Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Today, in the bus..

I was relieved to see an empty window seat when I entered bus at 6:15PM and occupied it.
5 minutes later Y came and sat next to me.
Y started closing the window.
I stared at her. Y stopped.
Y: Can you close the window.
VOMIB: Oh No! Not again. It’s so hot these days.
Me: Stop cribbing VOMIB.
Me: Yes, I can.
VOMIB: Doesn’t mean that you will.
( I didn’t close the window :P)
Y: Can you please close the window?
VOMIB: Hello Ma’am, remember what you did in morning? You didn’t open the window on Pari’s request so she is not gonna close it now..
Me: Ehhh.. actually I feel suffocated with closed windows.
Y: Actually my hair will start flying.
VOMIB: Oh really! Do they have wings?
Me: Eh Yeah.. ok.. ok, I will close it till here. I feel that should be ok.
Y: Fine.
VOMIB: Grrr. What fine?
Me: Fine.

For those of you who don't know, VOMIB is Voice Of My Intelligent Brain.
RC Funny

A jounrney..

Between those trees tall and green,
Smelling the flowers and air clean,
I walked..
Afraid and anxious,
And a bit curious,
But, I walked..

Fear of being lost,
Was getting me on my nerves,
Still, I walked..

Sparrows were chirping and dancing,
There was football in hands of boys munching,
And, I walked..

On those unknown roads,
I saw a palace with swords,
Yet, I walked..

As I looked here and there,
I sensed there wasn't any reason to have fear,
I continued, to walk..

It was all so beautiful,
Cheerful and colorful,
So, I walked..

A smile came on my face,
As I walked with grace,
Yes, I walked..
Yes, I walk..
Saturday, March 28, 2009

Chak De Phattey!

"Hey! What does this phrase "exactly" mean?" I have been asked again and again, especially after the movie 'Chak De', and every time I had to come out with some weird examples. For obvious reasons I can't say, it means "Lift the wooden planks and pull the lever." Today, when someone asked me this again, I decided to do some googling.

The phrase is: Chak De Phattey; Nap De Killi.


So, moral of the story is Chak De Phatte is used when one is in full Josh and determined to achieve some positive results. Not literally, but it's like saying 'Let's do it!'

Vaise I have also heard him saying:
Chak De Phatte, Nap De Killi
Subhe Jalandhar, Sham Nu Dilli...

This Jalandhar to Delhi journey is still a mystery. 
Well if I start in an Amritsar Shatabdi at 6:15 am, I will reach Delhi by 11:15 am(unless of course its not foggy). So, is it not like: Subhe Jalandhar, Dopahar Nu Delhi?? 
Ok, now if this saying goes back to a few decades back when transportation was not as good as now, then of course it does make sense!

So, I can say that it is like an example to the above moral of the story indicating that nothing's impossible.
 
From Jalandhar, yaad aaya, happened to watch 'Jugni Chali Jalandhar' yesterday. Funny sound effects. It was fun listening to some typical Punjabi dialogues. :D

By the way, Chak De was a good movie. I liked it. SRK acted well and so did everyone else.

People have been lately complaining that I think a lot. 3 days off from office, and what can one do if one is tired of being tired?? Listen to music and..... what else?(Exclude the option of reading books, surfing and watching TV/movies because of some circumstances)
Thinking is a convinient option. So I think. Weird?? Illogical?? About Chak De?? I can't help it! And I don't complicate things, they get complicated.

VALUE / COSt


The cost is known; but the value??
Wednesday, March 25, 2009

It stays :)

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
-Maya Angelou quotes (American Poet, b.1928)

Those 2 paranthas..

As I went to the canteen for breakfast on a sunny morning, I took 2 allu paranthas(?) and sat next to a colleague. Let’s call my colleague X.

Me: Hi! Good Morning.
X: Heyyy! Good Morning! Long time ha! Don’t see you these days.
Me: Ya ya, usually I don’t come to first floor for breakfast, so maybe that’s why!
(X stares at my plate, paranthas - to be precise, and starts giggling)
Me: What happened to you now?
X: Nah! Nothing.
(X stares at the parantha’s again)
Me: Whatttt?????
X: You eat parantha’s with butter! Heheehee
Me: (Surprised) Yes, of course. Why?
X: Heeheehee. Huhahahahaa. Is this how you north Indians eat paranthas?
Me: Yes! This is how some people in north, or I would say at least in Punjab eat parantha’s.
X: Oh yeah? Heheehee hahaahaaa. Ohkkk. It’s... ......
Me: What?
X: (nods head left and right) Heheheheeee.. nothing!
Me: . (Smile) (Smile) (Smile)

X was having allu paranthas with coconut chutney and laughed at a Punjabi kudi having parathas with butter. Some differences are meant to be enjoyed :-)
RC Funny
Tuesday, March 24, 2009

A weekend with books..

“Hey! I read Anything for you ma’am by Tushar Raheja. I loved it! Read it when you have time,” a friend said more than 2 years back. Last Saturday when I was standing among 10000s of books, I decided to take this one. A bollywood stuff; and it kept me gripped! It’s about journey of Tejas studying in IIT-Delhi to meet the girl he loves, Shreya, who lives in Chennai; about his plans; his experiences; about how Mr. Fate intervenes and switches sides to make his life adventurous. It’s funny. Never have I laughed like this reading a book. All characters just fit so very well - loving family, helpful friends, amusing doctor, understanding professors (!), interesting fellow passengers. And yes, he really loved her! At the end, I have only this to say ‘Hey! I read Anything for you ma’am by Tushar Raheja. I loved it! Read it when you have time.’

Almost a year back, or a little more, I read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini on recommendation of a friend. It’s a story, staged in Afghanistan, of Hassan, in words of his childhood companion, Amir. He tells how he betrays Hassan in the toughest of his times. After years, he returns back filled with guilt, and discovers facts which really shocked not only him, but me too. It’s touching. Never had I cried like that reading a book! Only the hardest of hearts will not move on reading it. It’s unforgettable. A Thousand Splendid Suns by the same author is equally touching. It’s about Mariam, her childhood and her marriage at the age of 15 with Rasheed whose age is some 30 years more than her. It’s about Laila, who is born in Mariam’s neighbourhood. It tells how wars and changing political situation impact Laila’s life who just wants to live and enjoy the life given by God. It was a surprise, and not a pleasant one, to know how Mariam and Laila are related to each other. It’s well written and full of emotions. Both these books by Khaled Hosseini are, without a doubt, worth taking time even out of busy schedules.
RC Books
Sunday, March 22, 2009

Dumbo Coloring Pages




Posted in Dumbo Coloring Pages
Unknown Dumbo
Friday, March 20, 2009

Christmas Candy Cane Coloring Pages

Candy cane are one of the most often seen symbol of christmas. The candy canes are not only sweet Christmastime treat but also a decorative piece highly used in cards, greetings, clipart, wallpapers, stationery, calendars, food recipes and other themes. The concept of candy cane came from hard white sugar made sticks often given to kids. So, access these christmas candy cane coloring pages for decoration purpose as well as for giving sweets to children.
Christmas Candy Cane Coloring Pages

Christmas Coloring Sheets

Christmas gets with it holidays and lots of fun for little kids and children. The most funny activity is coloring. Students at kindergarten, gradeschool and preschool get these christmas coloring sheets to enjoy and learn more about christmas celebrations. Christmas snowman, santa, gifts, stars, tree, candles and other ornaments are highly used for coloring activities.
Sunday, March 15, 2009

Bratz Coloring Pages

Bratz Coloring Pages 001
The four best friends: Jade, Cloe, Sasha and Yasmin, are about to start High School. Although nervous, they feel excited and confident that they will excel. Head girl Meredith Baxter Dimly wants everyone to belong to a group and goes about organizing people.
Bratz Coloring Pages 002
The original line of dolls has generated a number of spin-offs such as Lil' Bratz, Bratz Boyz, Bratz Kidz, Bratz Babyz, Itsy Bitsy Bratz, Bratz Lil' Angelz, Be-Bratz and Bratz Petz as well as films, music albums, and interactive DVDs.
Posted in Bratz Coloring Pages 003
Unknown Bratz
Saturday, March 14, 2009

After 560 days..

Miss who-got-some-urgent-work messaged at 8:25 am and informed she won’t come, after, based on her input, I had told a few that I will. Miss who-went-to-doc ditched after I reached the destination. Hmmm! That’s why you should never rely on gals for an Alumni meet ;) 560 days is a long time!! The management had decided to call us and they welcomed us with series of lectures. Then we decided to roam in the campus and refresh our memories. 

This note is still there even after years! 

PJ-boy was as usual cracking his PJs and didn’t forget to thank me for all the scolding! The PJ award goes to ‘Who is the principal among those on the stage?’ I did inki-pinki-ponki and chose a random person. His final answer was ‘Principal isn’t on the stage. HaHaaHaaaaa’ :) Later, he gave us a demo on how to clean plates without using water and soap and thus, save nature's resources!

The second plate shows the remains of the poori-channa we were given after standing for 20 minutes in a queue. Unfortunately, we missed the veg-biryani as we were late for lunch. Visiting classes was more important than lunch :) By the way, lunch was in LOTUS-and some people visited it for first time.

Assistant PO came to our rescue and saved us from hunger by treating us with dosa’s. He joined PJ-boy at times and kept the atmosphere light. 

Silent boy silently ate the onion dosa. 

Einstein’s hair-style was a hot topic of discussion for all. As always, he wanted the ‘books’ in his hands and was so desperate that when he didn’t get his books, he kept holding Super-child’s books in his hands. He scared a junior clicking our pic in a classroom by referring him to a wrong person for clarifying his doubts. 

Graph-chor reminded me of the graph-saga and I had a hearty laugh. He kept helping PJ-boy too. In spite of being told that the only thing available in canteen is dosa, he asked for 3 different items and each time we reminded him about the 'only dosa's' available. 

Super-child turned out to be a great observer when he told ‘Hey! These 4 people are looking at the hospital building just as the people from villages come and look at the city buildings.’ 

Patience boy looked calm as always; some people call him Pappu too. 

Ice-cream-boy was waiting for his fruit ice-cream when others were having 'Grape Magic'. I couldn’t understand why he got up thrice and waited so eagerly for ice-cream. His fear was obvious because he knew what is gonna happen to his ice cream when 6 other people attack it! Fortunately for him, one person sitting next to him didn't disturb him when he ate the rest of it as if he has never seen an ice-cream before. He was our guide-for-the-day too. 

And then of course, there was a girl, telling them to send the pics in PhD format, talking about CNN lab in college and asking them to show how the car parking system in front of the hospital works! 

Meine Verabredung


Der Platz ist bunt und künstlerisch;
mit Kerzen lang und Blumen gefällig.
Ich höre die Musik sanft und toll;
und finde das Zimmer mit Menschen voll.
Ich trage ein Abendkleid aus Seide;
Es ist herrlich und farbig weiß.
Ich habe Schmuck auch an;
Ohrring schön und Kette gläzende.
Schuhe habe ich den Spitzen mit;
und tanze ich mein Schatz mit.
Er trägt einen schwarzen Anzug klasse;
mit weißen Hemd und schwarzen Krawatte.
Er blickt in die Augen meine;
Ich halte die Hände seine.
Ich fühle mich schüchtern;
und schließe meine Augen.
Öffne meine Augen wann;
finde mich zu Hause dann.
Ich habe ,Cinderella' gelesen,
Weiß nicht, wann ich bin eingeschlafen.
Es war im Traum meine Verabredung;
Wer war er? Ich habe keine Ahnung!
-Pari
(Picture Courtesy: Mouse and More Collectibles)
Sunday, March 8, 2009

A short story..

Aman is back with a short story.

Don't forget to answer his question!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

TiME FLieS

rOBErt bOSCH

Football Coloring Pages




Posted in Football Coloring Pages
Unknown Football

dark @ night..

Thursday, March 5, 2009

The Thursday..

When I got up in morning I thought that it would be another regular day today, just another Thursday. As I stepped out of house, I decided to make a note of all special things around me.

It was 6:04 am. I heard a dog barking loudly. The sound came from the corner house in our lane. They have a dog. I couldn’t see it. Another one was growling back. This sound was from the pale-yellow, small corner house in the next lane. They have a huge open space in front of their house, not often seen in Bangalore! But the garden has only grass. I wished it had some flowers too. And then there was another sound– a street dog's. Now this scared me, I had to walk from the place where it was standing and it stared at me. As I silently walked, it followed me for a few seconds, then turned back to his friends and started barking. I see this dog daily. Maybe they were wishing each other a good morning and discussing what they ate last night.

Around 7:06 am, I saw 3 cows(white with black spots, one had its small horns painted in red and black), 2 cocks, 3 hens and 4 street dogs.

At 7:36am, when I stepped out to catch the office-bus, I saw something in our house which looked like this:

Look at its pistil and petals! Isn’t it beautiful?

As I walked towards the bus-stop, I noticed the weather was pleasant. It was not sunny. I could feel the cool breeze. At 7:47am the bus came, and I got the window seat! 

At 8:12am, I saw the tree with yellow flowers on a busy road leading to my office. No matter what I am doing sitting in the bus- listening songs, reading a book or dreaming, I make it a point to see it daily. The direct sunlight falling on it makes it look pretty.

Then at 5:26 pm, I got 3 chocolates! :)

On my way back, at 6:49pm, I happened to see a graveyard. It looked scary. It was crowded, although there were not any alive people inside.

I had the urge to tell the bus-driver to stop the bus at a place. I saw my watch, it was 6:58pm.

At 7:08pm, I was listening to 'Udja kale kawan', This was the song I heard yesterday also and all my way back to home I imagined myself to be a bird. ‘Von dem Himmel’ is outcome of a part of this imagination. For those who can’t understand German, it means ‘From the sky’. By the way, 'Udja kale kawan' is one of my favorite songs. I was reminded of Sunny Bhaajee and my high school friends Simran and Amani who were crazy for him. 

It was a 'different' Thursday. 

Von dem Himmel

Fliege! Fliege!
In den blauen Himmel fliege ich,
und fühle mich himmlich.

Fliege! Fliege!
über den Berg fliege ich.
Wenn sehe nach unten ich,
habe Angst ich.
Laut laut höre ich,
Feuer und Rauch sehe ich.
Normalerwise der Berg weiß ist,
aber heute er schwarz ist.
Was passiert? Weiß ich nicht,
mein Augen sind feucht.

Fliege! Fliege!
über das Meer fliege ich.
Wenn sehe nach unten ich,
keinen Seemann sondern nur Schiff finde ich.
Das Schiff ist kaput,
ich finde das nicht gut.
Normalerwise das Meer blau ist,
aber heute es rot ist.
Was ist der Grund? Ich kann meine Augen nicht glauben,
aber es ist unheimlich heute.

Fliege! Fliege!
über das Land fliege ich.
Wenn sehe nach unten ich,
traurig und ruhig bin ich.
Auf den Baum setze ich mich,
links und rechts sehe ich.
Normalerwise ist land grün und fabrefroh,
aber heute ist hier kein Mensch froh.
Warum viele Menschen tot sind?
Ahnung habe ich keine!

Ich denke, denke und denke,
wissen Sie, was ich meine?
Wenn die Menschen den Krieg haben,
dann verlieren Sie ihr Leben.
Dann der Berg schwarz ist und das Meer rot ist,
obwohl man es möchte nicht.
Dann die Welt nicht fabrefroh ist,
und kein Mensch froh ist.
Die Menschen sind gierig,
Sieg ist für Ihr wichtig.
Aber was Sie wollen?
Krieg oder Frieden?

-Pari

I've learnt that..

..not only looks, words can also be deceptive.

(from a conversation during which I heard this statement)

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

What next?

Seems like WAYGM-bug has bitten the whole world around me!  Some of them think that GHM is the only possible solution now. Gosh! What will happen next???
RC My life
Sunday, March 1, 2009

Of books and books..

Reading is fun! I had some books added to my list in past few months - not in the same order as below.

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga is the Man Booker Prize winner for the year 2008. He tells the story of an innocent mind that gets corrupted by money and even murders for the money. It is good. The description of the situation in villages is touching. Yes, it does speak about ‘the dark’ India but that’s how Indians in villages live. Contrary to the normal stories, the bad guy lives happily ever after. I don't know he was actually happy or not, but at least police couldn't catch him. A realistic ending?

I laid my hands on another Paulo Coehlo book. Brida is a book with a different story. Really different. Nice philosophy, as always. I understood the first half. But when the girl in the story started understanding things, this girl stopped understanding the story. It was a bit too complicated for me and the philosophy a bit difficult to handle. Maybe if I read it once more, I will understand the concept of soulmates better.

Who inspired Danny Boyle to make Slumdog Millionaire? Yes, Q&A by Vikas Swarup is the book behind Slumdog Millionaire. Plot- you would have already heard about it! The twists and the questions are different in book. I didn’t like it much. By the way,  I feel Slumdog Millionaire is much hyped. Loved the Music; it’s magical. A.R. Rahman rocks! Jai Ho! But this one and this too are my favourites by the genious musician.

It was like living my childhood again when I read Aesop’s Fables by Aesop and The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. Mowgli was my childhood hero. I have some precious memories with this serial. Too precious. Here's the song I still love humming.

The short stories by O Henry are good. Lovely. It’s fun reading them. The Gift of the Magi is my favourite. Jeff and Andy stories also kept me involved and then there are many others. I have not finished reading all the 100 that I have.  

These days I am reading short stories by Oscar Wilde. He writes beautifully. I liked all the stories I have read so far. Each one of his stories is so beautifully written that I have fallen in love with his writings. I just wish I could meet him. Must say, I am impressed. I also read some of his poems. They are also wonderful! 

I wanted to read something funny and got nice reviews on this one. So, I started reading The Dilbert Future by Scott Adam. Some of the comic scripts are good. He thinks everything is funny. Read around 200+ pages and then gave up. I didn’t like it. Sometimes, to me his humour came as sadism. 

I added Mein Kampf (means My Struggle) in my list. I read some 100 and odd pages of this book. It’s all history! Not that I didn’t expect it to be a history book. I plan to read it sometime in this year! 

I also tried to read The Fountain Head again! It always turns my head upside down. I should read it sometime in future. It’s almost a year now! 

Between the Assassinations by Aravind Adiga is in the queue. Not in a mood to read something serious these days. So, didn’t start reading it yet.

I want to read P.S. I love you by Cecilia Ahern. A friend told the movie ‘PS, I love you’ is too good. I prefer reading the book! Gonna buy it this week!

I read a small story this weekend. Writing about it, the way I want to, needs some effort and time. And when I write about it, I will also reveal the name of the story I will be reading next. :)

RC Books

He pulls them..


This one was clicked on a flyover in Amritsar. By the way, the word "rickshaw" originates from the Japanese word jinrikisha (jin = human, riki = power or force, sha = vehicle), which literally means "human-powered vehicle".

Is 'it' worth?

I fail to understand this! There’s this new style of talking on phone while driving by keeping the phone inside the helmet. Why don’t people take their life seriously? And fine, they are playing with their life consciously, but what about someone else on the same road who may end up losing his/her life because of those people who ‘utilize’ their time while driving. Can’t people act responsibly instead of giving justifications on something like this that can’t be justified? Are they not dangerous elements on roads? 

Right age!!

ya ya.. right age is what they say :(

Are we Indians age-centric or is there actually 'a right age' for everything? 

A tight slap is what these losers deserve..

Female foeticide, dowry, injustice to widows, molestation, rape, harassment; and now getting beaten up for wearing jeans. And then one expects women to feel safe in this country. Being harassed on a crowded road isn’t something new to any Indian women. Step out on a road, and you have this feeling of being ‘watched’; no matter what you are wearing and how old you are. 

Read this article sometime back: "Irrespective of the dress they wear, or, their ages, their looks, their educational, professional and marital status, never mind the time or place, women in Kolkata and elsewhere are being subjected to all kinds of harassment, including eve-teasing."

And as if all this was not enough, the moral police- a bunch of hooligans jumps in to do it in the name of ‘culture’. I find this whole fuss about jeans shocking. I am really not getting the purpose of all this. It makes me feel sad and angry. Is there a political motive? Or is it for footage? Or creating panic? Or do they want to become famous? What is it? What do they want? Bloody losers! In a country with so many genuine issues to solve, you come up with an issue like this. Cowards! Heros- that’s what you want to be, right? You want to save your country, her culture, right? Why don’t you save your country’s honour? Why don’t you go and fight against terrorism? No, you won’t do it. Actually, you can’t do it. Because you just don’t have the guts. All you know is to bully someone physically weak than you. Beating up a woman proudly in daylight is all that you can do. And then you talk about culture! You- who don’t even know the definition of culture. There is nothing wrong in jeans; it’s about your sick mentality.
What is even more shocking is it that nobody comes for any sort of help in such circumstances? Oh! How can I ask this question? Unless one knows the victim, why should one get into trouble, right? Can’t we stand united? Ever? Of course, I am not speaking of showing your heroism in a typical bollywood fashion. But when someone raises alarm, taking down the vehicle number, trying to locate a cop nearby, dialing 100; is it too much to ask?
Some people tell me that Bangalore is a safe place even at 11pm. No Sir, it isn’t safe. Do you know the definition of safety for a woman? It’s not only being safe from robbers, it’s much more. These words echo in my mind when I open the newspaper these day: It’s not a fair world, girl. Your safety, when you are alone, is only your concern – only yours. An umbrella, a pocket knife, pepper powder is a must for you. After all, you are a girl. A girl who will not stop walking on these crowded roads. 
RC Women