In AL AIN, UAE

A big sorry to all my friends to whom I couldnt bid farewell before leaving. To all those just enlightened, let me tell u that Im in the beautiful city of Al Ain in UAE, trying to make new beginnings.


Its a great place to be in especially this time of the year. Its cooler than the other emirates and a lot greener too. Theres not much traffic on the roads ( you can cross the roads blindfolded sometimes)
But what I like the most are the host of beautiful cars whizzing by. A GT Mustang, A Jaguar, Benz, Ferrari, and what not.

I just happened to glance at a black mercedes benz in the parking lot today. As it slowly drove by, it looked like a sexy lady dressed in black satin, walking into the sunset. An alluring fragrance wafting through the winter breeze, enticing you into a state of trance.................

RAIN RAIN........ DONT GO AWAY

Rain.....I am yet to understand why I have a strange affinity towards it, often including it in all my short stories as well. ( maybe my psychiatrist friend could tell me)
The navratri season is over and the weather seems to be acting funny.

As I look out my window, the skies seems to have paled out , ...then jaundiced.







Slowly and steadily, it seems to metamorphose into a smorgasbord of chromatic aberrations. My camera is all smiles as I click away at each confused look of the clouds.






Slowly it darkens and gathers courage, finally letting out a spray of wispy light rain. The accompanying petrichor is something to die for.




It is still raining and I am still wondering........

JOYRIDE

A Sudden twist of fate had me travel all the way to Kerala. I had hoped for a peaceful ride in the AC compartment of the train , but fate had something sinister in store for me.

The moment I entered the compartment, I found out that my fellow travellers included a loud voiced businessman and a very irritated baby accompanied by its equally harried mother. The kid was bawling away to kingdom come and I had to bid adieu to my afternoon siesta. I also realised that kids can scream beyond the maximum volume of your Ipod.

The train food lived upto its reputation and was bland and dry beyond the usual range of tastebud sensations. I had to contend with a bunch of bananas.
The Konkan railway route is usually very scenic and one can spend hours gazing through the windows. But this is not usually possible when your co-passenger includes an old ( very old) man with a flatulence problem. I had to run out of the compartment towards the main door every two hours gasping for breath.

The pot-bellied businessman was chattering away on his mobile phone so much that I am sure that there was a distinct imprint of the keys on his cheek (almost looking like a tattoo). He sounded like one of those TV Evangelists preaching the word of God. Who was the dimwit who thought of the idea of providing mobile charging points in train compartments?

The baby was relentlessly pursuing his vocal training and had finally quietened down by dinner time. My dinner done, I lay down my sheets and hoped for a good nap before the kid could start again. Kids have a unique bodyclock, as they tend to be more active during the nights. This I found out later when the kid had started research on the "affects of constantly switching lights on and off" which of course leads to the syndrome of sleep disturbance. Finally 'genius' slept and let other (me included) sleep too.

I did have my moment of revenge when my stop was due at around 5 am in the morning. My mobile phone has a popular bhajan as the alarm. And at precisely 5 am, the alarm rang and I let it ring for quite sometime. The bawling kid did the rest of the job as he let out a morning yelp and woke the the rest of the train right upto the engine driver.

I got down at my station a happy man.

...................
............needless to say, i took a flight back.

THE PARTY

The gang met up at Monica's place. We are more than grateful to monica and her hubby vinod for letting us trash their sweet home ( believe me we did trash it).
We had a gala time with the guys getting sozzled and the girls constantly looking at their watches much to our chagrin. Clicked a lot of pics (which I am yet to receive, hence have not put it up) The Biryani was mouthwatering, I doubt though that anyone was interested in its taste or texture (no one was sober enough). I dont drink but the euphoria of the party was enough to give me a high.

These parties are a peculiar lot. You get so lost in the fun that you tend to forget your problems. You hardly care about your future, you hardly care about work, you hardly care about where all these people will be after a couple of years. But then maybe thats what parties are for aint it so? Getting away from the usual tumultuous doldrums of life........cant wait for the next one

THE BENCH.....a short story

She had no umbrella, this beautiful lass. But the rain could hardly damage her sweet countenance. The freshly fallen rain had given the air a sweet lemony, earthy scent and she stood out like a fresh daisy. As she he sat on the bench and keenly awaited the arrival of every bus, she reminisced all his memories.
Her heart skipped a beat every now and then. She was looking eagerly towards the road and the myriad vehicles passing by. She scanned each passenger that got out of the various buses plying through that route.

She looked for that familiar fair face of her beloved with that dark forelock dangling across his broad forehead. How could she ever forget that face. She recalled the promises he made under the moonlight. Those loving eyes full of love , pure tenderness, the eyes that only spoke the truth and nothing else. That musky perfume that he wore, the feel of his heartbeat as she lay close to his chest, all came back to her like it was only yesterday
People told her that he wouldn’t come. Not many come back from war and battle. But deep down inside her sincere heart… she knew, he would.

An elderly gentleman sat next to her. For a few minutes he looked caringly at this oblivious soul staring out at the road with the eagerness of a teenager. Then slowly whispered into her ear “Did he come?”
Without turning back she replied “Not yet”.
“But he’ll be here soon, you’ll see”
The old man only smiled. He had no reply for hope. No one could break the strong faith this girl had in her loved one.
“Its getting dark. How about coming again tomorrow?” He asked.
She looked troubled “but….”
“Don’t worry, you can come back again here tomorrow”, he asserted.
Hesitatingly she stood up and took one final glance at the road.
“Come now dear, we don’t want to be late for dinner do we?” the old guy asked
Slowly he placed a hand on her shoulder and guided her to the nearby van.
Even as they sat inside, she couldn’t stop looking out.

The old man beckoned to the driver, who quickly dropped his cigarette and got in the van. He looked furtively at the puny lady. Then he started the engine and drove away.
“Has she been coming here everyday doctor?” he asked.
“Yes, every day….everyday since the last 14 years”, the old man in the white coat replied.
The driver was unperturbed. He had seen far many of them, all different types. But he couldn’t help but be amazed at this lady and her lost love as he drove to the mental institution.

THE SWINE FLU SCARE

“ACCHOOO”…. I sneezed and apologized to my fellow passengers in the 12: 40 kasara local. They looked at me with utter disdain and in a flash covered their faces with masks, handkerchief and the nearest lady’s duppatta. Feeling like an ostracized whore, I quickly exit at my station and curse that speck of dust that dare enter my nostrils.

What is it with people? The media hits a ‘BREAKING NEWS’ and suddenly people are conscious of the air they breathe. Not minding the fact that we have been breathing Tuberculosis bacilli, chicken pox viruses, second hand cigarette smoke, sulphur dioxide, methane from the neighbourhood tabela, ammonia from the urinals ( or roadside) and God alone knows what for the past decade.

Everywhere people are frantically covering up their noses and mouth with masks which the chemists are gleefully selling. This is the same generation that thinks twice before wearing a condom to prevent AIDS and other STDS.
‘Roche’ the company that markets TAMIFLU must be laughing all the way to the bank already.

The only thing we need to fear is media hype (the very ones that run after tantrik babas and the neighbourhood cat that fell into a drain and calls it BREAKING NEWS)
The media generated mass hysteria is creating fools out of the already fear stricken lot and we are surely to blame.

All you have to do is keep your resistance hig by eating good food , sleeping well and living a carefree life. dont just run to the nearest testing centre because you sneezed and overload the already burdened medical centres.

Ps: There is a 1.8 % chance of dying in a road accident, so please stop crossing the road.
There are high chances of getting complicated malaria and dengue fever, so please sleep in an armored truck.
Also there are high chances of lung cancer due to pollution, so stop breathing.

REMEMBER: THE ONLY THING WE NEED TO FEAR IS FEAR ITSELF

HAPPY B'DAY MOM

Many many happy returns of the day to mom.

Got her a nice jade buddha statue.







We saw this little guy sitting in a shop a few months ago and she liked it a lot. I happened to have a wierd feeling that day that i should get it for her birthday. Suprisingly that was the last piece inthe store and the owner told me that it was there since a long time. Maybe it was destined to come home to mom.

Sad news

My aunt passed away last week. Too young really ( all of 52 years). I had the misfortune of witnessing her terminal stages. I remembering being in shock for the first fifteen minutes and the rest of the day thereafter.

Not that I was particularly fond of her, but her death made me realize one thing for sure. Life is too short to really hate someone. As the embalmer handed me the rings she was wearing, it felt quite symbolic. When you die, you don’t take anything with you. All that remains is faint memories good and bad.

???

There comes a time in everyone's life when he or she would like to just disappear , go AWOL, search for peace ..or whatever.
I just happen to be in that phase

where am i ? I'm in paradise, increasing my serum creatinine, away from friends, family, mobile phones, emails adn all wordly distracions. No , i havent renounced the world and gone to the himalayas to meditate, I have too many hedonistic tendencies to hold me back. Not yet at least

Where am I? ........
...........
..........
I'm not tellin you

A tribute to the king of pop

I am still trying to hold back my tears for I am a fan , if not a big one of Michael Jackson. It was shocking and saddening to hear this piece of news especially when millions of his fans( me included ) were eagerly waiting for his last concert.

We have danced to his tunes since childhood right from OFF THE WALL to BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR, twisted our ankles and hips tying to perfect the MOONWALK, ridiculed his nosejobs and freaky hairstyles, went crazy over his concert in India and splattered our walls with posters of BAD.

His has been a tumultuous life riddled with allegations ( we do not know the truth) and plastic surgeries ( those are true). BUT all said and done, I am sure that all his fans will echo this simple feeling .....there can be no one like him.

songs for the rain

The girls in Bandra are pretty, but the railway station just got prettier. a nice makeover job, and i got to see it today.



Switching topics, i know its pretty cliched if i talk about sitting by ur window and watching the rains with a piping hot cup of coffee and garam bhajiyas for company, but nonetheless the whole situation has a calming effect, especially if accompanied by good music ( yipeee longest sentence in my blog, never mind grammar).

Did just that today, but the setting sun made an annoying appearance and spoilt it all.

some good songs for the rain:


Riders on the storm : the who

Badalon mein chhup raha hain: phir teri kahani yaad aayee

nayan tarse : Dev D

aasman ke par : rockford

so long my friend : yanni

tis rainin

The cobbler on the road opposite my house has changed his 'look', instead of the usual leathery embellishments adorning his shop's visage, it was a row of colourful handles and black umbrellas.

Not surprising, now that the monsoon has made its presence felt. A great respite from the heat, though the skies now wear a dull grey suit as compared to the bright hues of summer, but hey!! who's complaining (not till the floods at least)
The ultra clean people may pule away to glory, but im loving all the wet mud and dirt on my sneakers.

I'M IN LOVE.......

I switch on my TV set and browse through the 250 channels tht my poor man's subscription on TATA SKY has to offer. Nothing but trash, trash and more trash. Had it not been for DISCOVERY TRAVEL AND LIVING, i would have long thrown my TV outside the window (probably on my pesky neighbour's head downstairs, two birds in one stone thingy).

And of all the great programmes it has to offer i find GREAT VACATION HOMES the most appealing. Not only does it feature great places on earth where you should spend your holidays ( provided you are ready to mortgage your home, car, jewellery and yourself)
, but it also features a pretty lady called SAMANTHA BROWN. It was love at first sight. Never mind the fact that she is married to some guy called kevin leary (damn him).

Samantha Elizabeth Brown (born March 31, 1969) is an American television host, notable for her work as the host of Girl Meets Hawaii, Great Hotels, Passport to Europe, Passport to Latin America, Great Weekends, and Passport to China, all of which currently air on the Travel Channel.

But theres something about her eyes which are bewitching, alluring, enticing(....u get the point) that one tends to forget what place or hotel she showcases.

Hmmmm i wish i could meet her once in my lifetime

WARNING !!!

My boss recently put up a notice to warn all offenders who leave their things strewn about. Though I dont fall into that category ( my mom's boot camp training has seen to that), I'm extra careful with the scrubs, leftovers from lunch and the blankets. The best part was the innovative way he put up a stern but funny warning

take a look

dear GOD ...WHERE ART THOU?

It would be very ungrateful of me to not thank you God for all that you have given me. I may or may not deserve all that i have received till today.

But still there are thousands of things that i need, you can attribute it to my human greed.

There are a few hundred things that i really need, but i understand that they are for my needs and i should work hard for it.

There are ten things that could really help me in life, but i guess you have reserved it for some undeserving people (Its too evident to prove)

All i ask is for a handful of wishes , you dont even need two hands to count them.

I know i deserve it but yet you choose to keep it away from me.

I have read a thousand quotes and email forwards about You being kind and just ...stuff like You withhold something just to give me something better.

I am yet to receive that ' better bit of butter'.

If not now ....when? When will you prove to me that you exist. They say you can work miracles, forget miracles, can you just impart me with a bit of luck in what i do?.

I may not be a saint , but im no devil either.

Am i really your child or have you forsaken me?

When do I get to see u ? when???????

trainspotting

She sat by the window, the breeze wafting through her thin silver hair. The wisps fluttered across her face, though not altering her gaze. The wrinkles on her forehead were accentuated by the thick round tilak which told of her rural lineage.

The unnerving calmness of her demeanour was somehow unaffected by the usual hustle bustle, fights, shouts and falls of a peak hour crowded local. As if it spread an aura around her which dampened the negativity of the whole situation. Her unblinking cataractous eyes stared out into the phantasmagoria, but her mind was obviously in her past.

A half smile occasionally spread across her thin pale lips, a smile that bore witness to years of living a hard life. The kind of life that teaches you every step, every wake, every second, so much that by the end of it comes a feeling “been there, done that”.

A cute little kid tugged at her pallu, to which she responded by a pat on its head. Shifting a little more in her seat, the eternal mother allowed the child a little more comfort in that cramped compartment.

There are people you meet in life, some leave a lasting impression, some just hit you in the face hard and wake you up to the harsh realities of this life and then they fade away into oblivion like lost memories of childhood.

PARTY PARTY

What a great week it has been, filled with a hectic schedule and fun with friends.
If the work in the ICU has been hell, the parties have been bliss.


The SES gang met up again and had a blast.


The chinese joint was a great place to hang out with all the beautiful females of our school times. (We adored them then, we are still crazy about them now). Life would be boring without them.
We had a gala time pulling monica's leg over a 'soft ' issue. Kedar was blushing all red meanwhile, which i dont think anyone noticed.

Also a hearty welcome to Deborah, the newest member of our gang. A pretty gal with a spunky attitude. "beauty with brains" , not something you find everyday.

for our friends out there, ill be putting up the pics on my orkut profile.

Really looking forward for the next party

2 guys, a girl and Pop Tate's

It was a great afternoon yesterday at Pop Tate's, where we met for for lunch. We, comprising of a bewda entering into the corporate world, a bewdi halfway through it and a long haired tee totaller who thinks that all the girls in the world are dying to be in his arms ( that would be me).

The best part about Pop Tates is the ambience. The hep crowd, dull lighting and a smoke free zone makes it a cool place to hangout, be it friends or family, or just u and that special someone.

It started with the drunkards ordering a blue lagoon and a screwdriver. I settled for a seven up which was enough to give me a high. Im sure we embarassed our female companion by our antics ( read bird watching and crazy talk).

The Prawn salsa was a good starter coupled with a blasted paneer ( no , it was really good, its just the name). The main course comprised of a risotto and lemon garlic chicken. The risotto was steaming hot and heavenly. the lemon chicken was good but the portions were a bit tiny...no ridiculously small. It ended with a lovely sizzling brownie and mango with vanilla icecream.

The brownie with the hot chocolate sauce took us to a different world for quite sometime. They say that chocolate ahs the exact effect that sex has on the brain. I wouldnt agree less.

Finally the exasperated female and the gluttons left the place on a high, a sense of euphoria induced by alcohol, seven up, chocolate and the fun of just hanging out together.

thanks for the treat neha!!!

Money wisdom

Nowadays ATMs not only dispense cash but also words of wisdom.
check out what I found written on one of the notes





also the back of the note:

A LOT CAN HAPPEN OVER TEA

I walk into the room and greet him, this acquaintance of mine.

" hello uncle, kaise ho?"
" arre beta aao, kaise ho? bahut dino baad mile ho, sab theek hai na?"
" sab theek hai uncle, bas aapki dua hai"

then the dreaded question or statement , whichever way it is presented:

" beta chai piyo"
" uuuhh...uncle main chai nahi pita"

"coffee chalega? ya thanda mangwau? koi baat nahi beta, zara sa pi lo, aadhi cup"

" arre nahi uncle, ( i have to start explaining that i dont drink too much tea, just had a cup in the mornin, i rather prefer coffee and that too only once a day with lots of sugar, i dont even have cold drinks , ,blah blah, "

" arre nahi , aise kaise chalega, kuch to lena hi padega"
( what now? your peon will hold me down while you force it down my throat?)

The dumb peon/office boy walks in with a cup of hot piping tea despite my earnest requests.

" ab to chai aa hi gaya hai, pina to padega"
" lekin ... magar...par..."

and this guy proceeds to hand me the cup with his parkinson's hands, " titter , twatter ( cup sounds)"
" blik!!! , splash!!!, tatter , crash ( tea spills all over me, cup crashes to the floor)
"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHH...( me running out screaming, and people wondering why im holding my crotch area with steam all around it)

THE NEXT TIME:

" beta chai piyo"
no more hesitation:
" sllllllllurpppppppp!!!, wah uncle kya chai hai, maza aa gaya."

Kangal Irandal

Im writing in after a long time.

The writer's block borne out of despondence and self pity has finally died. And the one responsible for this is a song. "Kangal irandal" a tamil song from the movie 'subramaniapuram' is this wonderful song. I heard this song on a friend's mobile and downloaded it instantly. That night i heard this song a record 27 times straight, only stopping coz my batteries died. I never did that before except for "pehla nasha" which i consider to be the best love song ever. However this song takes over that mantle.

Those who understand tamil will surely agree that the lyrics are nothing but pure poetry. Whenever I'm down in the dumps, this song really peps me up, music therapy anyone? Numerous blogs have already been written about this movie and song. I recently saw the video on SUN TV .............and I fell in love with it all over again.

click here for the video

yeah im still alive

a long post after a long time....exams to blame , not me.
I recently won the 2nd runner up for my story Blood and rain on the writers lounge
I dont know whether to be happy with mediocrity or wallow in a delusion of grandiosity.
But the blog sure feels like a second home to me now.
Anyways do check out this site where i spend most of my time on the net
(click here)