Happy Birthday .. to me!

12:00 AM: An sms from first best friend Suppi wishing me a very happy birthday :)
1:30AM:
Mom whispering loudly to Altoid(Who is here for her annual vacation)"Is it 12 yet?"
Altoid:*Matter of fact tone* "No , its 1:30"
Mom:"Oh no!!! We missed midnight! .. I will wake your Dad up.."
I pretended to be fast asleep and shut my eyes tighter lest I stole their thunder.
By this time , my Mom had successfully prodded my Dad in the stomach to wake him up.
Dad:*Who had taken his rehearsals from the previous night a tad too seriously*
" Happy Birthday to you ....."*sing song voice*
Mom:"Hushhhhh... Its me!"
Dad:"oh"
Mom:" Come.. we will get the cake"
Dad:*Eyes shining* "Cake!"
The next thing i see hear is my Dad brandishing a cake with a candle atop it.
*Happy Birthday to youuuu ...* yes I definitely know where I get my out of tune singing from.

Mom emerged victoriously with two jewel boxes.

*Flashback start*
Yesterday, sometime in the afternoon , Dad had mysteriously entered the room and grunted even more mysteriously to Mom.
Dad:" Your old school colleague Mrs SK has come" (Like he was reading out a herald)
Mom: "Who??"
Dad:*Glares hard and grunts even harder*
Mom:*Light dawns..30 years of living together had to get them somewhere*
Alto: *giggle*
Me to Alto: "Is that the jeweler?"
Alto*Very helpfully* "When?"
*Flashback End*

Me:"Ma? You guys got me jewelery? Who knew!"

And that my dear friends is the story each time!

Jesus Christ from the old company called, strange thing with him being , we never talk to each other the entire year !Messages from unknown numbers are quite embarrassing.Like the one that went "Someone above loves you , someone below cares for you .. Happy Budday" it went.Turned out to be a colleague who is very nice, of course I am going to be nicer to him from today.I love everybody who remembers my budday.

I love my budday.

Happy Budday to me

:)

Aaj Din Badiya

Today I chose the work from option coz I had to take Amma to the doctor.She's been suffering from a bad bout of cold and cough for the past 2 weeks(FYI all the worry warts , she says she feels better now.She even criticized my Rasam , so I can vouch for the her being better part).

After dropping her off at the clinic , I drove around looking for parking.It was a glorious morning with the sun's rays glistening through the trees.After about a week of wet and damp weather , I suddenly felt that my world was clearing up , with the Sun providing me with the much needed cheering up that I really could do with.I found a little parking spot , all secluded and shady under a tall Banian tree.Ever since I came back from the US I've been complaining about how in Bangalore , you never get to see a complete skyline.From where I was sitting , I could see just that! A clear blue sky , some birds chirping and little children trotting off to school.And then the radio broke into the "Aaj Din Chadeya" song from Love Aaj Kal.

It was a nice morning :)

HAPPY DIWALI

My dearest readers :)

Here's wishing you all a happy , prosperous and a peaceful Diwali :)

HAPPY DIWALI!!

Ahoy Farmer!

You know you are addicted to Farmville when your To-Do list for the day reads thus

-Check in INTC changes

-Check for multiple status report

-Harvest strawberries in 1 hour , else they will wither

-Hack into Amma's facebook account and gift self a Cherry Tree

-The chicken is ready for harvesting

-Befriend Zayed_Pasha_Coolest dude ,

he's on level 10 and is willing to send me free Farmville gifts .

NOTE: Can also be added as a Neighbor - thats 200

experience points.

The Raghu Dixit concert

was what I went to last Friday purely on a whim.It started with an impulsive yes to S's suggestion , who by the way has been singing paeans of praise about RD ever since the Gudugudiya song hit the charts.So there we were , S's two madcap cousins(who I found amazingly endearing), S's madcap friends , Aksa and I.My vision of RD at this point was that of a man who "..wore a Lungi and sported a bead necklace" ,courtesy Aksa and who was ".. the most divinely talented most amazing human being who's ever walked the earth " , courtesy S. What struck me most about the entire experience was RD himself , not only is he a wonderful singer, but the manner in which he interacted with the audience, explained in detail to us the whys and the hows behind each song and its composition,made us dance to his tunes(literally) , introduced his Mother to us(A very sweet looking lady)and made sure that our bleary work day got completely transformed into a rocking night.Thanks , so much RD.. I would strongly recommend you to buy the CD complete with its Madhubani inspired depictions of a dancing/walking/thinking RD, Song lyrics and a thank-you note from RD which is oh-so-lovely! And oh .. this is his website

All my bags are packed ..

I return to India today.And , I am just back from a 6AM walk that gears me up to face the rest of the day.The ladies setting up the breakfast counter wished me a cheery good morning.I'm going to miss being here.Miss the 6AM hour , when there's a hint of daylight , the sound of those dreadful geese , and the splashing of the water in the fountain.I feel like the world is one giant baby that's slowly waking up .. and guess what? I already did that!



Ok , so moving on..The highlight of the trip was the sister , of course! The only reason I didn't lose my mind given the colleagues I traveled with(calls out for a looong post) and the only reason I never felt homesick.Someone who'd patiently chalk out my travel itinerary for each weekend with the right amount of fun,history(err yes .. I sometimes call her eMonica) and someone who never put on the bored face when she took me out on these outings(given she has seen these places about 30 zillion times already).You know .. bored faces (the one's that read Oh been here , seen it already , gotta see it again 'coz I need to show you around) are SUCH a turn-off for enthusiastic tourists .. well what do you know emo , you definitely were'nt that, thank god!


Of all the places I have been to , I liked the Niagara the best.. I think I will be back each year at a different season to watch the Niagara. I remember the first time the spray hit my face. At that exact instant , nothing mattered , it was just me and the spray and the all pervading sound of the river.. strange .. that something that sounds so forceful should bring out a sense of peace within you..


A close second was the Harper's Ferry ..the Potomac river and the Shenandoah valley .. I remember taking a long walk with Appa that day while Amma and Alty sat on a rock .. reading!! Really!







DC comes third , DC has that air about it.Like New Delhi , Leonine, royal, well-read ..

:) .

So here it is. A salute to the star spangled banner and a cheery wave to the tri-color.

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Independence

-Is to drive 20 miles to Khasiyat and to rake in Sev-bhatata-puri , aloo-methi-corn parathas ,a (tall) glass of Lichee Lassi and to finish up with a sweet pan.
-Is to book tickets to Kaminey and to realise that not only is the movie Fantabulous , but it also is a visual treat .. Shahid Kapur .. hubba hubba!!
-Is to then hop on to a train to New York just in time to catch the New York night tour.
-Is to then walk from the 42nd street to the something street to taste authentic Thai food.
-Is to then drive back , miss a few exits , miss a few turns , curse NJ's confusing intersections and idiotic signage and finally reach familiar territory.
-Is to come back to the hotel and try on the newly bought identical pink "I love NY" tees and go to bed while in them.

... the perks of having a sister don't just end here..

Happy Independence Day , everybody..

A brief candle; both ends burning
An endless mile; a bus wheel turning
A friend to share the lonesome times
A handshake and a sip of wine
So say it loud and let it ring
We are all a part of everything
The future, present and the past
Fly on proud bird
You're free at last!

To Independence !!!

Ps: Incidentally, today is also Aksa's birthday .. Aksa, hope you had a good one :)

Lets make it short - I

“Amma … I’m leaving for work, come and shut the door”
“Mini , has Adi left too?”
“ I’ve no clue Amma , just check if his laptop is still in the room”
“Really now, what kind of generation are we living in, in our times we used to know our husbands by the beat of his heart”
“Right.Bye Amma”


“Coffee?” pinged a message from Surya. It was 11 already? God , and she had’nt even started on that document .. when was the team meeting due …oh right , Friday.
Mini started walking towards the lounge to find Surya leaning against the bay window, their regular coffee hang-out.
“Whats up, Sue??”
“Nothing much, the usual, met another matrimony guy ..”
Mini smiled. “This must be the better of the phases?”
“Mini , he’s this numerology freak and he thinks I must change my name to Suryaa Kumari , like the name isn’t bad enough already!”
“Maybe that's one of quirks .. what does ..”
“We should so go shopping today , Mini!! There’s a cottage industry fair at M.G.Road!!”
“ No Sue .. it might rain and Amma might get really worried ..”
“Oh come on Mini , I’ll drop you home!”
“…”
“AT your door-step?? And do pranams to your mother in law so she doesn't think I’m a muscle oozing yellow tee shirt wearing moustache endowed man??”
Mini dimpled.
“Can anyone really say no to you when you’re in one of these moods?”


“Yeh kitna bhaiyya?” That was Sue picking a horrendous looking yellow and pink “Ikat” duppatta.
“Sorry , memsaab no for sale hum pack up kar rahein hain”
“What!? What kind of salesman are you??”
“Woh humne socha train 9 bhaje ko tha , ab patha chala 6 bhaje ko hai madam …miss ho gaya tho bahut gadbad hojayega”
It was already 5 and the poor man was frantically stuffing all his wares into gunny bags and looking hassled.
“Come on Sue , lets help him..”

Mini and Sue bundled the rest of the clothes into sacks while the salesman went in search of an auto.
“You know what ,Minzie , we could steal a dozen of these Ikats and he would never know!”
“Which is why God sent him back with an auto.. quick bundle them all in with him”
“Bahut thank you very much madam , aap ka patha dedo , hum call karega , agli baar sale hua tho..”
“I just have my visiting card .. yeh rak lo..” said Mini with a smile.
“Happy Journey!”
“I’m too famished now Minzie , lets just head home ?”
“ Yes , please.”


“Mini...” called out Amma as she came out into the garden with two steaming cups of coffee. The afternoon sun trickled down the branches of the mango tree making little patterns on the book that Mini was reading.
It was coming… She felt it .. Now…?
“How’s work going on , Mini ?”
“Its ok Amma, a little stressful”.
This said, would definitely clinch it.
“Its time you and Adi settled down and had children”
“Yes, Amma”...Did that sound too mechanical?
She added with a smile “Soon you will be playing with your grandchild on this very swing!”
“When did Adi say he would be back from his tour? In 3 weeks? Seems by far the shortest tour he has been on…
Mini?? Oh well.. go on with your reading , I’m going inside”

February 3rd , 12:00 AM
Her cell phone started blinking silently.
Mini covered her hand over the mouthpiece while grinning into it.
“Sue!”
“Happy Birthday , Minz .. Have a fantastic year ahead!”
“Sue , you could have told me this on a less absurd hour? Thanks so much for the wishes…”
The third of February. A day whose mention always had a ring to it. Her birthday.

She reached office early. On birthdays and wedding anniversaries Amma strictly forbade her from coming into the kitchen.

“Mini madam, aap ke liye parcel hai”
Who could it possibly be she wondered idly as she signed the counterfoil.No.. wouldn’t he be in transit..?
It was a brown paper parcel which read “Yamini Rao” in hindi.She opened it to find a beautiful hand woven ikat scarf in brilliant shades of red and orange. Atop it, was a letter.
It read “ Is saal ke pehle batch ka pehla piece.Us din ke liye shukhriya”.It signed off “Barabankiwaala”

It was going to be a Happy Birthday after all.

The Bachelorette

Its been almost 2 months and a half that I have been in Umrica , and I feel like I've belonged to my hotel room forever!I have loved it so far , the long early morning walks listening to the iPod with the fresh wind on my face , the late evenings , coming home and cooking up whatever catches my fancy , sipping coffee while devouring Ponniyin Selvan. I think its the silence that I like most.The feeling of living with just myself.And I mean it in a non eerie way.There is the space and the silence and there's me and there's me again. :) Who would've thunk !

Some of my favorite spots around my home here..yes , it can indeed be called that :)



My 7:30 Pm cup of coffee








Comfort food .. rice and spinach dal










Just back from office mess .

'Coz some of us need to live by "Because the world is always on" motto..

Identity Crisis

The other day , Altoid's close friend M invited us very kindly for lunch.After about 2 months of surviving my cooking and my colleagues' cooking..remind me to write about her sometime.. now this colleague of mine follows a very simple rule of thumb for every dish that she cooks ..
-Prepare a tadka of mustard seeds , channa dal , green chillies, red chillies,red chilli powder,garam masala, turmeric , any handy powder within a 3 metre radius
-Add to rice/subzi/semolina/vermicilli/egg mixture
-Say Fini

Ok, moving on.. M had cooked a fabulous , tasty and healthy(just the kind I love) lunch for us and just when we were lolling about the kitchen waiting for M to scoop out the ice cream for us , Alt launched on her favorite topic - Sagittarians.About how we the sagis are the out of sight out of mind variety(Now , tell me.What can I do if I choose not to miss people? Whats the point being sad about people who aren't around?Why waste a precious day being unhappy about things you can't help? Tell?).Yeah , thats when something stirred in the head.

A long time ago, I was 11.Then,to say that my sister was suffering the worst possible side effects of the terrible teens would be to understate.The Mother was , well , herself.So the two ganged up , yet again.

So , one Sunday afternoon , as I was sitting at my desk battling with a Gulmohar,the two creeped up behind me.And suddenly started talking , like they weren't aware I was around. I know! They sucked at play acting.Anyway , here's how the "conversation" went:
Alt : What will she do now?Its almost as if her whole identity has changed...
Mom: Yeah ..*err*.. correct
Alt: Who would've thought they were going to introduce a new zodiac sign!And that too called Ophiuchus!
Mom: Yes.. *err* unforutnately people born between November 30th and December 17th are now Ophiuchusites! Now , couldn't she have been born on the 18th?
Alt:OMG .. is she a cusp between this Ophi something and Sagittarius?What are the characteristics of this Ophi thing?Will all her Sagittarian traits ebb away now..?
By this time , I had forgotten to pretend I wasn't listening.. my head had turned 180 degrees and the eyes were popping out of their sockets..
Seren: Ammmaaa.. sob sob... what will I do Ammmmaa.. I dont want to be a cusb...
Amma:*Realizing that this was the most fun she could glean out the situation* Don't be silly now , couldn't you see we were playing a trick on you? Don't behave like an ass , now!
Alt: Yeah , I agree! Can't you take a joke without perennially turning on the waterworks?
Seren:*Looking very hopefully* So , this new zodiac was all fiction? I am still a Sagittarian?
Alt: Hell, no!It very much exists! Amma , say hellooooooo to our new Ophiuchusite...!!!

Yes , and my colleagues/friends wonder why I am this moody and cranky.Childhood scarring , I tell you!!

One can't have too many friends ... or pairs of shoes!

Alt's shoe fetish has caught on ... it didn't take too much effort , anyway.
Like Joey says " I'm so happy ..."*goofy smile*

The Matrimony Chronicles -The Donts

If you're sick of my chronicles , I understand your pain ,maybe this list might make you laugh.

The Don'ts

1)I understand you have a best friend and he/she's been your friend ever since you were in diapers.But when he/she said you looked best in your profile photos , they meant it with your HEAD also turned ALONG with your body.Now ,its plain scary to look at you with your body heading west and your head peering into the camera with an oh-look-at-me-im-so-dandy expression.

2)Remember Tinkle? Remember the column in which you had spot what was wrong with the picture that you saw in front of you?To quote an example .. one in which Hansel and Gretel are browsing the internet?(Ok, I made that up..hey, do you think I should send this as an entry to Uncle what-was-he? Pai? Shenoy?).Ok, come back now.Well yeah , today I saw one such pic.The guy was standing in a beach in California (next to the board that read that)and he was wearing a veshti.Next time , you might want to bring in an elephant Mr.Beach.

3)Parents of the groom, please note this.When the groom's profile reads thus: Mr XYZ , the great grandson of Sangeetha Vidwaan Nagercoil Sriman XYZnathan , grandson of violin Vidwaan from Tanjore Mr ABCswamy , son of blah blahRaman..well excuse me , this isn't the place to put in a herald..unless your son were to be Raja Raja Chola!

Which reminds me , I'm through with the 4th volume of Ponniyin Selvan.Superb read.I've decided to read the remaining two volumes sparingly .. they need to tide me through the next month and a half.

And thank you for leaving no "Thoughts" in my previous two posts.Hmph.The support is much appreciated.

I want..

to be in the cab that takes me home everyday .. its raining and its 6:15 PM , the Hebbal flyover is milling with people who use plastic covers as head-gear.. and I hear familiar sounds in the bus ; of my cab mates playing dumb charades and fighting over whether the movie they're miming actually exists .. theres "Madhura pisumathigee " playing over the FM.. i see Girl1 and Guy2 exchanging glances when their favorite songs playing .. i hear Amma calling me asking me what I'd like to have for dinner .. I eye my favorite road near Hotel Ashoka .. i peek out to see if anything interesting is on at CKP...I wish... I were home...

But I'm not ! And hence I'm planning a trip to NY tomorrow!

Jai Ho! Carpe Diem!

;) what did u think?

North meets South

Its their wedding anniversary today.I called Alto's at 6:30 AM sharp.
Me: Happy Wedding Anniversary, Appa! What did both of you do from morning?
Appa:*Pauses*
We BOTH got up.
She drank milk.
I made coffee and drank it.
She went for a walk.
I read the paper.
She's back with Alto , so now I will go for a walk.

:D , right!

Tales from Pardes-I

Its 7:45 PM and there's still daylight.My watch reads 5:15 AM.There's always this bull headed urge to do the math and calculate US time rather than reset the watch that was set in India.
Anyway , saying India umpteen times is just going to open the flood gates isn't it?So we think happy things.
Jetlag.Yesterday night , I woke up every 1.5 Hr intervals, in one such interval I noticed that the temperature sensor blinked "Please replace the batteries." , yes , it even had the full stop.And I wondered if I should call Amma(Would it be day time for her) or my sister(Is it 4AM ? That , would be day time for her).I wondered what would happen if I hadn't woken up that second 1.5 Hour interval.Would I have been hermetically sealed inside the room with a broken temperature sensor and no fresh air(when irony oh irony there were exactly 10 big trees outside my window?).But , of course!Switch off the sensor thingy(basic electronic circuit theory lesson 1) and open windows which will open exactly 4 inches upwards like the sticker on the window says.
I woke up again at 6AM and surprise surprise there was daylight.The nose had frozen though.
I reached home a couple of minutes back , after taxi driver from Pakistan Mr.Ada waved me a cheery goodbye.I fixed myself some "Tea from India" dutifully bought at the Indian Store(You know , it so ironic, back home I drink Twinings).And then I remembered the sensor needing battery.I called up the reception and promptly went for a shower.So there I was tra lalaing and there came a loud knock.Yes , of course Murphy was right.I opened the door to a cheery red capped old man.
CROM(Chery red capped old man): " helllo!!!"
Seren:"Hi!!"(This cute old thing is going to save me from being hermetically sealed etc etc)
CROM:"$##$$#$$##$$#"
Seren:"?"
Seren:"ENGLISH??"
CROM(*wincing coz of all the yelling*):"No"
Seren:*Hopefully*"Punjabi?"
CROM:"Spanish"
Seren: " Well, okay come in!"
CROM:*Peers at the sensor*
Seren the idiot:" See?It reads change battery , so will you?"
CROM:*Turns the knob towards heat and then pretends that hes feeling very very cold(crouches down on his knees and makes brr brr sounds followed by a happy face when the heat was turned up) and then turns the knob to cooling and pretends to fan himself*
Seren:"Cute old man , I know how the AC works,I didn't do that badly at college I say!!"
Seren:*Shows the message *
CROM:*Points to my index finger which has my voting mark and looks puzzled and hurt*
Seren:*Oh sheesh , how am I going to tell him I voted for BJP and thats where I got the dye!! Ammmaaa*
CROM:*Bulb switched on under the cap*"Oh.... no no!!No battery it electrical..No worry!"
Seren:*Accompanies CROM to the door and resolves to keep window open , the nose will just have to do with the freezing now , wont it!!*

At Uncle Sams'

The I is now in Umrica :)..more updates and posts to follow ..Jai ho!

Result of Matrimony Chronicles -III

Dhanya, you asked for it ;).

The story so far

Q is the latest matrimony matter.Q is phone-shy.I was supposed to meet aforesaid matter at 6.I vetoed the continental restaurant idea.As it is things are going very shamathuly, imagine meeting Q matter in Conti restaurant at 6.Nothing to eat also , no coffee also.So I vetoed.

I went about 5 minutes early and plonked myself at Vi , Viv's and my favorite table , the corner table facing the road.And conveniently got lost in Ponniyan Selvan.SMS at 18:00:00 sharp, unknown number reads(I don't store numbers until after the first meeting,no?)"I am here".I replied " :), come up I'm on the first floor".

And then Q came.And sat.And I smiled.And silence reigned.I started tapping feet to the tunes of "Jinke mari na".And then Q spoke.Two pearls dropped on to the table.

Q:"I'm a very shy , introverted,independent person"
Seren:"Hmmm..that's nice..I'm sure.."
Q:"And you?"
Seren: "I'm not shy , I think I'm an extrovert,but I'd say I was independent"
Q smiled understandingly..he knew what it was to find a fellow Independent.

The waiter who had dismissed us to be the "2 coffee-1 plate idly" variety was in for a shock.Because Q asked for the mocktail menu.Yes ,definite potential for a blog post.

The next 20 minutes went very similar to a 20-20 match.Here's how.

Q:What technology do you work on?
S:3GPP
Q:Doesn't that do technosoundingword version 3?
S:I think its version 4, not sure..
Q:It is version 3, I worked on it just last month
Score Q-1 S-0.

In an attempt to assuage the situation and not have Amma harp "But you don't give them a chance" I thought I'd shift the focus to Amma, well , she asked for it.Albeit in my head.

S:Last week , my Mom went walking in Lalbagh and a candidate came to campaign.Mom went and complained to him about the fact that she had two daughters and how unsafe it is for women in Karnataka given these situations.To this , the candidate grinned back sheepishly and mumbled that soon very soon something would be done to condone it.
(After this burst of bravado , Mrs Arjuna award came home and shivered wondering if the party goondas would be after her given she's a regular Lalbagh walker)
Q:So which party did she vote for this time around?
S:Its a secret ballot you know ;)
Score Q-1 S-1

Q:Ahem.So which places have you traveled to and what did you feel when you did.
S:I visited Agra last year and it was then that I was reading the Feast of Roses.It felt good to be visiting all the places that were spoken of in the book..But you know , I didn't really have an AHA moment when I saw the Taj Mahal , maybe owing to the fact that it was so crowded..and..
Q:Ok and which other place?
S:We visited Kerala this year
Q:I have covered the entire stretch up north and west.Only east is pending.
S:Really?I thought you said you hated traveling?
Q:Yes, I do.

Q:-infinity S:+infinity



I felt tired.This was worse than answering an interview.An hour of my life wasted right in front of my eyes...and then he bowled a googly.

Q:So, are you usually dressed like this?
S:*I looked down wondering if I forgot to wear my top.No .. didn't seem the case* "No , I dress differently in the swimming pool" (Another vain attempt at humor)
Q:Ok.. my Dad's very conservative firstly and secondly he doesn't like Iyers too much
S:Hain? *Ok and we met why?*
Q:But then , you know its all about DDLJ
S:Ok
Q:You know, convincing parents if you feel right about it.
S:Sure
Q:*Gets up suddenly as if something bit him(or hit him like I was itching to)* Let's go.
S:Yep.

Stick a fork in me,I'm done.

The Matrimony Chronicles- III

Lets call him , Q. 'Coz if he's following this blog , he mightn't know.Well err yeah , mostly he wouldnt know.I'm told most people don't know their quirks even when they're told about it.Take Amma , for example.She thinks she's got a great sing song voice.She doesn't.Whenever my Dad's friends call up , they think she's him.
Anyway,back to Q.

Q lives two streets away which is why I thought there'd be some hope for the alliance.Imagine!! 2 streets!And so,I agreed.
After the initial Hi , I studied till 10th here ,my family are descendants from this rhesus monkey etc etc, we moved to Phase 2 i.e the boy girl chatting meeting stage.I mailed him my email id and mobile number, for which he replied saying he was , hold your breath *phone-shy*.Now , none of the full bodied matri men Ive met so far have been phone shy.I thought men usually jumped at the thought of having a girl's(ANY girl's) phone number.Hmmm , this must be what Amma kept talking about.That men get senile after a certain age.Serve me right for not having married when I was 23.Q added saying it would be a good idea to meet.Ahhh I thought ..he's a cut above the rest , he wants to meet instead of just talking ...oh wait there's some more text.What's that? He wants us to meet online at 9:30 Pm on Yahoo messenger.And his id is "yahoomessenger009".I imagined what his other ids would be "skype4u_010" , "gtalk_4u_4frm_me_011".In this day and age , with a zillion messengers , it must be hard to remember IDs.Right?

The last time I had an online appointment when I 17.When sameer_bhatia_punjab_da_puttar from PnJaab told me that he had an online crush on me (he loved my fonts).I forgave Q for this faux paus.After all , he lived two streets away.How bad could he be.

A week later (I forgot to keep up the said appointment .. I really cant think why), I got a mail from Q.It read " Hi *Seren's full name..uh oh bad sign*, I was online between 9:15:53 to 9:45:51 .. nearly half hour (actually 29 minutes 58 seconds)and you did'nt turn up(Really?Are you sure I didnt!) , I think you must've mailed me the reason .. but for some reason I didnt receive any mail(Err yes Post man chacha misplaced it and mailed it to Oklipuram instead) , I am sure you have reasons for doing what you did(Yes , would you say the same if I broke a vase on your head? Please?), can we meet online today at 9:15 PM?.Now, you know ,I hate statistic keeping whiny people.Normal whiny people I dont mind.But oh!Two streets away!

Recently I received yetannoder mail from him asking if we could meet.I said 'Sure!How about coffee at Kalmane?'And pat came the reply 'I hate the smell of coffee and jasmine , could we meet at someweirdcontinental restaurant at 6'.*Sigh*.If a coffee filter were to be male and tam brahm , I'd consider marrying it I say , and dude hates the SMELL ?SMELL? If I were to be in coma(touch wood) a good way to bring me back to senses would be to bring me some coffee.Sere.I'm being spoilt.Yes , so please sue me.

Hmph.

Sigh.

Two streets = 5 minutes from Home.

Ok , I go meet him and see.He can't be too bad.

A trip to Maddur

Some weeks back , I decided I'd take the geriatrics to to Maddur.Why Maddur? 'Coz of the famous Vaidyanatha Temple thats a few kilometres from the town and also the Ambegal Krishna temple at Doddamalur , near Chennapatna.
Now , lets talk our language.
We set out at 7:30AM laden with biscuits , fruits , dates , Filter kaapi flask , hand towel , leg towel, towel towel , newspaper , 3 library books(which were stored carefully in a separate 'book' bag in case they got lost/damaged/lost and damaged),iodex, amritanjan,shampoo hair comb, paddle hair comb, soap,dettol.
Suffice to say , my Mother's previous birth must have been that of an ant.A wary one at that.
Car driving always puts me into a bad mood.The pressure of having to save one's life , one's dependent's lives(which includes Petunia's as well) is a little too much to handle.Especially with Petunia , she's certainly not a morning person.There was a maddening jam at the Mysore road junction , a demented Sumo guy came and hit my bumper and sailed forth after showering abuses on ME!I showed off my vocabulary rather well , only to find two horrified faces looking at me wondering what they had done wrong. Sheesh! Sometimes there's no winning , is there?
Once out of Kengeri , the highway broadens into three and that's when you really start enjoying the drive.At this point , I felt like the girl from the Sumo Victa Ad , any of you remember her?She's the one who drives a Sumo Victa with her entire family dozing behind her.Found it.
An hour later , we stopped at Kamat Lokaruchi(Lok-aa-ruchi as Gee calls it in her Punju accent :)) for breakfast.You have a choice of a breakfast-Buffet versus singal-singal order.Buffet it was!We were served little glasses of fresh pure grape juice , 2 hot idlies , crispa vadas , hot pongal,the kharabath-kesaribath duo, and quarter pieces of hot masala dosa, with chutney and sambar.That's one thing I love about Karnataka.The food.Its a vegetarian's paradise.
We washed down the breakfast with a cup of hot filter kaapi , found ourselves smiling dreamilly(obviously because of the breakfast) and sauntered into Janapada Loka which is right next to Lokaruchi.
Our next stop was to be the Ambegal Krishna temple at DoddaMalur.Ambegaalu in Kannada means "to crawl".Legend has it that it was after visiting this temple that Purandaradasa composed the famous "Jagadhodharana Adisidalu Yashoda".It was my favorite composition during dance practices.Coming to think of it , all songs describing Lord Krishna enthrall me.

What struck me most about the temple were its walls, walls that had probably seen history unfold.
Old.Majestic.Sanctuary , yes , thats the word to describe it best.

It was around 11 when we set off towards the Vaidyanathaswamy temple in Maddur,which is about 20 Kms from Chennapatna.You need to branch off into the Maddur Main road from the highway and take a detour that will lead you to the Vaidyanathapura road.There on , its a straight course.Ask any native the way and they'll go "Straight hogi madam , then swalpa yeda , matthe balagade ondu sethuve sigathhe , alli hoga baradu.. " and so on.For those lost in translation , that meant "keep going straight, turn to the left a *little* , turn to the right and you will find a bridge..that's where you mustn't be going :D.

In any of the Vaidyanatha temples , the pooja involves immersing some jaggery and salt into the Kalyani(to indicate that the disease will vanish just as the salt and jaggery do into the waters).

I watched as my Mom and Dad vanished into the temple before it closed for lunch and stood at the head of the steps.From where I stood , I could see forests, paddy fields and the river.. all at once.Sometimes , you don't really need a temple or an idol to pray to.

Come 1'o clock and we reached Maddur town.I insisted on stopping at the Maddur railway station.It brings back memories of my childhood when my entire family would make a trip to Mysore , our ancestral hometown.And my uncle used to make it a point to stop at the Maddur railway station for the famous Maddur Vadas.The railway station is so much from a scene from Malgudi days.So idyllic and sleepy.

The station guard sauntered up to me while I was clicking away and asked me if I was press-avaru.I told him I'd put it up on the internet , would he like to strike a pose?He blushed a brilliant red and changed the subject.He pointed to a poster of the ' Fairy Queen' and told me very sadly that steam engines were a thing of the past.
As I slowly pulled out of the railway station towards the highway , I could hear familiar voices in my head , that of Patti describing to me how my great grandad had to sell our Mysore home in order to treat a great aunt's illness , how Thatha used to come back to a *rented*(she would sigh at this time) house in Mysore , some more about the mango trees and the jackfruit orchards.Somehow that entire stretch from Bangalore to Mysore is like a cord that connects me to my past , familiar names -Chennapatna , Maddur, Mandya,Srirangapatna , T-Narsipur(we had old barren land there -but catch me calling it that in front of Patti) and then finally Mysore.

yesterday all my troubles seemed faar away ..!

Yesterday was just lovely.The entire day.
Morning started off with rigorous gymming , after which i settled down beside a colleague with a plate of hot poha and chutney sent by Mom and a cup of steaming filter coffee.

The evening was cloudy and windy (typically Bangalore after 3 days of touching 35 degs) , my cab mates started playing DC and one girl had t he *gasp* audacity to ask me if I was good at acting.*GASP* . I wondered what Mom , Dad and Alt would sat to this .. . i still cant get over it! Seren , can you act??? can i act??
Oh well . I got quite a difficult word to "act" .. its just that my team cracked "illusion" in just about errm 10 seconds.
Thank you very much.
Anyway , evening saw me reach home by 6:30 , there was no power and I popped upstairs to have a dekho on all my potted plants.. I still havent posted about them , no? I have pictures too .. will post asap , ok? Anyway i have pots that I planted with my own little hands(yes , i am this cute) theres marigolds , petunias(which is also the name of my car) , theres a rose plant , jasmine , all of which i potted. Myself.
I came back and sat with Appa in the verandah , swung my legs and ate whatever Amma had left for me in the microwave(She had gone to the temple).It was windy and there was a touch of a drizzle .. i could smell the wet mud and some upma in the mouth.
:)

All my Bags

I'm not really a 'My bag needs to go with my outfit' kind of person.I'm more of a 'I will carry whichever bag I carried last night' kind of person.This is understandable since I need to catch a cab at 7:50 AM everyday and shifting a wallet , ipod,mobile,mobile charger,hair brush and a couple of other sensible utilities is too much to do that early in the morning when my To do list for the day reads
1.Don't leave without a bath
2.By leave , I mean to office.
Anyway , an avid shopper that I am, I can never think one bag more, is too many. Please find below, photos of my veritable bag collection and the tale that they have to tell.

The Shantiniketan Bag

Alto had the same bag in red (Do you still have it , Alt?) and I loved it.So much that Mom gifted me this bag on my birthday, I think it was my 18th.




The Do-it-yourself Bag .Gifted to me by Alto.The cutest bag I have.It came with all the stickers and my favorite is the yellow smily.

The corduroy bag , in my favourite color , red!Gifted to me by Alto(you will find this sentence used to bits in this post).Also Mom's favourite.

Byraka Mountain Gear

My college bag , lots of sentiments , trips, results, pani-puri tales,dust,bike-trip memories attached. I havent the heart to give it away :).

Kauko!

Gifted to me by Vi on my birthday. The multi utility ruffian bag.Vi and I used to keep yelping 'Kauko!' to each other whenever I carried the bag for a few days after that.

The twilight bag

I love this bag because of the wordings on it.The owner of the boutique we saw it in convinced me that since I'd given my heart to it in the auspicious twilight hour , I had to make it mine.By paying 800 odd bucks.Vi maintained that it wasn't auspicious but suspicious and it didnt really take twilight for me to be made an ass of.

Oh well.

Copper Nicus

The only trendy yet sensible bag I own , bought it at a sale at Brand factory.

The twin bag

It so happened that Alto had ordered the cream bag to be sent to me on my birthday and it didnt come through or so she thought , and ordered the maroon bag.Ta-da! Both landed on the same day.Being an ass must be heriditary :P

The crochet bag

Goes with my jeans and is uber-cool.The only non-rag cloth item that I found at Fab-India

Cleo the clutch

Gifted to me on my birthday by Gee and SRC.Im still waiting for the right time to team it with a black gown n ink-blue shoes :D

Red woolie bag
Hand made by Mom.Its too lovely too be carried!

Came with the tamboolam at somebody's wedding.Looks fab with a with a silk saree.

That's enough about me.Now tell me , in detail mind you , which is your favorite bag and whats the tale behind it? Tell Tell?

And oh .. happy V day .. heres hoping Ram Sene can do what my Mom hasn't been able to all these years..get me married!!
Heh

Retail therapy

A visit to the Home Store on a Sunday evening , cups of Latte and Cappuccino and plenty of 'family gossip' with the Mom make a looming Monday not so bad..

Results are out!

My engineering results have come .. after 6 and a half years .. from Sivaji TV.com.They renamed Bangalore University to Visveshvaraya Tech Univeristy , that I knew .. maybe its like how they renamed the MG road circle to Anil Kumble circle , err this meant Rajni Saar visited VTU?
Hmm .. oh look ..I flunked CS1303..