plastic surgery ( mind you, not just the face but even the height and voice change.....). I've tried watching a couple of shows, but had to give up. Sometimes out of disgust, and sometimes because I was laughing so loud I couldnt hear the dialogues.

I refuse to understand how logical, rational people can get hooked on to stuff like this. And what's worse, they are getting their kids hooked as well. Don't they realise what they're doing?

I'm sure there are lots of people like me out there, who dislike these soaps and prefer more intelligent stuff. But from the looks of it guys, we are in a minority. What a shame.

Butterflies in my stomach...

My week of relaxation ends today. Tomorrow, I start my new job. Of course I'm jittery. I mean, it's not just a new job. It's a return to the way of life I'd left behind about a year and a half ago. The BPO I've been working in since then, has got me used to things like unusual work hours, late nights, cab transport, casual work environment and all that. Now, I'm joining this big corporatised travel agency where the work day begins at 9.30 am, the dress code is strict and there are no cab pick-ups.

It's going to take some getting used to. But I'm sure I'll manage. After all, that is what I was doing before the BPO stint.

Anyway, like my wise friend VC said, the only thing constant in life is change. So life, here I come!

New beginnings

2004 was a very eventful year. A lot happened, good as well as bad. MMS became a household world, for example. Camera phones came "into the picture", pun not intended. But the earthquake-tsunami of 26 Dec overshadowed everything. It was the worst disaster of recent history, affecting hundreds of thousands of people. The total loss to life and property is still being calculated. The scars will take a long time to heal.

But there is something about a new year that makes one feel better about things. A New year brings with it the hope that the worst is behind you and the best, yet to come. It's like a new page in a notebook, giving you a chance to make a fresh start to the story. I hope 2005 will allow me and everyone else to make that fresh start.

This new blog, the new job, are all part of my fresh start. Here's to new beginnings!

So here we are again

I guess it had to happen sooner or later. I've finally moved to Blogger and adopted a new blogger identity. 2005 is a new year for me in so many ways. New job, new hair colour, and now a new blog. Cool!!

This is of course a test post. More to come.